On May 23 2015, Hiroshima University participated in the May Festival (Satsuki Matsuri) held at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, in Ho Chi Minh City (USSH).



HU established the Hiroshima University Vietnam Center in USSH in 2010 aiming to promote educational and academic exchange with Vietnam, and has actively cooperated with USSH to hold the yearly May Festival.



This year a record of 600 students attended this event. In the opening ceremony, Dr. Nguyen Tien Luc, Dean of the Department of Japanese Studies (Chairperson of the HU Vietnam Alumni Association), which had organized the May Festival, explained the days’ proceedings and introduced the guests. His speech was followed by the welcome addresses of the President of USSH, Dr. Vo Van Sen, of the Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City and by the sponsor representative. A lecture was given on the topic “WASHI in Japanese daily life”, and the award ceremonies were held for scholarship recipients, and the “Understanding Japanese Culture” contest. In the afternoon, the students offered a full program of singing and dancing, theatre performances and other spectacular shows.



From HU, as an introduction to Japanese culture, Assist. Prof. Ogura from the HU Institute for Peace Science, delivered a lecture titled “Introduction to Japanese traditional dance”, and practiced dancing together with students of USSH. Researcher Kayo from the HU International Center played the koto (Japanese harp) and the shakuhachi (bamboo flute). During the lunch hour, exhibition stands presented various aspects of Japanese culture, including studying in Japan, of which our staff introduced Hiroshima University and its overseas study programs.



HU conducts the START Program that targets first year undergraduate students to give them the experience of studying abroad. Every year, 20-30 HU students are dispatched to USSH, where they attend lectures held by local teaching staff and actively promote student exchange. The “ ‘Tobira’ photograph exhibition” (*1), held in conjunction with to the May Festival, showed many photos of those students who had visited USSH with the 22nd START program and was a great success. In the future, we hope to strengthen mutual exchange even more through participation in the May Festival and the START Program.

Dean of the Department of Japanese Studies Nguyen Tien Luc (also HU Vietnam Alumni Association Chairperson)	Assist. Prof. Ogura from HU delivered a lecture about Japanese dance.
Award Ceremony of the “Understanding Japanese Culture” Contest	USSH students held a performance contest
Exhibition booth of HU	‘Tobira’ photograph exhibition: (Photos on the left side made by Vietnamese students and on the right side made by Japanese students)

* The “‘Tobira’ (= ‘Double-winged doors’) photograph exhibition” is a project organized by the students of the Department of Japanese Studies for the May Festival. The photos “taken in Vietnam by Japanese students” and those “taken in Japan by Vietnamese students” are arranged like double-winged doors.





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