CONTENTS From the editors_________________02 I/ PROMINENT ACTIVITIES OF ULIS LEADERS_____________________03

II/ COOPERATION & DEVELOPMENT ___________________________04

III/ PROMINENT ACTIVITIES OF THE UNIVERSITY _______________07

IV/ PROMINENT ACTIVITIES OF DEPARTMENTS ________________14

V/ KEY TASKS IN THE FIRST QUARTER _____________________16

PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Dr. Do Tuan Minh - ULIS President CONTENT MANAGAMENT Mr. Trinh Hai Tuan - Director of the Center for Information Technology, Communication & Learning Resources EDITING TEAM 1. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lam Quang Dong - Vice President and Editor-in-Chief of VNU Journal of Foreign Studies 2. Ms. Nguyen Le Thuy - Center for Information Technology, Communication & Learning Resources 3. Mr. Dao Quang Trung - Center for Information Technology, Communication & Learning Resources 4. Mr. Vu Xuan Nuoc 5. Ms. Vu Thi Thanh Hien

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FROM THE EDITORS

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ur dear readers,

This first quarter of 2023 has gone by. Reflecting these 3 months, ULIS has successfully completed different tasks and organized numerous important events, including effective deployment of student recruitment communication and advisory activities of the University; successful organization of many major events, such as U Village Festival 2023, a wide range of conferences, seminars and workshops. In this quarter, ULIS also completed the external assessment of the training programs in French, Chinese, Japanese and Korean Languages and FLSS. The University carried out good implementation of security, order and fire prevention to ensure ULIS officials and lecturers received good care during the 2023 Lunar New Year, etc. The successful organization of these events is a sign of a promising year for ULIS. In the second quarter of 2023, the University has a number of important tasks which need to be performed well, such as to organize UNC2023’s main day; to actively deploy communication tasks for student intakes to ULIS training programs at all levels; to conduct a midterm review of the implementation of the FIRE Project and the Digitalization Plan; to renovate graduate training activities and implement the project on supporting ULIS undergraduates in their study. On behalf of the Editorial Board, we wish you good health and a brilliant summer with our beloved ULIS.

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I/ PROMINENT ACTIVITIES OF ULIS LEADERS 1. ULIS delegation paid a visit to Ho Chi Minh City University of Foreign Languages and Information Technology On December 27th, 2022 in Ho Chi Minh City, a meeting, exchange and learning program took place between ULIS and Ho Chi Minh City University of Foreign Languages and Information (HUFLIT). The program’s success ushers in many opportunities for cooperation between the two schools in the future.

After the speeches of leaders of the two universities, the program participants focused on sharing models and practices of the two sides in areas such as student support, research, innovation, business connection, quality accreditation, etc.

The delegation also had the opportunity to visit the facilities and participate in activities of HUFLIT students. On December 29th, 2022, the delegation visited the Student Affairs Department and other affiliated units of Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City.

2. ULIS works with Chinese Embassy On February 28th, 2023, ULIS - VNU welcomed and worked with the delegation of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Vietnam. At the beginning of the meeting, the two sides briefly introduced their institutions, as well as opportunities for cooperation. Mr. Zheng Dawei, the Education Counselor, representing the Chinese Embassy delegation, expressed his joy when working with ULIS. At the meeting, Vice President Lam Quang Dong emphasized the importance of promoting cooperation and exchange opportunities with the Chinese Embassy and universities in China.

3. Meeting with Delegation of Department of Education, Queensland (Australia)

On March 3rd, 2023, ULIS-VNU welcomed and worked with the delegation of Department of Education, Queensland (Australia). At the meeting, representatives of the two sides exchanged strengths, teaching methods as well as achievements that the two sides had achieved over many years of operation, and expressed their desire to cooperate in the future. The delegation also expressed their goodwill to cooperate with ULIS in the long term, as while hoping that after agreeing on the proposals and ideas on implementing cooperation on a win-win basis, the two sides could sign the cooperation agreement.

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Representatives of the two sides agreed with each other on the contact methods and would continue to have more in-depth discussions in the coming time.

