Vietnamese language - a bridge between overseas Vietnamese and their homeland.

Sunday - December 31, 2023, 7:00 PM

(Education and Training Newspaper) The demand for learning Vietnamese among foreigners, especially overseas Vietnamese, is growing. The Vietnamese language serves as a bridge between overseas Vietnamese and their homeland.

Award ceremony for the preliminary round of the Vietnamese Public Speaking Contest for international students in the Northern region at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

According to Professor Hoang Anh Tuan, Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, it is necessary to enhance the Vietnamese language proficiency of overseas Vietnamese through high-quality and effective teaching programs.

Pioneering in Vietnamese language teaching.

- The University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (USSH, VNU) is the first institution in Vietnam to teach, research, and develop the Vietnamese language for foreigners and overseas Vietnamese. Could you please tell us about the institution's achievements in this area?
- The Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, was the first educational institution tasked with training foreign students in Vietnamese language and culture since 1968.
To date, the school continues its leading and pioneering role in the field of developing linguistic materials and methods for teaching Vietnamese to learners worldwide (including foreigners in Vietnam and vice versa); it has achieved significant accomplishments in the field of Vietnamese linguistics and language teaching methods, focusing on the team of experts from the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language, and the Department of Linguistics.
The university is also the first institution in the country to introduce the "Vietnamese Language Teaching Channel for Overseas Vietnamese," offering numerous online beginner-level Vietnamese courses for expatriates in nearly 20 countries worldwide. This is the intellectual product of a team of experts, researchers, and lecturers from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, and it affirms the leading role of Vietnam National University, Hanoi in the strategy of promoting and honoring the Vietnamese language and serving the community.
- The demand for learning Vietnamese among foreigners, especially overseas Vietnamese, is growing. So how can we make teaching and learning more effective and high-quality?

- The "Vietnamese Language Teaching Channel for Overseas Vietnamese" - a direct result of the Project "Strengthening Online Vietnamese Language Teaching for Overseas Vietnamese" (according to the 6-level competency framework) - is fundamental, effective, appropriate, and easily accessible for overseas Vietnamese; helping generations of overseas Vietnamese (especially the younger generation) to have sufficient Vietnamese language skills for communication and learning, contributing to preserving national cultural identity and fostering a sense of connection to their roots.

This learning channel applies a system of Vietnamese language teaching materials through an advanced and modern teaching platform, suitable for developing learners' Vietnamese language proficiency in the era of the 4.0 industrial revolution. It includes a free pilot program of the Blended Class model (training Vietnamese language teachers for overseas Vietnamese returning to Vietnam). Based on its implementation, the Vietnamese diaspora abroad has highly appreciated it.

The school is also striving to complete comprehensive online programs and classes for overseas Vietnamese according to each proficiency level, focusing primarily on the intermediate level (levels 3 and 4 according to the Vietnamese Language Proficiency Framework); organizing, managing, and operating a system of diverse courses serving overseas Vietnamese of all ages and backgrounds with different needs according to the 6-level Vietnamese Language Proficiency Framework; and completing a set of online teaching scripts (videos for passive learning programs, interactive models, etc.).

An online Vietnamese language learning channel for foreigners and Vietnamese expatriates living far from their homeland.

- Besides the Vietnamese language teaching channel mentioned above, what other teaching programs does the school offer to improve effectiveness, sir?

- We have successfully compiled the Vietnamese Language Proficiency Framework for Foreigners, applicable nationwide and in many countries (Decision No. 17/2015/TT-BGDĐT, dated September 1, 2015). We have also successfully compiled the test format for assessing Vietnamese language proficiency based on the Vietnamese Language Proficiency Framework for Foreigners, applicable nationwide and in many countries. We have led and participated in the successful compilation of the Vietnamese Language Teacher Training Program for Foreigners.

Simultaneously, it supports the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education and Training in teaching thousands of Vietnamese expatriate teachers in the Kingdom of Denmark and the Republic of Austria who volunteer to teach Vietnamese to children of Vietnamese people living and working abroad. It also directly trains Vietnamese language teachers for the Government in accordance with the spirit of Conclusion No. 12-KL/TW, dated August 12, 2021, of the Politburo on the work of Vietnamese people abroad in the new situation and Resolution No. 169/NQ-CP, dated December 31, 2021, of the Government promulgating the Government's Action Program on continuing to promote the implementation of Resolution 36-NQ/TW, dated March 26, 2004, of the Politburo on the work of Vietnamese people abroad for the period 2021-2026.

From 2020 to the present, the school has organized its team of experts in Vietnamese linguistics, language teaching methods, and linguistics to complete the linguistic materials for the project "Strengthening online Vietnamese language teaching for Vietnamese people abroad," with important components forming a series of modules for teaching Vietnamese to Vietnamese people abroad in a practical and effective way.

Professor Hoang Anh Tuan (third from the left) during his working trip to Northern Europe.

A bridge connecting overseas Vietnamese and their homeland.

- During the recent working trip with the leaders of the Ministry of Education and Training, the school proposed several activities to support overseas Vietnamese in developing their Vietnamese language skills and fostering their culture. Could you elaborate on these activities?

- We have met with Vietnamese expatriates and cultural management agencies in several Nordic countries. The demand for learning Vietnamese is clearly very high. During our meeting with our main partner, the Eskilstuna Intercultural Center in Sweden, both sides had in-depth discussions and shared insights aimed at concrete and practical activities to develop and spread the Vietnamese language. In the future, the parties will cooperate on several tasks:

The school sends experienced experts/lecturers in the fields of Linguistics, Vietnamese Linguistics, Literature, Vietnamese Language and Culture to teach Vietnamese language and culture at the Eskilstuna Intercultural Center; and supports the compilation of bilingual textbooks and learning materials for Vietnamese people in Sweden in particular, and foreigners in Sweden in general.

The Eskilstuna Intercultural Center introduces/sends Vietnamese language teachers to the university for direct training on Vietnamese language teaching methods (advanced level) and to experience teaching Vietnamese at the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language. Teachers may also be introduced/sent to the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi to attend international conferences on methods, programs, and curricula for teaching Vietnamese language and culture.

Through the Vietnamese Embassy in Sweden, the school has a specific plan to provide maximum support to the goal of improving the Vietnamese language proficiency of more than 22,000 Vietnamese expatriates living and working there.

According to the plan, the school has agreed with several training institutions and language centers in the European region to focus on three key areas: Organizing advanced professional development courses for Vietnamese language teachers; periodically providing – through the Embassy – a system of teaching and learning materials for the Vietnamese language as well as materials on Vietnamese culture; and sending staff to educational institutions in some Nordic countries to develop curricula, teach Vietnamese, and other subjects related to Vietnam…

Thank you, Professor!

“The widespread dissemination of the Vietnamese language is important evidence of the inherent strength of our national language. This is especially true when placed in the context of preserving and promoting the Vietnamese language within Vietnamese communities abroad. The establishment of the Day to Honor the Vietnamese Language is a significant turning point in the cultural diplomacy strategy of the Party and State, contributing to meeting the needs of preserving and disseminating the Vietnamese language and culture among overseas Vietnamese communities across continents…,” shared Professor Hoang Anh Tuan, Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

Author:According to the Education and Times newspaper.

Tags:Vietnam National University, Hanoi,A channel for teaching Vietnamese to Vietnamese people living abroad.,Pioneering in Vietnamese language teaching.

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