President’s Welcome Speech to Cohort 31: University is a journey that empowers students to unlock their full potential and lead a meaningful life.

On October 12, 2025, Van Lang University held the Convocation Day for Cohort 31 at Phu Nhuan Stadium. In the joyful spirit of welcoming the new academic journey, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi My Dieu, Member of the University Council and President of Van Lang University, delivered a heartfelt address to the freshmen. In her message, she shared meaningful reflections and sincere advice, encouraging students to make their university years a transformative journey of growth and self-discovery.

Distinguished members of the Van Lang Group Board of Directors; the University Council and Executive Board of Van Lang University; heads of faculties, institutes, centers, and offices

Distinguished guests; distinguished heads of Van Lang Group members;

And dear students of Cohort 31,

On behalf of Van Lang University, I extend a warm welcome and best wishes to all our guests, faculty, staff, students, and especially our new students joining the Welcome Program for Cohort 31 in the 2025–2026 academic year.

Dear students,

In 2025, Van Lang University awarded Talent Scholarships to 304 students of Cohort 31 for outstanding academic performance and exceptional achievements in culture, arts, sports, and community engagement, students whose university goals align with our educational philosophy. Many of you have strong English proficiency: a large number hold IELTS scores from 7.0 to 8.5, and many are also studying one or two additional languages. The University also granted 14 scholarships to outstanding students enrolled to our international bachelor’s programs (9 Going Global scholarships and 5 GenTech scholarships).

Dear students from Cohort 31,

You come from 1,549 high schools across nearly every province and city in Vietnam. Nearly 500 of you graduated from more than 100 schools for the gifted or international schools, and over 2,000 from 137 national high schools.

In this cohort, 49.3% of students achieved a GPA in the “very good” to “excellent” range (8.0–9.8). Moreover, 10% of you proactively built your language skills before starting university: 674 incoming students already hold an IELTS score of 5.5 or higher, including 90 students with IELTS from 7.0 to 8.5.

These are impressive early results. Congratulations on becoming Van Lang University students of Cohort 31!

Dear K31 students,

You have now been part of university life for more than a month. A few weeks ago, I met many of you at the orientation. We discussed your upcoming university journey, a transformation journey to become your best selves, a journey that is not only about acquiring knowledge but also about holistic personal development. We also spoke about how technology, especially artificial intelligence, is reshaping our world and how you must adapt both in your studies now and in your future career.

Today, I would like to speak further about your path ahead. But first, allow me to share a story about a remarkable person whose life left a profound mark on the world.

More than 90 years ago, a young woman was born into a middle-class family in England. From childhood, she loved nature and dreamt of going to Africa to study wildlife. In her twenties, she managed to earn enough to travel to Africa in pursuit of that dream. In 1960, perseverance and good fortune brought her to the Gombe forest in Tanzania to study chimpanzee. She was just 26 and had not yet earned a university degree.

Although she didn’t have a bachelor’s degree in biology, she carried with her a boundless love for animals and a deep belief that the natural world held many truths yet to be understood. Through perseverance and meticulous observation, she made discoveries that fundamentally changed how we understand primates, including proving that chimpanzees use tools, something long thought unique to humans. She was later admitted directly to a doctoral program at the University of Cambridge (despite not holding a bachelor’s degree) and earned her PhD in 1965.

That extraordinary person is Dr. Jane Goodall.

For the next 60 years, Jane Goodall was not only an outstanding scientist but also a globally influential advocate for conservation and the environment. In 1977 she founded the Jane Goodall Institute to protect primate habitats and promote environmental education for young people. She spent much of each year travelling the world, lecturing, campaigning, meeting with local communities and leaders, and sharing a message of environmental stewardship and peace.

On October 1^st 2025, many government agencies, international organizations, science communities, environmental activists, and media outlets around the world expressed their condolences at the passing of Dr. Jane Goodall, a tireless global figure for the environment for more than six decades. She leaves a legacy of 27 books and recognition in 40 documentaries, and she inspired National Geographic’s Becoming Jane in 2019. Even in her later years, she continued to work endlessly, lecturing at the age of 90 and passed away during a recent working trip to the United States.

The lesson from Jane Goodall’s life is this: what carries us far is great passion and the courage to follow our own path; it is curiosity and a commitment to keep learning, even from zero; and it is the will to transform passion into sustained, positive contributions to the community.

I share her story because I believe it speaks directly to your university journey. Many of you may think of university simply as a path to a profession and independence. Yet university means far more than that. If you truly embrace this experience, you will unlock your full potential and lead a meaningful life.

