Mr. Kato Mitsuru, a Japanese, has lived and worked in many countries around the world before coming to Vietnam.
He first came to Vietnam in 2004 and lived there for two consecutive years from 2008 to 2009. Impressed by the natural beauty and friendliness of the people, he chose to stay here while his family settled abroad.
“After working trips in Vietnam, I realized that Vietnam is very suitable for me,” said Mr. Kato.
So, after reaching retirement age in Japan, he decided to come to Vietnam and work for an electronic components manufacturing company in Hai Duong for 5.5 years.
Mr. Kato Mitsuru, 63 years old, Japanese, has just graduated with a master's degree from Vietnam-Japan University - VNU. Photo: Tran Quoc Toan.
After working for a while, Mr. Kaito decided to study further to understand more about Vietnamese culture and people.
Mr. Kato said that in the first days of coming to Vietnam, the language barrier caused him many difficulties.
In the early days, unable to pronounce words and not knowing how to make the other person understand, he tried to speak a mixture of English and Japanese while using body language to express himself.
Although he started learning Vietnamese when he was nearly 50 years old, mainly self-studying under the guidance of a tutor, Mr. Kato made great efforts to be able to write and communicate in Vietnamese and apply for the master's program in Area Studies (oriented towards Vietnamese Studies) at Vietnam-Japan University - Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
Studying this major, he learned about everything including culture, politics, diplomacy, economics, etc. of Vietnam.
Deciding to go to school, Mr. Kato said he lived in the dormitory of Hanoi National University and ate "dirt" every day.
He also joined the cycling club and traveled to many tourist destinations with beautiful landscapes in Vietnam such as Sa Pa, Y Ty (Lao Cai), Huong Pagoda, Hung Temple...
He said that he felt that Vietnam's culture also had similarities with his own country, such as family traditions and many customs that made him feel close to home.
“I find Vietnam’s landscape very beautiful. The more I travel, the more impressed I am with Vietnamese culture and people.”
Mr. Kato Mitsuru (second from right) received his master's degree at the age of 63 with his classmates in Vietnam. Photo: Tran Quoc Toan
Mr. Kato said that the reason for choosing to study for a master's degree in Vietnam is simply to gain more knowledge and understand more about the country and people of Vietnam.
“I chose Vietnam-Japan University to study because through research, I knew that the school had many Japanese lecturers in addition to good Vietnamese lecturers.”
Although he is old and goes to school with young people, Mr. Kato said he does not feel embarrassed or shy, but instead is very happy, because young people have a lot of energy.
“Young people are very smart and energetic, and that also helps me feel more motivated and see that I need to try harder in my studies.”
In his recently defended master's thesis, he chose to research the topic: "Current situation of Vietnamese contract workers in Japan and influencing factors", thereby raising the issue of vulnerable labor groups exploited due to language limitations.
This is a meaningful topic but not easy to do and the most challenging thing for him was having to write the thesis in Vietnamese. However, Mr. Kato tried to invest a lot of time and effort to complete the research.
Using a combination of in-depth interviews, textual analysis, and observations based on his own experiences, Mr. Kato discovered that Vietnamese workers and technical interns in Japan are a vulnerable group, exploited and have difficulty in protecting their legitimate rights. Part of the reason is also due to limited language skills (Japanese).
Therefore, in his proposal, Mr. Kato emphasized that the relevant agencies of both Vietnam and Japan should have appropriate programs to help Vietnamese workers or technical interns improve their Japanese language skills.
At the same time, service companies sending workers to Japan should adjust their costs to comply with Vietnamese law and not create a financial burden for workers. Or the Japanese government can discuss with businesses hiring Vietnamese workers about the possibility of paying 100% of the service costs for service companies sending workers from Vietnam.
Photo: Tran Quoc Toan.
Mr. Kato said that today, receiving his master's degree, he felt very happy and joyful. However, he hopes to continue his studies, specifically a doctorate in Vietnamese studies or Japanese studies when he has the opportunity.
Mr. Kato admits that up to now, his Vietnamese is still poor, although it is better than 2-3 years ago.
“I can read, write and listen well, so now going to school is not as difficult as before. But my speaking and pronunciation are not good, that is also a problem that I need to overcome,” Mr. Kato acknowledged.
Mr. Kato said that after studying and researching Vietnamese culture and people, he wanted to share more stories about the country and people of Vietnam with his friends in Japan.
Prof. Dr. Vu Minh Giang (Chairman of the Science and Training Council of Vietnam-Japan University, Director of the Master's program in Area Studies) said that Mr. Kato is a special student when he took the exam for the Master's program in Area Studies at an old age. However, he is very determined, energetic, and enthusiastic about researching Vietnam and the very special research topic of Vietnamese people working abroad in Japan.
“At first I was worried because the students' Vietnamese was quite difficult, but after two years, Kato overcame everything and successfully defended his master's thesis with relatively good quality,” said Professor Vu Minh Giang.
According to Professor Giang, this result demonstrates the quality of his studies as well as Mr. Kato’s very special affection for Vietnam in general and for Vietnamese workers in Japan in particular. “Mr. Kato once told me that after defending his master’s thesis, he wanted to continue studying and researching about Vietnam with the hope of being able to contribute his small results to improving working conditions for interns and Vietnamese workers in Japan,” said Professor Vu Minh Giang.
On July 21, Vietnam-Japan University – Vietnam National University, Hanoi held a graduation ceremony and awarded degrees to 32 bachelors of the first course (2020-2024) and 36 masters of the seventh course. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Japan University – Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
At the ceremony, Mr. Ito Naoki - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Vietnam, congratulated all students and graduates this year.
Ambassador Ito Naoki said that the knowledge that the students have acquired at Vietnam-Japan University today will be useful for their future lives and work. He also hopes that the new bachelors and masters will become a bridge connecting the relationship and friendship between Vietnam and Japan.
Vietnamnet.vn
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nguoi-dan-ong-nhat-63-tuoi-tot-nghiep-thac-si-tai-viet-nam-2304231.html
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