On the morning of 15/11, Foreign Trade University held a ceremony celebrating its 65th anniversary. Thousands of alumni, students, and faculty members attended the event.

Ms. Huong expressed pride that FTU is currently among the nation's top universities for admission quality, boasting an open, dynamic, and innovative international education ecosystem. To achieve this, the university overcame challenges, at times "paying a considerable price", especially after becoming one of the first universities to gain autonomy in 2015.

According to Ms. Huong, generations of students—individuals who "always see opportunities even in the most difficult conditions"—have built the university's reputation.

Moving forward, Foreign Trade University aims to be among Asia's top institutions, a place that respects academic freedom and encourages creative research. It also seeks to integrate critical thinking into its training, fostering sustainable development. Concurrently, the university will enhance international cooperation, giving students more chances for domestic and international study and experience.

Previously, in its development strategy, Foreign Trade University set a goal to enter the top 300 universities in Asia by 2030, supplying high-quality human resources and talent capable of international competition.

This year, the university entered the QS Asia University Rankings for the first time, securing the 580th position among over 1,500 institutions.

Pham Thu Huong at the 65 Years - Foreign Trade Aspiration event, morning of 15/11. Photo: Thanh Hang

On this occasion, Foreign Trade University organized a photo and document exhibition space, along with a networking area for alumni, entrepreneurs, and businesses.

Vu Dao, 68, an alumnus from batch 15, Foreign Trade Operations major, was excited to reunite with many friends after more than 45 years since graduation.

Having studied at the university from 1975-1979, a period when the country had just unified, Mr. Dao was moved to see that the former basic classrooms had been replaced with spacious, modern buildings. He hopes that current and future generations of students, benefiting from superior learning conditions, will achieve success.

Nguyen Thu Trang, 39, an alumna from batch 34, Foreign Economics major, had eagerly awaited her return to the university for several days. Having studied abroad in Japan for many years, she rarely had the opportunity to attend class reunions or meet friends.

"I also brought my two children to the anniversary celebration, hoping they would learn about the university their mother attended," she stated.

Foreign Trade University alumni visiting the university, morning of 15/11. Photo: Thanh Hang

Foreign Trade University was established in 1960. It began as a Foreign Trade class with 42 students, part of the International Relations Faculty at the Economics and Finance University, managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The university's mission is to cultivate talent and provide high-quality human resources in economics, business, finance-banking, law, technology, and foreign languages.

Currently, the university offers 33 undergraduate programs across 15 majors, 16 master's and doctoral programs, and 13 joint training programs. The total number of learners exceeds 20,000, with nearly 16,800 at the undergraduate level.

Thanh Hang