We were also honoured by the presence of five colleagues from the Ministry of Education and Sports and from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Deputy Directors General Mr Sisamout Saenbouttaraj and Mr Vongvilay Thipphalangsy, as well as by the Country Representative of UNICEF, Mr Bilal Aurang Zeb Durrani, and his wife Mrs Tuba, both of whom also studied in Hungary for their Master degrees. Ambassador László Takács welcomed the attendees with a brief speech, reflecting on the achievements of the SH programme since its launch in Laos in 2014 and emphasizing the importance of education in our bilateral relations. The Ambassador also briefly commemorated the upcoming 70th anniversary of the 1956 Revolution in Hungary. Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Sports, Deputy Director General Mr Sisamout Saenbouttaraj highlighted the role of young people graduated from Hungary as bridges between cultures and acknowledged their contribution to Laos' social and economic development. On behalf of the Lao SH alumni community, Dr Somsy Sayalath expressed gratitude for the study opportunities in Hungary; he holds a PhD in animal husbandry from the University of Debrecen and currently teaches at the Dongkhamxang Agricultural Technical School near Vientiane, while also conducting research. Prior to the closing reception—and following the success of a similar game last year—we surprised the participants with a "Who Knows More About Hungary?" quiz featuring 13+1 questions, which this time included several questions related to the events of 1956.