Today I want to leave you with three messages that I believe are essential to make your university years a period of extraordinary growth.

First, keep exploring, nurturing, and deepening your passion, and pursue it with persistence. Some of you already know what you want to study and explore, while others are only beginning to discover your interests. That is perfectly fine. Keep exploring what truly engages and excites you.

As you become clearer about your direction, you will learn more proactively, with a firm sense of purpose. You will find motivation within yourselves and joy in each step you take. When you know why you study, every class becomes more than an obligation; it becomes a meaningful step on the path you have chosen.

University demands far greater effort than high school. Think of this as a long journey; success rarely comes from short bursts, but from small efforts repeated every day. Be patient and steady. Build study and life habits, cultivate discipline, and remain consistent.

I’m sure there will be moments of uncertainty and difficulty; that is inevitable. But once you have clarified what you want from this journey, you will have the will and courage to overcome obstacles. And remember: overcoming those obstacles is part of the journey itself, an opportunity to learn, grow, and become stronger.

Second, develop a rational mindset - think independently, exercise critical judgment, and remain open to the world.

University is not passive reception, it is the opening of the mind. You learn to ask questions, investigate, analyze, and arrive at your own conclusions. To do so, you must strengthen independent thinking: think for yourself, do not rely uncritically on what others say, and do not accept ready-made answers without verification and understanding. Independent thinking allows you to reach the essence of problems and apply knowledge to new situations, rather than stopping at memorization.

The renowned physicist and educator Richard Feynman, Nobel Laureate in Physics in 1965, exactly 60 years ago, urged his students: “Understand. Don’t memorize. Learn principles, not formulas.” He emphasized that true learning lies in understanding principles, meaning, and application, not in mechanically memorizing formulas. You can learn more about the Feynman learning techniques, they will be valuable for your study.

Alongside independence of thought, critical thinking is indispensable (‘critical’ here does not mean ‘criticising’). It is the capacity to view issues objectively and comprehensively, to weigh what is reasonable and what is not, to see multiple perspectives, to question, verify, analyze, and evaluate before concluding or acting. In an age when AI can “think” about many things, human critical faculties are more vital than ever.

Critical thinking helps you stay objective, resist crowd psychology and fleeting trends, and recognize things as they truly are. In today’s information-saturated world, where misinformation and pseudoscience abound, critical thinking is the filter that helps you distinguish true from false, right from wrong, and see the essence of a problem so you can make sound decisions.

At the same time, being critical is not the same as rejecting everything. It must be accompanied by openness, tolerance, and a humane, scientific attitude. Welcome diversity, difference, and novelty with a spirit of inquiry and humility, while evaluating and selecting on a rational foundation.

Third, understand the profound meaning of the university experience.

The ultimate purpose of higher education is not merely to transfer knowledge or train job skills, but to form whole persons, people with purpose, capable of thinking for themselves, directing their own lives, and living meaningfully and responsibly. University is where character and ethics are cultivated; where freedom spirit and the capacity for lifelong learning take root; where each person seeks truth and shapes their value, helping them to learn not only about the world, but also about themselves so that they may live with greater responsibility and humanity. I deeply agree with the German educational reformer Friedrich Schleiermacher, who said that university “awakens a new life in each young person.”

Van Lang University’s philosophy is holistic development. What, then, should you do here to grow holistically?

In the years ahead at Van Lang, beyond your professional growth through study, I hope you will also develop your social self with a broad, humane outlook. Cultivate awareness of foundational social ethics, a sense of personal responsibility within the community, empathy and social concern, and professional integrity.

My hope is that, by the time you graduate, you will feel you have grown in character, in thought, and in understanding about the world around you; that your heart is more open to life; and that your concerns extend beyond the boundaries you once imagined, just as in the story of Dr. Jane Goodall that I told you earlier.

Dear K31 students,

In today’s ceremony, I encourage each of you to decide who you want to become by the time you graduate. Set concrete goals for each academic year and each semester. From there, define what you must do each month, each week, each day, even in each class, and have the courage and perseverance to see those goals through. If, at graduation, you look back and feel you have grown remarkably, then the University will have fulfilled our mission.

Dear students,

With the support of your families, the University, and the community, I believe you will craft a rich and meaningful university journey at Van Lang. Make the most of every moment of your university years to become responsible individuals toward yourselves, your families, and society. I wish you success on this meaningful path.

My sincere thanks to the organizing committee and our student volunteers for creating such a thoughtful and memorable Welcome Program for Cohort 31.

Finally, I wish our distinguished guests, faculty members, and all students good health and happiness.

Thank you.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi My Dieu
President, Van Lang University