DIVERSIFYING EXPERIENCES FOR UEF-ERS AT “IRISH CULTURE FESTIVAL”

On the afternoon of March 18, the Center for Sustainable Development Studies (CSDS) in collaboration with the University of Economics and Finance of Ho Chi Minh City (UEF) organized the program "Irish Culture Festival" which provided students with opportunities of listening to the sharing of information and experiences about the Irish Culture through various displays.

Attending the program, from the Irish delegation, there were: Mr. Sean Farrell - Development Counselor of the Irish Embassy in Vietnam, Mr. Phan Dang Cuong - Senior Policy and Strategy Advisor, Mr. Don Tuan Phuong - Director Center for Sustainable Development Studies (CSDS), and Mr. John Marron - Chairman of the Irish Entrepreneurs Association in Vietnam.

Representatives of UEF leaders, the Embassy of Ireland and CSDS attended the program

From the UEF, there were Mr. Do Quoc Anh - Vice Chairman of the University Council, Dr. Nhan Cam Tri - Vice Rector of the University, Dr. Do Huu Nguyen Loc – Vice President and Director of the International Institute, Dr. Ly Thien Trang – Vice Rector of the University, MSc. Bui Quang Dong – Head of Student Affairs Department, MSc. Dinh Nguyen Thien An - Director of the Community Connection Center with representatives from Irish agencies and organizations, Irish and Vietnamese businesses, Irish alumni, and UEF students.

Mr. Do Quoc Anh - Vice Chairman of the School Council delivered the opening speech

At the beginning of the program, Mr. Do Quoc Anh - Vice President of the School Council introduced outstanding information about UEF's training program, as well as shared an overview of the culture and perspective on Ireland.

Representative of the Irish Embassy in Vietnam, Mr. Sean Farrell shared: “The Irish Cultural Festival program is an opportunity to connect between Vietnam and Ireland. You will be able to share and learn about the long-standing history and culture of Ireland and recognize the similarities between Ireland and Vietnam. I hope that the connection between the two countries will be expanded and developed in the future." At the same time, he also thanked the UEF, the Center for Sustainable Development Studies (CSDS), and the Friends of Ireland (FOI).
 

Mr. Sean Farrell shared his feelings about the "Irish Culture Festival" at UEF

Representative of UEF, Mr. Do Quoc Anh gave gifts to Mr. Sean Farrell

At the program, students learned about Irish culture through the seminar "Ireland - The Silicon Valley of Europe" with speakers: Ms. Tran Phuong Mai - Communications consultant of Education in Ireland Vietnam, Mr. Bung Tran - Co - Founder and Chairman of AI Education Google, Mr. Quan Vo - CEO, IMP Marketing IDEAS Scholar, Mr. Jack O'Sullivan - Founder of Modmo and Mr. Paul Cox - Head of Operations Starcircle Vietnam. Besides, the Writer Nhi Phan - Lecturer at the University of Natural Sciences in Ho Chi Minh City shared with students about her love for the Irish and the culture of Ireland, which is also the reason why she wrote the book. "Ireland - Summer Dance".

Writer Nhi Phan - Author of the book "Ireland - Summer Dance" shared  her  feelings about the people and culture of Ireland

Explaining Ireland's nickname "The Silicon Valley of Europe", Phuong Mai shared that in addition to the tax factor, the Government's supportive policies and Ireland's education system are important factors in contributing to this nickname. Irish students are always inspired with a positive spirit to start a business. Besides, Ireland is home to 10 "big cheeses" in technology.

Mr. Bung Tran emphasized more special things in Ireland, such as leading in Service Learning to help solve community problems, and creating a generation of students and founders with start-up ideas. That is, in Mr. Quan’s point of view, also the reason why international students in Ireland come back to Vietnam to catch development opportunities.

For Irish startups in Vietnam, Mr. Jack O'Sullivan and Paul Cox shared about the spirit of young people in Vietnam when working together. The Irish students have an open mind, a positive teamwork spirit, and a good working attitude.

Interesting stories about Ireland as well as Irish youth entrepreneurship were shared by the speakers

The attraction of the festival is the program of connecting Vietnam - Ireland businesses and cultural exchange between Vietnam - Ireland through eleven displays introducing Irish culture, sports, business, food, etc. You can participate in several typical games to learn about the outstanding cultural features of Ireland, and also receive souvenirs with Irish characteristics from the stalls. 

Students interacted and asked questions to the guests

Listening to the guests' sharing and visiting the booths, Hoang Duc - 2nd year E-commerce student said: “This is the first time I have participated in cultural activities on an international scale. This helps me learn a lot of useful knowledge and skills. Sharing from international guests helps students have more open and multicultural perspectives. Visiting the displays, I was most impressed with Ireland's sports field in Hurling curls. These are new things for someone interested in sports like me”.

 The students were excited about visiting and learning about the Irish culture through displays

Earlier on February 18th, UEF also welcomed a delegation of the Irish Embassy, Center for Sustainable Development Studies (CSDS), and Friends of Ireland (FOI) to visit and work on Service-Learning activities at the university. The event has promised to open up many long-term and comprehensive cooperation opportunities between the parties in the coming time.

With the "Irish Culture Festival", the students were able to learn and enrich their knowledge about the culture, history, and people of this country in many aspects. This is also an opportunity for them to approach many domestic and foreign businesses, gain experience, and practice skills to prepare for the path of integration.
 

Nguyên Lê

Images: Media Team