What is special about Yonsei University where the General Secretary received an honorary doctorate?

ĐH Yonsei nơi Tổng Bí thư vừa nhận bằng Tiến sĩ danh dự có gì đặc biệt? - Ảnh 2. — General Secretary To Lam received an honorary doctorate from Yonsei University.

During his state visit to South Korea from August 10-13, General Secretary To Lam had a working session at Yonsei University (Seoul), a 140-year-old private university ranked 50th in the world and number 1 in Asia according to the QS 2026 rankings. Here, General Secretary To Lam received an honorary doctorate from Yonsei University President Yoon Dong Sup and delivered a policy speech on the topic of cooperation between Vietnam and South Korea.

According to Yonhap news agency, the ceremony to award the General Secretary an honorary doctorate in political science was held at Yongjae Hall of Yonsei University's Business Administration Building. According to Yonsei University's degree awarding regulations, only those who have made special contributions to the advancement of human culture or have made special contributions to the university can receive the honorary doctorate.

Diverse real-life experiences

As one of the participants in welcoming General Secretary To Lam at Yonsei University, Vu Khanh Vi, a dual major student in cultural communication and Korean language and culture education at this university, confided that the General Secretary's visit had a special meaning for her personally and the Vietnamese student community in Korea in general. "The welcoming atmosphere was joyful but also solemn," Vi recalled.

The female student said that because the visit took place during the summer break, most of her classmates had already returned home, leaving only about 10 students to attend the welcoming ceremony. However, everyone shared the same pride when the General Secretary and the high-ranking delegation visited the school. "Holding the Vietnamese and Korean flags to welcome you, we felt more motivated to try to study and develop further to affirm the Vietnamese spirit in a foreign land," Vi shared.

ĐH Yonsei nơi Tổng Bí thư vừa nhận bằng Tiến sĩ danh dự có gì đặc biệt? - Ảnh 3. — Vu Khanh Vi attended the welcoming ceremony for General Secretary To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation at Yonsei University on August 11.

The female student added that throughout the speech of General Secretary To Lam at the school, she was very impressed when the Vietnamese international student community at Yonsei University in particular, and Korea in general, were compared by the General Secretary as "goodwill ambassadors" of the Vietnamese people. This made her completely change her previous point of view, when she only saw herself as "little international students, coming here to study and find opportunities for development". General Secretary To Lam's speech helped her feel more responsible for her homeland.

Sharing more about her experience studying at Korea's top school, Vi commented that a notable point is that there are many extracurricular activities inside and outside the school, such as publishing a magazine for the faculty, participating in clubs or experiencing short-term internships with businesses. All have "rewards", such as being awarded scholarships, certificates, providing activity fees, receiving free training or "extra points" when applying for jobs at businesses.

The Hanoi female student was also impressed with Yonsei University's academic advising model, where students are "paired" with an advisor - usually a professor in the department - to get more answers about lectures, assignments or even advice on registering for courses, career development... "Even when there is a suitable job, the teachers also introduce it to us. This helps me reduce a lot of pressure and fatigue", Vi shared.

ĐH Yonsei nơi Tổng Bí thư vừa nhận bằng Tiến sĩ danh dự có gì đặc biệt? - Ảnh 4. — Vietnamese international student community at Yonsei University at the welcoming ceremony for new students

Vietnamese people are active at Yonsei University

Nguyen Ngoc Phuong Vy, a student majoring in culture and communication at Yonsei University and the President of the Vietnamese Student Association at Yonsei University (VSAY), estimates that there are about 100-200 Vietnamese international students currently studying at the school, including both undergraduate and graduate levels. A special feature of Yonsei compared to many other Korean universities is that activities organized by Vietnamese people to promote the image of Vietnam take place very enthusiastically under the leadership of VSAY.

For example, in the last school year, this unit organized the Vietnam Day event to introduce Vietnamese cuisine, culture, and tourism to international friends through traditional dishes, folk games, and provided many related documents. Or before that, VSAY also participated in setting up booths in major school festivals to introduce specialties. "Every semester, we organize 7-8 activities to promote Vietnam," Vy shared.

In addition, VSAY also often organizes activities to connect the Vietnamese student community at Yonsei, the female branch president added.

Introducing more about Yonsei University, Vy informed that this is an environment of "study hard, play hard", where there are many famous traditional events among students, for example, the annual Akaraka music festival that gathers famous K-pop idols, or the annual Yon-Ko Games sports tournament competing with Korea University - another top school. These activities help students feel more attached and proud to study at the school, Vy confided.

