It is my great pleasure to be here today to celebrate an important milestone of Dong Thap University. May I begin by expressing my heartfelt congratulations to the Rector Nguyen Van De and everyone at Dong Thap University on the 15^th Foundation Anniversary and 43^rd year of the tradition of training teachers and educational managers. The University has been playing a significant role in training the human resources not only for Dong Thap province but also for other provinces in Mekong Delta.
As a multi-majored university, what Dong Thap University has achieved is thanks to the hard work and selfless devotion of many people. The University has always improved the training quality, its infrastructure, teaching staff’s capacity so that it can meet the ever-increasing social demands and better serve the community. On behalf of the management board of Dong Thap province, I highly appreciate and congratulate all the achievements of the University and hope that in the near future, the University would play a more prominent role in the process of accomplishing its lofty mission.
At the beginning of 2018, when I joined a launch ceremony related to the 4^th Industrial Revolution, some people asked me why such a small and remote province like Dong Thap needed to be involved in this important launch. I told them that this revolution, knowledge and innovations were not for any specific individuals or groups or organizations, but they were for everyone who knew how to appropriately approach them.
If we actively advance our capacity, it is completely possible for us to join the trend. Otherwise, we will be left behind. Therefore, right now, a development strategy in the next challenging stage needs to be developed.
Education and training is the area which is directly affected by the development of science and technology. Recently, it is quite popular to see the news related to the amazing ability of robots which can think in a human-like way, can play chess or be a technology-driven teacher in a classroom. These pieces of news make us think about what a traditional class can offer students in this industrial revolution.
Traditionally, teachers were as main sources which provided students with lots of information; however, in today’s world, the pages like “Google”, “Youtube”, “Facebook” and internet in general are becoming more and more important because they are free and easily to be accessed without time and space limit. Therefore, you, the management board and the staff, can focus on the areas which human beings can do better than those can. “Do not worry that machines will replace humans in their work, but it is worrisome if people do their job mechanically”. Therefore, the University and the teaching staff need to take advantage of the advanced technology in managing and teaching to motivate and stimulate students so that they can actively work in groups, cooperate with others, acquire the knowledge, dare to dream and believe in themselves.
In this ever-increasing world, learning is indispensable. We need to study in  our whole life and if anyone stops learning, he is left behind. As a teacher, when teaching your students, you are learning the second time. Therefore, you, as lecturers and education managers, needs to stimulate yourselves to continuously learn because the amount of information from available materials or studies is multiplied by times every second thanks to the questions raised.
In the launch ceremony of the project that I attended, the CEO of Viettel Group, Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung said that knowledge came from the raised questions and precisely identifying a problem was sometimes even more important than solving it. Therefore, I think you, as students or learners, need to observe, read, study, identify the problems and actively raise questions to yourself, to your teachers so that all of you can find feasible solutions not just for your study but also for your future profession.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
"Change", "We must change" and "Change or die" which are the most popular slogans in this high-speed world. Recently, Dong Thap has been evaluated as an active province with lots of innovative thinking. Hopefully, Dong Thap University will continue to partly contribute to the province’s dramatic change. “Tomorrow starts today”, I hope that the meaningful messages today will reach and follow each of you, the managers, lecturers and students, in your managing, teaching and learning.
With my strong belief in your next stage, in this important milestone, before closing my speech, may I express my very best wishes for continued success at Dong Thap university following your lofty mission.
May I express my best wishes to all the distinguished guests, the lecturers and the students here today.
Thank you very much.