4. Meeting with Delegation of Ministry of International Relations and Francophonie – Québec Region, Canada

On March 8th, 2023, ULIS-VNU held a meeting with the delegation of the Ministry of International Relations and Francophonie - Québec Region, Canada to discuss the cooperation and development between the two sides. At the meeting, Vice President Lam Quang Dong extended his warm greetings and thanks to the Delegation of the Ministry of International Relations and Francophonie Québec Region for taking the time to visit ULIS. At the meeting, the two sides discussed the current situation and prospects for future cooperation, including the task of developing relationships between ULIS and schools, cultural organizations and businesses in Québec. After the meeting, the Delegation of the Ministry of International Relations and Francophonie - Québec Region visited the campus as well as the Québec Space office.

II/ COOPERATION & DEVELOPMENT 1. Cooperation agreement with Korea University of Foreign Languages signed On January 9th, 2023, ULIS-VNU held a signing ceremony of a cooperation agreement with Korea University of Foreign Languages. Delivering his speech at the ceremony, President Do Tuan Minh wished that the cooperation between the two schools would create more opportunities for lecturers and students of both sides. In response, Dr. Park Jeong Woon - President of Korea University of Foreign Languages believed that the cooperation relationship between the two universities would become ever stronger and bring many practical results in the coming years, contributing to strengthening the close cooperation relationship between the Republic of Korea and Vietnam. At the ceremony, representatives of the two universities signed an official memorandum of understanding and agreed to cooperate with each other in the field of education.

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2. MOU with Yoons English School (Republic of Korea) signed On January 10th, 2023, ULIS - VNU held the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding with Yoons English School (YES) Group – Republic of Korea. At the beginning of the signing ceremony, both sides expressed their goodwill and honor in this cooperation. The two sides then discussed how to approach English learning with the Metaverse educational model, a virtual world software in which players will be able to practice important skills in English. YES Group also expressed its desire to provide all necessary information for ULIS during the cooperation period. At the ceremony, representatives of the two universities signed the MOU to mark this cooperation.

3. Meeting with Nanhua University

On February 7th, 2023, ULIS-VNU held a meeting with the delegation of Nanhua University (Chinese Taipei). At the meeting, Mr. Tsong-Ming Lin, the President of Nanhua University expressed his pleasure to visit and discuss the prospects of cooperation with ULIS. Acknowledging the great potential of cooperation between the two sides, ULIS Vice President Lam Quang Dong expressed his support for the proposals made by Nanhua University as well as the desire to have an official agreement between the two sides. The meeting took place in an intimate atmosphere and both sides expressed their confidence that there would be more cooperation opportunities in the future.

4. Cooperation with Nguyen Trai University discussed

On February 8th, 2023, ULIS-VNU held a meeting with Nguyen Trai University to discuss further cooperation between the two universities. At the meeting, Dr. Nguyen Tien Luan - President of Nguyen Trai University expressed his wish that ULIS could soon organize professional training courses for the teaching staff of Nguyen Trai University and exchange activities for students of the two universities. In response, ULIS Vice President Ha Le Kim Anh expressed her interest in and approval of the proposals from Nguyen Trai University. The Vice President also shared more in-depth information about training courses, advanced teaching methods at ULIS as well as specific feedback on proposals for student exchange or career orientation programs between the two sides. Representatives of the two universities also had close and specific discussions to implement cooperation activities a soonest date.

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5. Cooperation agreement with EQuest Education Group signed

On March 1st, 2023, ULIS-VNU held a MOU signing ceremony with EQuest Group. At the beginning of the signing ceremony, the two sides expressed their goodwill and honor to officially sign their MOU for cooperation. The representative of EQuest Education Group emphasized the importance of foreign languages in not only learning but also daily activities and other fields. In addition, the Group expressed their pleasure at ULIS hospitable reception and looked forward to future cooperation activities with ULIS. The University also expressed interest in promoting cooperation opportunities with EQuest. After that, the two sides’ representatives signed an official memorandum of understanding, agreeing to cooperate in order to strengthen the capacity in education, training, and human resource development. On this occasion, EQuest Corporation presented a grant to the organizers of UNC2023.

