UK Ambassador: I am grateful to the teachers of VSL

British Ambassador Giles Lever at a meeting at the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Language

Ambassador Giles Lever became the British Ambassador to Vietnam in 2014. He started learning Vietnamese in the 90s in London and worked in Vietnam during this period. He is known as one of the ambassadors who speaks Vietnamese well, has a good understanding of Vietnamese culture and is familiar with Vietnamese press and media. Also since 2014, he has become a student atFaculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language.

The Ambassador shared his affection and affection for the Faculty - the place that helped him understand more about the beauty of Vietnamese as well as have a deeper insight into the country and people of Vietnam. He expressed his good impressions of the teaching ability and enthusiasm of the teaching staff. The teachers are not only experts in linguistics, knowledgeable about language and Vietnamese, but also have rich knowledge of social culture. After a period of studying withTeachers of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language, his pronunciation is better than before and his Vietnamese grammar has also improved a lot.

Ambassador Giles Lever also emphasized that learning Vietnamese well has brought him many advantages in both work and life. He said that when doing diplomatic work in any country, understanding that country's language is very important. Each country has its own culture, so if you do not understand the language, you will not understand the cultural situation, society, and political system of that country.

“In Vietnam, I want to be one of the foreign ambassadors who can speak Vietnamese and hope that will attract the attention of the Vietnamese people as well as the leaders of Vietnam,” he humorously shared. “I feel better when talking about many diplomatic, economic, social and cultural issues with Vietnamese people in Vietnamese in a direct interactive way. Because if through an interpreter, it is impossible to understand the issue clearly and deeply.”

When asked to describe Vietnamese in three words, the Ambassador said: rich - humorous - difficult. He shared his opinion: "Vietnamese is really difficult". Vietnamese grammar may not be too difficult, so writing and reading are not difficult, but pronunciation and listening to Vietnamese are extremely difficult for foreigners. Vietnamese people also like to play with words, have the habit of using humorous language in daily life and that is quite interesting.

After many years working in Vietnam and about to return to the UK at the end of his term as ambassador, he wanted to visit and say goodbye to his teachers and friends at the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language. “I loveFaculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language, I am also always grateful to the lecturers of the Faculty. It is really a bit sad to be leaving the teachers and friends here" - he said - "Vietnam is a country that I always feel attached to, so I will definitely come back and contact everyone again".

Sharing at the meeting with the Ambassador,Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thien Namsaid,Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Languageis proud to be a place with a tradition of more than half a century of training Vietnamese language and culture for foreigners. The Faculty is trusted to teach Vietnamese to diplomatic staff of many countries. In particular, many students have become ambassadors of countries in Vietnam. Among them, Mr. Giles Lever is one of the excellent students, always receiving love and special attention from teachers. Mr. Giles Lever is a person who loves and is eager to learn about Vietnamese culture. He has used Vietnamese excellently in his diplomatic activities in Vietnam.

The representative of the Faculty's leadership also wished the Ambassador new successes in the upcoming journey and continued to be a bridge for the friendly and cooperative relationship between Vietnam and the UK.