On October 22, 2024, the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) held its Opening Ceremony for the 2024–2025 academic year at the National Convention Center. Here is the full text of the opening remarks delivered by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, NAPA President.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, NAPA President, presenting the opening remarks.
Your Excellency Madam Pham Thi Thanh Tra, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Ministry Party Steering Committee, Minister of Home Affairs!
Esteemed delegates and distinguished guests!
Lecturers, learners and students!
A new academic year begins. Today, during the historic autumn days, in the thousand-year-old capital of culture, the National Academy of Public Administration solemnly launches the Opening Ceremony of the 2024-2025 academic year. First of all, on behalf of NAPA’s Party Committee and the Board of Directors, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Minister of Home Affairs, all esteemed delegates, distinguished guests, lecturers, learners, and students for your presence. We warmly welcome more than 3,300 new undergraduate students and 132 new graduate and doctoral students admitted in 2024 and representatives from public official training classes. The presence of distinguished delegates, guests and their best wishes is an honor and great encouragement for the faculty and students of NAPA.
Esteemed delegates and distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
The 2023-2024 academic year was a significant milestone for NAPA, marking its 65th year of establishment and development. The attention and support of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Home Affairs for NAPA has been reaffirmed with the issuance of Decision No. 06/2024/QD-TTg on April 5, 2024. This decision, which amended and supplemented Decision No. 27/2022/QD-TTg, affirms the comprehensiveness of the functions and tasks of NAPA. In 2024, NAPA had a successful full-time undergraduate admissions cycle in 14 majors and 13 specializations, with the admission score based on the high school graduation exam results in 2024 increasing significantly from 1.15 to 4.5 points compared to 2023. The highest admission score was 27.9, placing NAPA among the training institutions with the highest admission scores nationwide, a clear demonstration of NAPA’s growing prestige and brand.
Along with our social responsibility, NAPA’s training philosophy, which emphasizes creative capacity among learners, continues to be reflected in our training programs. The training of cadres, civil servants, and public employees has expanded in scale and quality, aligning with the civil service training towards modern and effective national and local governance. Scientific research has gradually focused more on review of practices, policy research, and forecasting research. Our international cooperation activities are transforming with more focus on cooperation in training and fostering on the issues of the contemporary growth trends, opening up numerous opportunities for cadres, civil servants, and public employees to access valuable information and knowledge from prestigious regional and global training institutions.
Today’s opening ceremony is also an opportunity for NAPA’s teachers and students to reflect on and celebrate the achievements of the past academic year and to make a collective effort to excel in fulfilling the tasks of the new academic year.
At this Opening Ceremony, I would like to sincerely thank the Ministry Party Steering Committee, the Minister, and leaders of the Ministry of Home Affairs for their unwavering support and timely guidance towards NAPA. I also extend my gratitude to the functional units of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Training as well as the agencies, organizations, and units at both central and local levels, the embassies and international organizations in Viet Nam. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the lecturers, staff, learners, and students of NAPA. Your unity, determination, perseverance, enthusiasm, responsibility, creativity, and innovation have propelled the National Academy of Public Administration to a new and promising stage of development.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The 2024-2025 academic year is the year of new beginnings as NAPA implements the Development Strategy for 2030, with a vision to 2045, the last year of the implementation of the targets set out in the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, as well as the Resolution of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Resolution of NAPA’s Party Committee. NAPA’s Development Strategy for 2030, with vision to 2045, is not only NAPA’s aspirations but also the expectations of the Government, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and various agencies, organizations, and society. It positions NAPA as a prestigious national center for training and development. This strategy emphasizes the philosophy of knowledge creation, innovation, and national responsibility, with core values centered on intelligence, quality, and modernity. It serves as a call to action and an inspiration for all NAPA staff, learners, and students.
Innovative knowledge requires a broad vision and the ability to observe the evolving practices both nationally and globally. NAPA can only become a prestigious center for training, creativity, and knowledge transfer if each faculty member actively cultivates their own knowledge and is open to self-renewal. Every lecture should embody vibrant scientific knowledge, serving as a solid foundation in a landscape filled with overwhelming information and data. Lecturers are not merely conduits of information; they also guide, connect, suggest, nurture, and support students’ innovative and creative ideas. Among the many training and development institutions across the country, NAPA aims to establish a distinct identity as a leading national center for training and fostering domestically and internationally.