5. Cooperation agreement with Ewha Womans University, Korea signed

On March 14th, 2023, ULIS-VNU and Ewha Womans University (Republic of Korea) held a signing ceremony of cooperation agreement between the two schools. Delivering his speech at the ceremony, President Do Tuan Minh expressed his gratitude to Ewha Womans University for actively helping ULIS in training activities of lecturers and students of the Faculty of Korean Language and Culture over the past years. In response, President Kim Eun Mee representing Ewha Womans University expressed her joy when coming to ULIS. Based on the signed document, she also expressed her wish that ULIS could soon organize professional training courses for the teaching staff and create favorable conditions for students of the two universities to increasingly exchange with and learn from one another through extracurricular programs and activities. At the ceremony, representatives of ULIS and Ewha Womans University signed an official memorandum of understanding, agreeing to cooperate in such fields as training and research, exchange of learners, publication exchange, etc. After the ceremony, the Ewha Womans University delegation visited and worked at FLSS and UMS.

6. Cooperation with Newton 5 Primary-Middle School discussed

On February 3rd, 2023, ULIS-VNU held a meeting to work with Newton 5 Primary-Middle School. During the meeting, Dr. Le Thanh Quan – Principal of Newton 5 Primary-Middle School introduced possible funding sources and shared the school’s ideas on training courses and programs that could be conducted with the support of ULIS. He also expressed his desire to receive ULIS students to do internship and work at the school.

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Vice President Ha Le Kim Anh thanked Newton 5 Primary-Middle School for practical suggestions for the cooperation activities in the coming time. Hopefully, many ideas and projects that have been developed by both sides will be carried out in the future.

III/ PROMINENT ACTIVITIES OF THE UNIVERSITY 1. ULIS welcomed the Lunar New Year with U Village Festival 2023

On January 8th – 9th, 2023, ULIS-VNU held the U Village Festival 2023.

The event was organized to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the Vietnamese Students’ Day (January 9th, 1950 - January 9th, 2023) and to welcome the Lunar New Year of the Cat, as well as create a cohesive atmosphere through many experiential activities and spaces for staff, students, parents and partners of the university. Delivering his speech at the opening ceremony, President Do Tuan Minh said that the U Village Festival 2023 took place with the desire to recreate the spring atmosphere and Tet holiday scenes at ULIS, as while educating ULISers about this tradition so that they pay more respect to cultural heritage values in their preservation efforts. In the festival, many unique activities were held such as folk games, Sino-Vietnamese calligraphy contest, Bánh Chưng making contest, etc. All have created the bustling atmosphere of spring day everywhere at ULIS. In particular, within the framework of the festival, more than 200 million VND was donated to support students with difficult circumstances.

2. Training course on improving English teaching capacity for teachers – “Happy English teacher” in 2023 organized On February 27th - March 5th, 2023, ULIS-VNU in collaboration with the Regional English Language Office (RELO) - the US Embassy in Hanoi held the first phase of “Happy English teacher”, the new training course to improve general English teaching capacity (under the Access Training Course) in 2023. Participating in the training course were 189 English teachers from 20 provinces in the northern and central regions of Vietnam. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Jerrold Frank, Chief Representative of RELO in Hanoi expressed his joy when continuing to accompany ULIS to organize this training course. From ULIS, President Do Tuan Minh expressed his gratitude to the organizers and the teachers for their important contributions so that the training course can yield the best results. In this first phase of the training course, the teachers will participate in experience and training activities to improve teaching methods, soft skills, creative thinking, and explore American culture and education.

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3. Finale of Pedagogical Talent Competition 2023

On February 28th, 2023, the finale of the 2023 Pedagogical Talent Competition with the theme “Application of technology in the active classroom” took place successfully. The contest is held every year to create an environment and conditions for ULIS students to practice skills and gain more experience in pedagogy, thereby helping them to improve their employability after graduation. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice President Ha Le Kim Anh expressed her joy because the number of competing teams had increased year by year, with a total of 77 teams in 2023. The contest drew great attention from not only ULIS’s students but also other universities’. Excellently passing the preliminary round, 5 teams entered the finale. The finale took place with exciting rounds such as Lesson planning, Education knowledge and Handling challenging pedagogical situations.