ĐH Yonsei nơi Tổng Bí thư vừa nhận bằng Tiến sĩ danh dự có gì đặc biệt? - Ảnh 5. — Nguyen Ngoc Phuong Vy participates in the Akaraka festival, famous among Korean students.

"Korea is a country that values degrees, so many candidates consider taking the entrance exam to top universities like Yonsei as a chance to change their lives, especially when many famous names are alumni of the school, most recently writer Han Kang who won the Nobel Prize for Literature or director Bong Joon Ho who won an Oscar for the movie Parasite . A Korean student in the same year as me even retook the university entrance exam 3 times to be admitted to Yonsei," the female student said.

Therefore, the visit of General Secretary To Lam and other senior leaders of Vietnam further enhances the prestige of this 140-year-old school, and at the same time gives great motivation to the Vietnamese international student community at the school, according to Vy. "The visit also promotes the interest of Vietnamese students in studying abroad in Korea, helping them learn more about new opportunities besides traditional destinations such as the US, Australia, and Canada," Vy added.

Strong internationalization

Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, a graduate student majoring in Korean language, literature and Korean language education, and Head of the External Communications Department of the Vietnamese Student Association in Korea (VSAK), gave the above comments about the learning environment and extracurricular activities at Yonsei after comparing it with his undergraduate experience at another Korean university. "The school has many international students and professors from all over the world," he said.

"This is one of the pioneering schools in internationalization in Korea, the dream of many Korean students," Mr. Hung added.

ĐH Yonsei nơi Tổng Bí thư vừa nhận bằng Tiến sĩ danh dự có gì đặc biệt? - Ảnh 6. — Mr. Nguyen Van Hung on the campus of Yonsei University

According to the male student, clubs, seminars and exchange events are held regularly, not only helping students develop soft skills but also expanding their network of relationships.

However, Mr. Hung also commented that applying to the school is not easy, you have to demonstrate excellence not only in studying but also in extracurricular activities, essays, and interviews. After being admitted, students also face "quite a lot" of academic pressure, but in return, the quality of lectures is "extremely impressive", because the professors are all leading experts in the field, have many research projects and are associated with large corporations.

The visit of the high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese Government led by General Secretary To Lam to Yonsei University further increased the pride of Nguyen Van Hung as a Vietnamese studying at the school. "I feel like geographical and cultural distance is no longer a barrier, but I am always connected and belong to my homeland. This also helps international students have more motivation to try to contribute to the country," he said.

"The fact that the General Secretary chose Yonsei to deliver a policy speech shows Vietnam's respect for the fields of education and youth cooperation. This not only strengthens diplomatic and economic relations but also opens up many new opportunities in cultural, scientific and technological exchanges. I believe that after the visit, there will be more scholarship programs, research cooperation projects and exchange activities between students of the two countries, thereby further strengthening friendship and mutual understanding," said Mr. Hung.

ĐH Yonsei nơi Tổng Bí thư vừa nhận bằng Tiến sĩ danh dự có gì đặc biệt? - Ảnh 7. — Foreign students attended the Vietnam Festival held at Yonsei University recently.

ĐH Yonsei nơi Tổng Bí thư vừa nhận bằng Tiến sĩ danh dự có gì đặc biệt? - Ảnh 8. — Lecture hall scene at Yonsei University

Studying in Korea at this time, what should you pay attention to?

Mr. Tran Thien Van, CEO of Zila Education (HCMC), commented that although they still consider Vietnam a key recruitment market, Korean universities "are in a more selective period", targeting those who really want to study abroad, can clearly demonstrate financial resources through parents confirming full tax payment, participating in social insurance... and have a better average score, usually at 7 or higher instead of just 6.5 as before.

"Currently, schools are also promoting direct enrollment in undergraduate and postgraduate majors with both Korean and English language programs. The capital of South Korea, Seoul, has recently been considered the most ideal city for international students, according to QS Best Student Cities 2026," Mr. Van shared.

Previously in 2023, the Korean Ministry of Education announced a project to attract 300,000 people to study in Korea (Study Korea 300K Project) with the highlight of improving student visa application procedures, attracting talents in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) and attracting international students to areas outside large urban areas to develop the local economy...

According to statistics from the Korea Educational Development Institute (KEDI), in 2024, there were 56,003 Vietnamese students studying in Korea, accounting for 27% of the total number of international students in the country and an increase of 12,642 people compared to the previous year. This number makes Korea the most chosen study abroad destination in Vietnam, far surpassing traditional destinations such as the US, Australia and Canada.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dh-yonsei-noi-tong-bi-thu-nhan-bang-tien-si-danh-du-co-gi-dac-biet-185250226174901798.htm