British Ambassador: I am grateful to the teachers of VSL.

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

Ambassador Giles Lever became the British Ambassador to Vietnam in 2014. He began learning Vietnamese in the 1990s in London and worked in Vietnam during that period. He is known as one of the ambassadors who speaks Vietnamese well, has a good understanding of Vietnamese culture, and is a familiar face in Vietnamese media. Also since 2014, he has been a student at...Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language.

The Ambassador shared his deep affection and fond memories of the Faculty – a place that helped him better understand the beauty of the Vietnamese language and gain a deeper insight into Vietnam and its people. He expressed his positive impressions of the teaching abilities and enthusiasm of the faculty. The teachers are not only experts in linguistics, knowledgeable about the language and Vietnamese, but also possess rich knowledge of culture and society. After a period of study withThe lecturers of the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese LanguageHis pronunciation has improved, and his Vietnamese grammar has also progressed significantly.

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

“In Vietnam, I want to be one of the foreign ambassadors who can speak Vietnamese, and I hope that will attract the attention of the Vietnamese people as well as the Vietnamese leaders at all levels,” he humorously shared. “I feel better when discussing many diplomatic, economic, social, and cultural issues with Vietnamese people in Vietnamese through direct interaction. Because if it's through an interpreter, I can't understand the issues as clearly and deeply as I could.”

When asked to describe the Vietnamese language in three words, the Ambassador said: rich, humorous, and difficult. He shared his opinion: "Vietnamese is really difficult." Perhaps Vietnamese grammar isn't too difficult, so writing and reading aren't hard, but pronunciation and listening comprehension are extremely challenging for foreigners. Vietnamese people also enjoy wordplay and have a habit of using humorous language in their daily lives, which is quite interesting.

After many years working in Vietnam and soon returning 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 Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language. “I loveDepartment of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language"I am also always grateful to the faculty members of the Department. It's a little sad to be leaving my teachers and friends here soon," he said. "Vietnam is a country I always feel connected to, so I will definitely come back and keep in touch with everyone."

Sharing at the meeting with the Ambassador,Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thien Namstated,Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese LanguageWe are proud to have a tradition of over half a century of teaching Vietnamese language and culture to foreigners. The department is highly regarded and has been invited to teach Vietnamese to diplomatic staff from many countries. Notably, many of our students have gone on to become ambassadors to Vietnam. Among them, Mr. Giles Lever is one of our outstanding students, always receiving special affection and attention from his teachers. Mr. Giles Lever is a passionate and inquisitive person about Vietnamese culture. He has used his Vietnamese language skills excellently in his diplomatic activities in Vietnam.

The Faculty leadership also wished the Ambassador new successes in the coming period and continued success in bridging the friendly cooperative relationship between Vietnam and the United Kingdom.