3. ULIS Celebrates ULIS ASEAN DAY in 2023 On March 5th, 2023, ULIS-VNU held the Southeast Asian Cultural Festival - ULIS ASEAN DAY 2023. The festival was organized to introduce and promote the cultures and languages of countries in Southeast Asia, especially Thailand and Laos. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice President Ha Le Kim Anh said that the festival was organized as an activity to experience and promote cultures and languages of the region for staff and students of the University. The festival included many interesting activities such as performing costumes of 10 ASEAN countries; booth-decorating competition, cooking contests; art performances; experiencing food and culture at the booths, etc. ULIS ASEAN Festival 2023 took place in a jubilant and joyful atmosphere and brought many meaningful experiences to learners and staff at ULIS.

4. ULIS JAPAN DAY in 2023 On March 11th, 2023, ULIS-VNU held ULIS Japan Day 2023. This is the second time the Japanese Cultural Festival has been organized. Delivering his speech at the event, President Do Tuan Minh said that ULIS JAPAN DAY was first held at ULIS in 2019. This year, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan, ULIS decided to restart this festival with the desire to contribute to the jubilant atmosphere of welcoming 50 years of friendship between the two nations, and contribute to deepening the friendship between Japan and Vietnam.

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During the event, all students of the Faculty of Japanese Language and Culture participated in the extremely fascinating sports games related to Japanese culture. Alongside with the sports games, all distinguished guests and students experienced Japanese culture and cuisine and exchanged with businesses. There was also a concert held in the evening of the day.

5. Many individuals/groups of ULIS win VNU Innovative Teacher Award in 2022 On January 11th, 2023, VNU held a conference to review the work in 2022 and deploy the workplan for 2023 to evaluate the results, limitations, causes and lessons learned in the implementation of the workplan last year. On this occasion, VNU leaders presented the award “VNU Teacher of 2022” to 10 individuals, the award “VNU Potential Teacher of 2022” to one individual and the award “VNU Innovative Teacher of 2022” to 02 groups and 03 individuals. In addition, the teachers who won the award “VNU Teacher of 2022” received certificates of merit from VNU President. Particularly, the award “VNU Innovative Teacher of 2022” went to 5 individuals/groups from ULIS.

6. ULIS Open Day for students of Nhi Chieu High School (Hai Duong Province) On February 12th, 2023, ULIS-VNU held an open day for teachers and 140 students of Nhi Chieu High School (Hai Duong Province). Throughout the day, the teachers and students from Hai Duong Province had interesting and memorable experiences at ULIS. The program was organized to support the University’s enrollment and promote its profile to high school students, as while orienting students so that they can find a good learning environment and receive sensible career guidance for the future. At the beginning of the program, teachers and students of Nhi Chieu High School were provided with ULIS’s general information as well as activities and experience programs that students can take part in at the University. After that, the students had a chance to experience demo lessons in ULIS’s classrooms at the A2 block, as well as interact with ULIS teachers and tour the campus.

7. Official Quality Assessment of 4 Training Programs

On February 14th-18th, 2023, ULIS-VNU welcomed and worked with the External Assessment Delegation from Education Accreditation Center - Vinh University to officially assess the quality of 4 undergraduate training programs majoring in Chinese Language, Korean Language, Japanese Language, and French Language in the period 2017-2022.

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Previously, on February 1st, 2023, the delegation also came to work and make a preliminary examination. The official assessment was conducted by the assessment team of 11 experienced assessors from different universities along the country. Delivering his speech at the opening session, Vice President Lam Quang Dong believed that the assessment would help ULIS examine itself to improve its quality of training, maintain and develop the ULIS’s brand. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Huy - Deputy Director of the Center for Accreditation - Vinh University believed that the most objective and fair assessments given at the end of the working program would contribute to the University's improvement in operational efficiency.

8. 2 projects of excellent ULIS students enter final round of 5th SV_STARTUP contest On February 21st, 2023, ULIS - VNU received good news when two projects of the University’s students officially entered the National Final Round of the 5th SV_STARTUP, organized by the Ministry of Education and Training. The 2 project teams are LEFU – supporting website for students of the faculty of French language and culture, ULIS and the Marshmallow – working café with resting space for ULIS students. To enter the finale, the two projects had excellently surpassed thousands of outstanding projects along the country, and successfully sieved through many rigorous rounds of selection.

