We do this annual international students’ meeting in Vietnam for the first time.

This is also my first visit of the country. Needless to say that I am quite excited about the visit.

Vietnam is certainly the country with a great potential, Vietnamese are known for their work ethic and their aptitude in Science. They also have created their own history in a tough and courageous way. So far we all know.

This meeting will be meaningful for all participants. I hope that it will be also conducted in an atmosphere in which students from different countries can speak their opinions freely. There is no doubt that the relationship among Asian countries will be tied together in future. But “trust” is the key word for the strengthening of such ties. There is no better way than to speak his or her own idea freely to create such foundation of trust. I hope that, like in the past GPAC meetings, students take strong initiatives to conduct interesting and free exchanges of ideas.