The 55th Anniversary of the Establishment of the College of Agriculture, Can Tho University

Over half a century of proud milestones and continuous development of Can Tho University (CTU), the College of Agriculture (CoA) has become one of the leading important units in the training of high-quality human resources as well as research, development and implementation of scientific and technical achievements in the field of agriculture for the region and the whole country. With excitement and pride, on September 29, 2023, CoA solemnly held the 55th Anniversary of its founding (1968-2023).

The ceremony was honored to welcome delegates representing leaders of agencies, and departments of provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta region; representatives of enterprises; former leaders of CTU, retired staff, lecturers, and alumni of CoA through the ages. On the side of CTU, there was Prof. Dr. Ha Thanh Toan, Rector; representatives of leaders of specialized schools, colleges, institutes, and functional departments of CTU along with all staff, employees, and students of CoA and CTU.

Overview of the 55th Anniversary of the Establishment of CoA took place in the Turtle Hall

Proud Milestones…

The CoA, formerly known as the College of Agriculture under the Can Tho Institution of Higher Education, was established in 1968. In 1974, it was upgraded to the Faculty of Agriculture. This year, the first class of Animal Science (K6) consisting of 17 students was selected for training from the first-year students of Agricultural Science with an expected training period of 4 years and a degree granted as Engineer in Animal Science.

On April 30, 1975, the South of Vietnam was completely liberated. At 7:30 a.m. on May 30, 1975, the revolutionary government officially took over the Can Tho Institution of Higher Education, it was then renamed Can Tho University, under the Ministry of Universities and Professional Secondary Schools which was later merged with the Ministry of Education to form the Ministry of Education and Training. Many disciplines were disbanded by that time, but the field of Agriculture has been developed rapidly.

In May 1977, the Faculty of Agriculture was split into 3 faculties: Faculty of Horticulture, Faculty of Animal Sciences-Aquaculture-Processing, and Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. The major in Animal Science was renamed Animal Sciences - Veterinary Medicine which attracted more students from other majors to study.

The year 1993 marked a breakthrough at CTU when the Ministry of Education and Training granted a decision to allow CTU to train the first master's degree programs with 3 majors: Horticulture, Animal Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine.

In 1996, the Faculty of Agriculture was re-established based on merging the Faculty of Horticulture, Faculty of Animal Sciences-Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Food Technology, and Faculty of Aquaculture and Fisheries.

In 2003, the Faculty of Agriculture changed its name to the Faculty of Agriculture and Applied Biology, the Fisheries Department separated from the Faculty of Agriculture and formed the Faculty of Aquaculture and Fisheries, and two new departments were formed including the Department of Biochemistry - Plant Physiology and Department Agriculture Genetics and of Breeding.

By October 2022, the Faculty of Agriculture officially changed its name to CoA, marking another milestone in the development journey of one of the country's leading training units in the field of agriculture at CTU. From the initial limited human resources, simple and rustic infrastructure, the CoA faced several shortages at that time; but now it has a solid team of permanent staff, spacious and modern facilities; contributing effectively in terms of resources to social needs, as well as science and technology products to serve the agricultural production.

Overview of CoA at the present time

Important contributions to the country's agriculture

At the ceremony, Prof. Dr. Ha Thanh Toan sent congratulations to the CoA and emphasized: "The achievements in the formation and development of the CoA over the past 55 years are the result of consensus, solidarity, coordination and cooperation of all staff and employees; the learning efforts of generations of students, especially the support of central ministries, departments of the Mekong Delta provinces, enterprises and domestic and international organizations that have accompanying CTU in general and the CoA in particular. I believe that the CoA will continue to promote its leading role in the field of agriculture, continue to train high-quality human resources, and apply new science and technology to agricultural production to contribute to the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta and the country's agriculture".

Prof. Dr. Ha Thanh Toan, Rector of CTU delivered the speech at the ceremony

The Hero of Labor, People's Teacher, Prof. Dr. Vo Tong Xuan, Former Vice-Rector of CTU shared his feelings of joy when participating in the ceremony, and reviewed memorable moments and proud achievements while witnessing the strong and continuous development of the CoA

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ho Quang Do, Chairman of the Alumni Association of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, shared his enthusiasm and concerns for the CoA recently.

Prof. Dr. Le Van Hoa, Former Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Applied Biology and Chairman of the Alumni Association of Crop Majors, presented the achievements and challenges that the CoA has experienced

Mr. Le Hieu Huu, Alumni of Horticulture Cohort 5, expressed his gratitude to the College and University for creating good conditions for students to go far in the path of building and developing the country.

Mr. Nguyen Van Soc, Alumni of Animal Sciences – Veterinary Medicine Cohort 17, expressed his joy and shared his successes during his studies at the CoA.

During 55 years of development, the CoA has always been closely associated with the agricultural industry and farmers in the Mekong Delta. The CoA constantly accompanies and supports farmers to solve difficulties in agriculture, from enhancing productivity and quality of agricultural products to transferring advanced farming techniques, preventing pests, protecting crops and developing quality varieties.

Regarding the training, the CoA's main task is to train human resources with bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in agriculture and take advantage of local potential for regional development. Constantly innovating to perform its tasks well, the College has made an important contribution to the training of highly specialized technical staff for the agricultural industry, meeting the need for quality human resources. In addition to teaching, the College has published many diverse research results in agricultural fields through research programs at all levels and international programs.

In 2020, the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings (QS World University Rankings) announced the result of “QS World University Rankings by Subjects in 2020" evaluating the order of the best universities in the world according to 48 subject groups, divided into 5 fields of 1,368 higher education institutions from 158 countries and territories. Accordingly, CTU is ranked first in Vietnam and ranked 251-300 in the world in the field of Agriculture - Forestry. This is the first time CTU is ranked and is also the sole representative of Vietnam to enter the world rankings in this field.

Research programs in cooperation with localities and enterprises have actively contributed to the development of agricultural production. In addition, the College has strengthened international cooperation to improve the quality of human resources and invest in facilities to carry out scientific research and technology transfer activities. Participating in international scientific research projects and exchanging experts and students with international institutes and universities are measures that the College has applied to improve the quality of training and research, and at the same time contribute to enhancing the position of CTU domestically and internationally.  

The leaders of CoA presented flowers and souvenir logos to the retired lecturers

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Van Vang, Rector of CoA, expressed his gratitude to the leaders of CTU, former leaders, former staff, lecturers and alumni of the college through the ages.

The Delegates took souvenir photos at the ceremony

(Website Editorial Board)