Vietnamese Cultural and Research Center
On October 29, 2010 the Senate of King Sigismund College acted to establish the College‘s Vietnamese Cultural and Research Center. The Center’s goal is primarily to support and develop Vietnamese-Hungarian cultural, artistic, educational and scientific research relations. Based on the flourishing and active (largely educational) relations between the two countries in the 60s, 70s and 80s of the 20th century, the two countries established deep and friendly relations at a time when Vietnam and its people were torn by war. The people of Vietnam are still grateful for the gestures of this period, when Hungary made it possible for several thousand Vietnamese youth to receive vocational, secondary and higher education. During the dynamic development experienced after the war young Vietnamese people who were trained in Hungary took up significant positions in most all areas, allowing them to reconstruct their country, all while remembering the aid given to them by Hungarian society and remembering the Hungarian language.
The next few decades saw a decrease in the intensity of the bilateral relationship. But having acknowledged South-East Asia’s current geopolitical, security policy and economic significance, Hungary began to renew its relations with the country. This was indicated by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s (who was at the time acting in his capacity of Fidesz President) statement during the Vietnamese Prime Minister’s visit to Budapest in 2009 in which he claimed: “I support the idea that in the region in question Vietnam be Hungary’s strategic partner.” The now official government position was confirmed on October 22, 2010 during the Foreign Ministry’s parliamentary state secretary Zsolt Németh’s visit to Hanoi.
There are currently two Vietnamese Cultural Centers operating in Europe: one in France (since December 26, 2006) and one in Germany (since November 15, 2009). Their goal is on one hand to provide an opportunity for the large Vietnamese diaspora to maintain their culture and language, and on the other to share Vietnamese culture, art and science with the local populations.
Over the past few year King Sigismund College has been building and developing relations with Vietnamese higher learning institutions and cultural and scientific workshops. The establishment of the Center is another step in this direction. Beyond strengthening friendly relations, the Center will provide a framework and opporunities for cooperation in higher education, scientific research and culture (arts, literature, religion).
The Center plans to establish relations and to cooperate with organization established by Vietnamese communities living in Hungary, the Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Public Foundation for Hungarian-Vietnamese Relations, the Association of Friends of Vietnamese in Hungary, the Foundation for Hungarian-Vietnamese Culture, the Association of Vietnamese Entrepreneurs Living in Hungary, the Vietnamese Star (a local newspaper published in the Vietnamese language), Vietnamese tourist agencies, and the Hungarian-Vietnamese Friendship Society. We wish to cooperate with Hungarian cultural, artistic and educational institutions and local authorities that have existing ties to Vietnam or that plan to establish such ties.
The Center also plans to maintain relations with institutes, groups and individuals that represent and manage Hungarian culture in Vietnam. There has to date been a remarkable demand in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam for Hungarian culture, arts and science. Besides the Hungarian Embassy, a number of associations and institutions – like the Vietnamese-Hungarian Friendship Society, the Hanoi Youth Press, and the Vietnamese-Hungarian Cultural Club – operate and regularly organize exhibits and concerts, and translate and publish the works of Hungarian authors and poets.
The Center and the faculty and students of the College welcome all those interested in Vietnamese life, culture and science. We want our events to be forums for spreading and sharing knowledge. We hope to support and strengthen relations between the two countries and two peoples and to find pertinent and common responses to the problems of our age through our scientific research.
Dr. László Botz
Adjunct Professor
Director of foreign affairs
Director of the VCRC
