The public explores the exhibits at the exhibition “120 Years of Hanoi National University – A Tradition of Elite and Liberal Education “. (Photo: SIS-VNU)
Building an open, interdisciplinary, and innovative academic environment.
On the evening of May 16th, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, the School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts, held the opening ceremony of the exhibition “120 Years of Vietnam National University, Hanoi – A Tradition of Elite and Liberal Education”. The exhibition is a unique and creative combination of traditional documentary displays, contemporary visual art, and interdisciplinary curatorial practice.
As part of the series of events celebrating the 120th anniversary of Hanoi National University, following the solemn ceremony and scientific conference recently held, this exhibition continues to open up a special space to look back on the 120-year journey of Hanoi National University.
The campus at 19 Le Thanh Tong Street is the exhibition space. Exactly 120 years ago, this was the birthplace of the University of Indochina – one of the first modern higher education institutions in Southeast Asia.
Speaking at the event, Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Bao Son, Vice Director of Hanoi National University, said: “From Indochina University to Hanoi National University today, what has been continued is not only an educational institution but also a spirit of enlightenment and a desire to serve the country with knowledge. Beyond simply looking back at history, the exhibition also contributes to keeping the university heritage alive in the present and inspiring the future.”
Continuing that proud 120-year tradition, Vietnam National University, Hanoi will continue to build an open, interdisciplinary, and innovative academic environment. At the same time, it will develop as a unified training and research complex, in which member universities promote initiative and creativity based on common strategies, plans, and standards, placing learners at the center of all development activities.
Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Bao Son, Vice Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi
The highlight of this exhibition is the connection between history, art, technology, and academic space, with forms of expression such as historical documents, visual art, video mapping, creative fashion, and new ways of storytelling about the flow of knowledge at Hanoi National University.
“Continuing that proud 120-year tradition, Vietnam National University, Hanoi will continue to build an open, interdisciplinary, and creative academic environment. At the same time, it will develop as a unified training and research complex, in which member universities promote initiative and creativity based on common strategies, plans, and standards, with learners at the center of all development activities,” emphasized Pham Bao Son, Vice Rector of Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
The formation, construction, and development of Hanoi National University is a long journey of knowledge and innovation. From this source, generations have strived towards a more creative, humane, liberal, and deeply connected higher education system with the world.
Emphasize individual creativity and interdisciplinary dialogue.
Today, as science, technology, and artificial intelligence profoundly change the structure of creative work, arts education is also facing enormous demands for innovation. However, the more technology develops, the more irreplaceable humanistic thinking, creativity, and cultural appreciation become. Technology can support creativity, but it is ultimately humans who give meaning to that creativity.
Principal Nguyen Van Hieu of the School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts shared his thoughts at the exhibition’s opening ceremony.
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Rector of the School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts (Vietnam National University, Hanoi), future arts education needs to be placed in a balanced relationship between tradition and innovation, between cultural identity and digital technology, and between specialized knowledge and interdisciplinary competence. This is also the direction that the School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts is pursuing in the process of building its training programs and creative ecosystem.
Looking back at the 120-year journey of Hanoi National University, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Hieu remarked: “If Indochina University was the starting point of the first modern university model in Vietnam, then art was also present early on as an important element in that knowledge ecosystem.”
The establishment of the Indochina School of Fine Arts within the structure of the University of Indochina demonstrates that, from the very beginning, art existed within a broad academic environment. It engaged in dialogue with science, architecture, humanities, and social life. This environment shaped a training model that was both academic and liberal, simultaneously embracing the best of international art and closely connected to local culture and Vietnamese practice.
Art not only aims for aesthetic value but also participates in creating modern living spaces and visual culture.
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Rector of the School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts (Vietnam National University, Hanoi)
Notably, the interdisciplinary spirit was quite evident in the training structure at that time: fine arts were linked with applied design, painting connected with architecture, decoration, and handicrafts.
“Art not only aims for aesthetic value but also participates in creating modern living spaces and visual culture. From this environment, many artists have emerged who laid the foundation for modern Vietnamese art. More importantly, the educational spirit emphasizes individual creativity, independent thinking, and interdisciplinary dialogue—values that remain relevant to higher education today,” shared Nguyen Van Hieu, Rector of the School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts.
The exhibition space spans the entire building at 19 Le Thanh Tong Street – where the building itself becomes part of the exhibition’s story. In the Le Van Thiem Hall is the historical exhibition “120 Years: The Flow of Knowledge,” recreating the development journey of Hanoi National University through various historical periods.
In the remaining spaces is a contemporary art exhibition, a continuation of “Indochina Sensation,” curated by artist Nguyen The Son, bringing together many young artists, designers, and creative groups with multi-material practices.
The public will encounter video mapping, light installations, digital art, silk paintings, lacquerware, photography, ceramics, fashion, sound, or multimedia performances placed in direct dialogue with the building’s historical architecture.
Through the exhibition, along with a series of seminars, public lectures, and open art performances, the organizing team hopes that heritage will not only be preserved but also continue to be activated as a source of creative inspiration for the present, and that the university space will truly become an open cultural space for the community.
Based on the spirit of liberal education, the exhibition “120 Years of Hanoi National University – A Tradition of Elite and Liberal Education” serves as a cultural and artistic bridge, bringing the public and the younger generation closer to the enduring values of cultural industries, heritage, art, and governance in the new era. The event runs from May 16-22 at 19 Le Thanh Tong Street, Hanoi.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/tu-cam-thuc-dong-duong-den-tinh-than-sang-tao-cua-dai-hoc-quoc-gia-ha-noi-post962688.html