Dear first-year students,
I thank you for choosing the National Academy of Public Administration as your place of study and a foundation for pursuing your dreams and aspirations. Your youthful energy and enthusiasm have revitalized NAPA’s image. You are at a wonderful stage in life where you can study, strive, integrate, and grow alongside the nation’s development. While integration and globalization offer numerous opportunities for change and advancement, they also present challenges to maintaining your unique identity. UNESCO outlines key purposes of learning: “Learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together, and learning to be”, emphasizing the enduring value of education. Alongside these goals, I hope you will embrace another vital purpose: the journey of learning to be yourself and striving to become the best version of yourself. In today’s diverse world, it is crucial to seek a constant—your desire for knowledge, a strong character, and a commitment to lifelong learning. Always strive to understand, work collaboratively, love, share, and live responsibly. Carry within you a desire for great and beautiful things.
NAPA lecturers, staff, and I understand that many students attending today’s opening ceremony are carrying worries, anxieties, and feelings of homesickness as they leave their familiar homes for the first time. Typhoon Yagi has caused significant losses for many of our fellow citizens in the North, adding to the concerns of parents who worry about their children away from home. However, I encourage you to cultivate your courage and determination and to overcome these challenges step by step. Your parents will feel less worried when they see you growing and developing each day. Remember, children are their parents’ greatest pride and happiness. Try your best to make your parents happy.
Going to college will be a significant change from your previous educational experiences. The journey toward knowledge requires diligence and a commitment to avoid laziness and procrastination. Becoming a student at NAPA is just the beginning; it’s the first step toward a bright future. Success tomorrow will only come from the effort we put in today. I encourage you to create a serious study plan with a high level of concentration. This process should promote your growth in consciousness, knowledge, and mentality. I believe that with your courage and intelligence, you can truly become students of the new era, capable of continuing the traditions of our ancestors. Together with your generation, you will have the capability and wisdom to contribute to making Viet Nam strong and prosperous.
I wish for you to have the most brilliant years at the National Academy of Public Administration, so that in the future, you can look back with pride on those years, knowing you lived a full and meaningful life in this beautiful era. On this incredible journey of growth, stay steadfast, as you will always have the support and guidance of the dedicated teachers at NAPA.
Dear learners,
We live in an era of significant changes and constant fluctuations. Regardless of the times, knowledge remains power, and creativity is essential for individuals and nations to thrive. A professional, dynamic, responsible, and talented civil service depends on each civil servant possessing the qualities, ethics, capabilities, and prestige necessary for their roles. After 40 years of renewal, our country requires a more dynamic and courageous generation of leaders, civil servants, and public employees who are willing to think innovatively, take action, and assume responsibility. It is essential to identify and effectively address practical problems. The modern civil service can no longer accommodate habits that rely solely on experience or outdated methods. Every civil servant must engage deeply with knowledge and theory while listening to the voices of the community. This dedication will ensure they genuinely serve the people and remain closely connected to their needs. I hope you recognize the importance of the learning and research process at the National Academy of Public Administration, as it is vital for developing your capacity to fulfill your responsibilities effectively.
With a long-standing tradition of training and research, a dedicated team of educators, and the existing resources, the National Academy of Public Administration is poised to successfully fulfill its mission and tasks.
On behalf of the Party Committee and the Board of Directors of the National Academy of Public Administration, I would like to extend my heartfelt wishes to Her Excellency Madam Pham Thi Thanh Tra, Minister of Home Affairs, and our distinguished delegates and guests for good health, happiness, and success.
I also wish all lecturers good health and many achievements in their research and teaching careers. Your contributions are vital to the successful completion of the important tasks assigned by the Party, the State, and the Ministry of Home Affairs to NAPA during this new development period.
To all learners and students, I hope you gain valuable knowledge here at the National Academy of Public Administration and achieve great success in your lives.
I hereby officially declare the opening of the 2024-2025 academic year at the National Academy of Public Administration.
Thank you very much!
ASSOC. PROF. DR. NGUYEN BA CHIEN
President
National Academy of Public Administration
