University of Indochina lays foundations for Vietnam's modern education

An international symposium was held in Hanoi on May 16 to look into the role of the University of Indochina, the first modern tertiary institute in Vietnam.

The building of the University of Indochina

The function was to celebrate the 110th founding anniversary of the University of Indochina (May 16, 1906), which is now the Vietnam National University (VNU) in Hanoi.

Professor Vu Minh Giang, head of VNU’s science and training council, said when France set up the University of Indochina at that time, the goal was to train local intelligentsia to take positions in its ruling system.

The University of Indochina can be considered the start of modern education in Vietnam and a milestone in the development of local education, he added.

At the symposium, French Ambassador to Vietnam Jean Noel Poirier said the establishment of the university put an end to a reign lasting over a millennium of education based on Chinese Nom (the Vietnamese script derived from Chinese characters) in Vietnam.

The school provided opportunities for the then researchers to join in the community of international scientists, he added, noting famous Vietnamese scholars who studied at the school such as Nguyen Van To, Nguyen Van Huyen, Tran Van Giau, and Dao Duy Anh.

Professor Giang said VNU was set up in 1993 and inherited many features from the University of Indochina. It has strongly developed over the past decades and is a symbol of Vietnam in the global tertiary system.

(Source: NDO)