Enrico Padula, consul general of Italy in Ho Chi Minh City, on behalf of Italian President Sergio Mattarella, presented the honour to the lecturer at a ceremony on June 2 marking Italy’s 79th Republic Day.

Cavaliere dell'Ordine della Stella d'Italia is the highest Italian honour granted to foreign nationals who have made exceptional contributions to promoting friendship and cooperation between Italy and other countries.

Dr. Hieu has distinguished himself through significant achievements in academia, education, and international cooperation. Between 2008 and 2023, he earned numerous awards at national architecture student festivals and graduated at the top of his class with a perfect GPA of 10/10.

In 2014, he began teaching architecture at a private university. By 2019, he had secured both a Ph.D. scholarship and a research fellowship from Silpakorn University (Thailand) and the University of Politecnica delle Marche (Italy). Leveraging this background, he co-founded the international academic programme “The Road to Rome” with Professor Antonello Alici.

In 2020, Armando Altini, mayor of Faleroni, Italy, awarded Dr. Hieu a certificate in recognition of his contributions to urban reconstruction research after natural disasters.

From 2022 to 2025, Dr. Hieu has received support from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other partners with the goal of expanding “The Road to Rome” into a global student support organisation.

The programme has enabled hundreds of students and designers from Vietnam, France, Italy, Taiwan, Russia, and Laos to gain direct access to advanced educational environments in Europe through a network of universities, libraries, heritage sites, and museums.

To date, it has organised five in-person courses and two online sessions, attracting over 1,430 registrations, with 236 students completing study-abroad courses and receiving certificates issued by the Italian Consulate.

Since 2021, Dr. Hieu has served as a full-time lecturer in Interior Design and head of International Cooperation Division for the Faculty of Industrial Fine Arts at Ton Duc Thang University. He also continues to be invited as a visiting lecturer at Silpakorn University (Thailand) and Politecnica delle Marche (Italy).

Vietnamese official honoured with Italy’s Order of Merit

VOV.VN - Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Marco Della Seta has presented his country’s Order of Merit to Dr. Nguyen Phuong Hoa, director general of the international cooperation department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.