Dear distinguished Guests, lecturers, administrators, students and especially freshman students of the Year 2017.

In the thrilled, joyful and excited atmosphere of the beginning of the academic year, on behalf of the Party, Presidential Board, I would like to wish you – distinguished guests, lecturers, administrators and representatives of approximately 27,000 postgraduate and undergraduate students good health, happiness and success. 

This year, we will be celebrating the 55th anniversary of establishment and development of HCMUTE (05 October 1962 – 05 October 2017). The university has trained and upgraded a manpower for the technical and vocational training system and provided high-quality engineers for the labor market of the country. During the past decades, the university has become a reliable address for students. The university has highly qualified graduates with a prominent quality, the highest employment rate in Vietnam thanks to the brand name of the University well-recognized by both domestic and international companies.

Congratulations to the remarkable achievements of the university during the academic year 2016/7 under the title “Becoming the smart university by application of IT and IoT”. The university continues becoming the leading one in application of IT and IoT in all activities: improving instructional methodology with blended-Learning applying LMS, used by 100 percent of lecturers, setting up UTE-TV to connect the university to its related shareholders, providing a caring environment for students and community by setting up a compassion corner and a High-Quality Library. The university has been in-country accredited by the Ministry of Education and Training. The quality in teaching, research and brand name of the university have been confirmed not only nationally but also regionally and internationally. 4 academic programs have been accredited by AUN-QA (Asian University Network-Quality Assurance).

Having inherited the success of the AY 2016/7, the university has entered into the AY 2017/8 with the title “Building a new university governance system towards autonomy and innovation”. This would create a breakthrough to bring up the university to the new high, overcoming challenges in the new digital era and becoming the top university in Vietnam and in the region.

On this occasion, on behalf of generations of lecturers, administrators, alumni and current students, I would like to warmly welcome 4,985 high-school students who have come from 837 High Schools throughout the country. They all have become freshman students of HCMUTE. My sincere thanks to all freshman students and their parents for giving the university a trust. This would take the wings to the future of you - our freshman students.
Congratulations to all lecturers, administrators, post-graduate students and undergraduate students on the occasion of the new AY with new vitality, new energy and new success.

Dear students,
We are living in the digital era – the era of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 with rapid changes due to the digital technology. The fourth Industrial Revolution is profoundly affecting all elements of contemporary societies and economies. Internet of everything, iCloud, Computing, Internet-based sensors, robot pharmacists, robot doctors, and even robot teachers are being made. 3D-printing, big data, self-driving cars (also known as autonomous cars, driverless cars, or unmanned cars), Artificial Intelligence, gene technology, new materials and new energy are daily changing the world and our lives. 

With more automation and digitalization, some traditional professions are losing its advantages; there would be a need for more RD centers, more skilled workers with technology-  and innovation-based knowledge.

In order to keep pace with the fast-changing technology, to be successful in a fluctuating labor market, you need to be provided with basic knowledge and in-depth knowledge alongside the skills of the 21st century: ICT, computers- and technology-based problem solving skill, critical thinking, creativity, innovation, decision making, and life-long learning, communication, collaboration, workgroup, adaptability in the globe, including citizen consciousness, lives and career, accountability, civic engagement, and especially English proficiency, etc. Besides that, all knowledge could be searched on the internet, the features of learning in this century are, thus, learning by doing, project-based learning. Innovation happens only through project-based learning carried out by group work of students from multidisciplinary programs.

The lovely Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education always accompany you, help you complete your study, accumulate knowledge and skills based on the requirements of the new era that I have above mentioned.

You will be free from the fear of unemployment when you graduate from HCMUTE. However, I expect you not only well complete the roles of engineers, but also dare to dream big, have bigger goals, and more audacious ambitions. The country becomes prosperous only thanks to more entrepreneurs who have strong competitiveness ability with more ideas of innovation and entrepreneurship. The university encourages you all to incubate these dreams during the period of study at the university.

Dear freshman students of the year 2017,

You have become students of the traditional, long-historic university with more than half a century of establishment and development. The university is being highly appreciated in the system of HE in Vietnam and in the region, being well-recognized by the society with a wide range of programs that have been accredited or will be accredited regionally. Thousands of engineers are working in Japan with an equal quality in compared to engineers in Japan. I believe you all are so proud of being students of HCMUTE, trying your best to study to meet the expectations of your parents, your teachers, and the alumni who have significantly contributed to the existing brand name of the university. 

Dear lecturers, 

The digital ear is requiring us to change to meet the new working culture of people. Consequently, your roles in the new era are facilitators, coachers, who provide instruction, coaching, but not teaching like what you did in the past century. This is your responsibilities, big challenges and heavy burdens on your shoulders when you have to study and upgrade or refresh yourselves to adapt to the new era. You should be the role models of self-learning, research, and English proficiency emulated by your students. 

Our university continues changing to become a smart, innovative university, on a par with the region through the change of university governance system as being stated in the title of the new AY. With a tradition of 55 years in education and training and research, with a body of enthusiastic lecturers, administrators, and with the existing conditions, I strongly believe that lecturers and students of HCMUTE will be successful in the new milestone. 

With the key statement of HCMUTE educational Philosophy: Humanity, Innovation and Integration, our university has entered into the new milestone: autonomous university. This would bring both challenges and opportunities for us to go further into the development of the university and the regional integration. Autonomy would help us use our resources more effectively, well- respond to the influences of the ever-changing market and timely meet the new requirements of the society. This requests responsibility not only in quality of education and training but also in students, employers and the public and the state. Therefore, the university council, presidential board, deans/vice deans, heads/vice heads of departments, faculties, offices, and teaching and administrative staff should be aware of the roles and responsibilities of each individual in education and training and contributions to the development of the university in the new milestone. 

A new academic year has started, I would like to wish all lecturers, administrators and students of the university a year filled with many achievements, good health, happiness and success.
Thank you very much.