9. One group and five individuals of ULIS honored for achievements in movement of All people protecting national security.

On March 15th, 2023, ULIS-VNU was honored to receive medals of the Ministry of Public Security and a Certificate of Merit from the Director of Hanoi City Public Security Department for achievements in the movement All people protecting national security.

Recognizing achievements in the movement of All people protecting national security, 5 individuals from the ULIS were awarded the Medal for Protecting National Security by the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam. At the same time, Hanoi City Public Security Department presented a Certificate of Merit to ULIS Center for Assessment and Testing. Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Tien Thang, Head of Internal Political Security Division under Hanoi City Public Security Department (PA03), presented medals and the certificate of merit to individuals and a group of ULIS. At the ceremony, Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Tien Thang said that Hanoi City Public Security Department spoke highly of the contributions of ULIS groups and individuals in the cause of protecting national security. ULIS President Do Tuan Minh said that the University was very grateful for the recognition and praise of Hanoi City Public Security Department and the Ministry of Public Security.

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10. Opening ceremony of in-service Bachelor’s degree in English language for 54 staff of Military Medical Academy

On February 16th, 2023, ULIS-VNU and the Military Medical Academy held the opening ceremony of the in-service training course to get Bachelor’s Degree in English, QH.2023.F.2.E cohort, for 54 staff members of the Academy. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice President Nguyen Xuan Long congratulated the students and emphasized the role of English in today’s life. Colonel, Assoc. Pro. Dr. Tran Ngoc Tuan, Vice President of the Military Medical Academy extended his thanks to the companion, interest and enthusiastic support of ULIS. At the same time, he hoped that the cooperation and exchange between the two universities would be closer and ever-more practical and effective.

The Vice President of the Academy required the students to strictly abide by all rules and regulations of the class, determine the right motivation, learning goals and make every effort to achieve the highest results and successfully complete the course.

11. Exchange with students of Sungkyunkwan University (Republic of Korea) On January 10th, 2023, a delegation from Sungkyunkwan University (Republic of Korea) led by the Head of Student Management Department Choi Mee Kyu with 4 experts and 22 students visited ULIS. This is the first time that the delegation from Sungkyunkwan University has visited and interacted with ULIS students. At the event, the two sides agreed to strengthen and maintain student exchange activities more often in the future.

12. ULIS students wins first prize at SILKEN Project This February, a group of ULIS students with the SVLinked project, the application that directly connects employers with students (also the first application to find extracurricular activities for students) was honored to be crowned the winner of the SILKEN Project (out of nearly 20 project entries from Vietnamese and British universities). Congratulations to the efforts and creativity of the ULIS students, including Le Thanh Tu, Tran Thi Phuong Thao, Cao Thanh Cong and Bach Minh Duc.

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13. ULIS welcome students from Guangxi University for Nationalities, China On February 27th, 2023, ULIS - VNU welcomed 32 students majoring in Vietnamese at Guangxi University for Nationalities (China) to study and exchange for 16 weeks at its campus. Delivering his speech at the meeting, Vice President Lam Quang Dong extended his greetings to the Chinese students and expressed his belief and expectation in the positive results that they would obtain during their study in Hanoi. Right after that, the students carried out the admission procedures and took a placement test. The exchange program for 32 Chinese students majoring in Vietnamese was conducted for 16 weeks. During this time, students will take 9 specialized courses taught by ULIS lecturers, as while participating in cultural and tourism experiences organized by the University.

