Opening Ceremony for the 2026–2027 Academic Year: Innovating Education, Developing Learner Competencies, and Elevating the Academy's Position

Attending the opening ceremony, on the side of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duy Bac, Vice President of the Academy; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Hau, Head of the Party Work - Mass Organizations Department and Chief of Office of the Academy's Party Committee; Dr. Tong Dang Hung, Deputy Director General of the Training and Refresher Course Management Department; and Comrade Luong Quang Huy, Secretary of the Academy Youth Union.

On the side of the Academy of Public Administration and Governance, participants included Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, Secretary of the Party Committee and President of the Academy; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Luong Thanh Cuong, Vice President of the Academy; Dr. Bui Phuong Dinh, Vice President of the Academy; and Dr. Hoang Ngoc Hai, Vice President of the Academy. The ceremony was also attended by Mr. Vanpheng Phaengnyamat, First Secretary of the Embassy of the Lao PDR in Vietnam.

The Opening Ceremony was held in person at the Main Auditorium (2nd Floor), Headquarters of the Academy of Public Administration and Governance, 77 Nguyen Chi Thanh, Hanoi, while simultaneously connected online to the 371 Nguyen Hoang Ton campus, regional branches, and live-streamed across social media platforms. A total of 4,880 delegates, faculty members, and students participated both in person and online across various venues.

Innovating higher education, elevating educational quality, and developing learner competencies

Speaking at the Opening Ceremony, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, Secretary of the Party Committee and President of the Academy of Public Administration and Governance, emphasized that the 2026–2027 academic year takes place as the nation enters a new phase of development, with science, technology, and artificial intelligence driving profound changes in education, research, and social life. This reality demands that higher education shift decisively from merely imparting knowledge to cultivating learner competencies, adaptability, innovative thinking, and value creation capacities.

In response to these demands, the Academy has designated elevating educational quality and developing learner competencies as the central focus for the 2026–2027 academic year. Accordingly, academic programs will continue to be modernized and rendered flexible, closely aligning theory with practice; teaching, testing, and evaluation methods will incrementally shift toward emphasizing practical application and problem-solving capacities. Concurrently, scientific research, digital transformation, and the integration of artificial intelligence into teaching, learning, research, and governance will be accelerated, contributing to building a modern, creative, and proactive educational environment.

Addressing over 4,000 new students of the Class of 2026, the President emphasized that the four years ahead are not merely a path to completing a degree, but a critical period for each student to mature in knowledge, competence, fortitude, and responsibility. The Academy expects students to take a proactive approach to learning, cultivate independent thinking, foster self-study and adaptability, and gradually define the values they can contribute to society. Every earnest effort and choice made during university years will serve as the foundation to walk confidently into the future.

To the faculty, the President requested continued innovation in teaching methods, strengthening the connection between theory and practice, emphasizing critical thinking, research capabilities, and self-directed learning among students; while fostering an academic environment where lecturers and learners collaboratively exchange, research, and co-create knowledge.

Affirming the determination to effectively implement the academic year's tasks, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien expressed gratitude for the leadership and guidance of the Party Committee and Board of Directors of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, as well as the support of partner agencies and units. He highlighted the spirit of solidarity, innovation, and responsibility across the Academy to elevate training quality, meet human resource development demands, and fulfill its mission toward learners, society, and the country.

Unleashing Potential and Strengths to Gradually Affirm Position as a Key Specialized Academy in Administration, State Management, and Public Governance

Delivering his directive address at the Opening Ceremony, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duy Bac, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, highlighted that 2026 marks the beginning of the implementation period for the 14th National Party Congress Resolution, setting increasingly high demands for human resource quality and governance capacity. This serves as the foundation for the Academy of Public Administration and Governance to continue leveraging its role in education, research, and human resource supply for administration, state management, and public governance.

Acknowledging the Academy's past achievements, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duy Bac also noted that development in the coming phase must be demonstrated through quality, distinctive value, and tangible contributions to the nation. In that spirit, the Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics urged the Academy to focus on three key task groups:

• First, clearly position its development trajectory, promoting traditional values while creating new ones; strengthen the link between training, scientific research, practical evaluation, and policy advisory, step-by-step becoming a national center in administration, public governance, and national governance.
• Second, achieve substantive breakthroughs in the quality of training, executive education, and human resource output. Curricula and educational content must be regularly updated to reflect real-world requirements, emphasizing practical skills, foreign languages, digital literacy, research, and problem-solving abilities; while building a faculty of experts with deep expertise and practical insights. Ultimate quality must be reflected in learners' practical capabilities.
• Third, continue innovating institutional governance, accelerating digital transformation, and fostering a modern, disciplined, and creative educational environment. Digital transformation should bring substantive changes in management, instruction, and student services, aiming toward a streamlined, transparent, efficient, and student-centered governance model.

Addressing the students, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duy Bac stressed the need to proactively build professional competence, technological mastery, adaptive mindsets, and lifelong learning capabilities—aiming beyond just receiving a degree to building practical abilities to work, continue learning, and create real-world value.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duy Bac affirmed that the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics will continue to provide close guidance and favorable conditions for the Academy of Public Administration and Governance to maximize its potential and strengths, gradually solidifying its status as a key higher education institution in administration, state management, and public governance, as well as a particularly crucial specialized academy within the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics system.

Fulfillingly absorbing the directive guidance from the leadership of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, the President of the Academy of Public Administration and Governance expressed deep appreciation and affirmed the collective commitment to unity, effort, and translating guidance into practical, effective tasks and solutions to successfully accomplish the 2026–2027 academic year objectives.

Class of 2026 freshmen carry pride, expectations, and determination to continue the Academy's heritage

Speaking at the Opening Ceremony, freshman Doan Dieu Quynh Anh, majoring in Inspection (Law Faculty), representing the Class of 2026, expressed her honor at officially becoming a member of the Academy of Public Administration and Governance, embarking on a journey of study, self-cultivation, and personal growth.

Drawing pride from the Academy's rich heritage and past generations, the Class of 2026 freshmen fully recognize their responsibility to carry forward this legacy through diligent study, proactively cultivating knowledge, skills, fortitude, and ethics. Every student comes to the lecture halls not only to absorb knowledge, but to learn independence, self-responsibility, and proactive future-building—ready to step out of comfort zones, embrace challenges, and overcome setbacks.

On this journey, the guidance of families and teachers serves as an invaluable source of encouragement for every new student. Representing the Class of 2026, freshman Doan Dieu Quynh Anh expressed deep gratitude and reaffirmed her determination to study, train, live responsibly, remain worthy of the Academy's traditions, and collectively write a youthful chapter filled with ambition, fortitude, and purpose.

Outstanding entrance achievements recognized and honored to inspire freshmen's upcoming journey

Within the program's framework, the Academy organized a commendation ceremony to honor the top-scoring admitted candidates (valedictorians) for the full-time undergraduate program in 2026. This activity aims to recognize high-achieving candidates in the admissions exam while inspiring a spirit of academic excellence and self-cultivation throughout their study at the Academy.

The Opening Ceremony for the 2026–2027 academic year of the Academy of Public Administration and Governance took place in a solemn and joyous atmosphere, opening a new chapter filled with confidence and bright expectations. In its journey of continuing traditions and asserting its position, the Academy consistently receives close attention and leadership from the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, alongside the solidarity and dedication of its faculty, staff, and officers. This forms a crucial foundation for the Academy to continue innovating, elevating educational quality, expanding scientific research, and building a modern, humane educational environment—accompanying generations of learners on their journey to cultivate knowledge, hone fortitude, and nurture aspirations to serve.

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