On 23^rd Jan, 2021, Hoa Sen University (HSU) - a member of Nguyen Hoang Education Group - solemnly held the 37^th Graduation Ceremony to celebrate 811 HSU Master's and Bachelor's graduates. Attending the ceremony, Prof. Jean-Marc Lavest - Director of Francophonie University Association (AUF) of Asia-Pacific gave his remarks and congratulations to the graduates. Please find below Mr. Brian O'Reily's remarks.

"Mr. President of Hoa Sen University, my dear friend Professor Dien

Ladies and Gentlemen, representatives of the Vietnamese authorities

Your excellencies, gentlemen and ladies ambassadors

Dear academic colleagues

Dear students

Ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the organizers of this event but especially to the students for this 37th graduation ceremony of Hoa Sen University. Without the students, without their work, without the support of their families, there cannot be such a ceremony.

AUF that I represent here in this ceremony on behalf of its rector Prof. Slim Khalbous, has an essential mission of supporting its members towards the path of excellence. That is to say 87 universities in the Asia Pacific area, and among them Hoa Sen University.

For me, as AUF Asia-Pacific Director, but also as a former university Rector, our essential mission does not stop at giving a diploma, but rather to provide all our students with the skills necessary, the keys, to find a job, integrate into society and participate actively in the development of their country. Of course, this mission requires the university to listen to the orientations of its government and the expectations of economic circles in order to maximize the energies and success of our students.

Among all these aspects, one that has been close to my heart for over 20 years is that of entrepreneurship. I have personally participated in the creation of 2 start-ups and therefore have some experience in this area.

What represents an entrepreneur when you are a student? It is above all a dream, an ambition to be able to create, to be a builder, to hold one's destiny in one's hands. This dream can come true immediately upon graduation from university, or later when maturity is there. But let's all be convinced that starting a business is not an easy thing and requires above all to be prepared and to have understood all the facets and stages involved. The entrepreneur who is aware of the obstacles, because he knows the road ahead, is the one who wins. The best entrepreneurs in the world have all failed at some point in their construction before they succeed. At every step they have capitalized on the experience.

Since 2016, AUF has been committed to support “Business creation assistance” training, to help French-speaking students in defining and carrying out their business plan, and push investors to participate in this business project.

But we also have:

• organized 3 Start-Up competitions since 2017 and the 2021 program is already underway.

• funded 5 projects on entrepreneurship in the Asia Pacific region over the last 3 years

• co-invested in 3 "AUF-CNEUF" spaces open to players in higher education and their socio-economic environment, dedicated to innovation and entrepreneurship; I am thinking here of the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi and its Fablab-USTH, but also of Cambodia and China.

Making real the myth of the entrepreneur, make it credible and accessible to all students is one of our priorities. I have said for many years that it is the duty of universities to plant the "seed" of the entrepreneur in the minds of every student through awareness training on how to start a business.

This seed will germinate or not, but each student when the moment comes in his life, if he chooses to realize, will know in advance the major milestones of the path he wishes to take and which will lead him with more confidence to success for himself, his family, his business and his country.

I will end by recalling that it is not the most educated students who created the most businesses, that business creation is not necessarily linked to innovation, and finally that there are no small or large companies; there are companies. We must have as much pride in supporting small and medium-sized companies as large ones, because each one, through his work and his commitment, contributes to the national wealth and gives work and a future to his neighbor.

AUF Asia-Pacific and La Francophonie support and will support our youth on the path to success. I wish all our graduates success in their professional life, to be proud of their university, to be proud of their Parents, to be proud of their country.

Long live Hoa Sen University."