13. Many conferences organized [UNC2023] Seminar “Maintaining and developing communities of practice in foreign language research and teaching” [UNC2023] Seminar: “Prospects of teaching Korean at Vietnam schools of general education” [UNC2023] Seminar “Stakeholders in foreign language assessment and testing in Vietnam: Advantages & disadvantages” [UNC2023] International conference: “Teaching French for Specific Purposes: Challenges and Prospects” International Conference: Researching and Teaching Korean Studies in Vietnam using an interdisciplinary approach

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IV/ PROMINENT ACTIVITIES OF DEPARTMENTS 1. 16 UMSers secured high prizes at city-level competition for excellent students in culture and science in school year 2022-2023

UMS has just received good news from results of the city-level competition for excellent students in culture and science in the school year 2022-2023. All 16 participating students of UMS excellently brought home 16 awards, including: 02 first prizes: 01 in English, 01 in Biology 07 second prizes: 03 in English, 01 in Biology, 01 in Geography, 01 in Science, 01 in Japanese 04 third prizes: 03 in Japanese, 01 in Physics 03 consolation prizes: 02 in Japanese, 01 in History

2. ULIS students practice German translation with lecturer from Leipzig University

Organizing experiential learning activities is one of the top teaching goals for the Faculty of German Language and Culture. With that motto, from February 7th, 2023 to February 19th, 2023, the Faculty of German Language and Culture was pleased to welcome Dr. Elke Krüger – Lecturer of the Institute of Applied Languages and Translations of the University of Leipzig to directly attend and teach the interpreting module to students of the Faculty, as well as share expertise on interpreting for lecturers of the Faculty.

Through the event, the students had the opportunity to experience interpretation lessons with experts from Germany. Besides listening to theoretical lectures, the students also practiced speaking translation exercises with Ms. Krüger with the support of lecturers teaching interpretation at the Faculty. In the coming time, the Faculty of German Language and Culture will continue to offer many similar practical experiences to help students develop their skills.

3. FLSS students win 93 prizes at VNU High School Olympiad in Foreign Languages in 2023

On February 9th, 2023, ULIS announced the list of 255 students winning prizes at VNU High School Olympiad in Foreign Languages in 2023 (pursuant to Decision No. 413/QĐ-ĐHNN by ULIS President). FLSS students successfully secured 93 prizes out of 255 official prizes of the contest. As reported, on January 7th, 2023, the VNU High School Olympiad in Foreign Languages officially took place at ULIS with the participation of more than 511 candidates from 69 mainstream high schools and high schools for gifted students across the country. FLSS sent 126 candidates to participate in this contest. FLSS students excellently won 93/255 official prizes with 07/13 first prizes, 19/53 second prizes, 34/111 third prizes and 33/78 consolation prizes.

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4. ULIS students learn about Arabic culinary culture On March 9th, 2023, the Division of Arabic Language and Culture organized an exchange program for its students to learn about Arabic culinary culture alongside with the Master Chef contest. Participating in the activity, students had the opportunity to get acquainted with the culinary culture of the Arabs, enjoy the taste of the food and cook their own delicious dishes under the guidance of a native guest from Egypt – Ms. Shimaa Mohamed. At the cooking contest, the students were divided into 8 teams to cook Falafel Sandwich and Fatoush Salad. The program ended successfully with memorable experiences for the students.

5. ULIS Students visit Samsung Thai Nguyen On January 9th, 2023, 29 students from the Faculty of Korean Language and Culture had the honor to participate in an experience program at Samsung Thai Nguyen. Through this useful program led by an MC who used to be a student of the Faculty, the students had the most practical understanding of Samsung in general and SEVT in particular. Through this interesting visit, the students had more wonderful experiences at SEVT and accumulated necessary experience for their future career.

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Prominent results in the first quarter of 2023: Well-organized the VNU Olympiad in Foreign Languages, developed communication plans for entrance examinations at all levels; Developed a detailed plan to organize the main day of UNC2023 (April 24th, 2023); Completed the external assessment of the training programs in French, Chinese, Japanese and Korean Languages and FLSS; Successfully organized the cultural event “U Village Festival 2023” on the occasion of the 73rd anniversary of Vietnamese Students’ Day (January 9th, 2023); celebrated the Lunar New Year 2023.

Crucial tasks in the second quarter of 2023: To organize UNC2023’s main day; To actively deploy communication tasks for student intakes to ULIS training programs at all levels; To conduct a midterm review of the implementation of the FIRE Project and the Digitalization Plan; To renovate graduate training activities and implement the project on supporting ULIS undergraduates in their study.

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