Korean Speech Contest 2015

Diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Korea were officially established in 1992, however, at that time, there were no formal Korean language training facilities in Vietnam. It was not until 1994 that the Korean language major first appeared in the curriculum of the Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities. By 2012, there were 11 universities nationwide with Korean language departments with a student population of about 2,500 people. Along with cultural exchange and especially the influence of the Hallyu wave, Korean has become a developing trend, but nationwide there has not been a Korean speaking contest worthy of this development.

Since 2007, based on the long-term accumulated experiences through the learning process in Vietnam, the Vietnam-Korea Cultural Exchange Center (a non-governmental organization - NGO) has organized the National Korean-Vietnamese Speaking Contest. The contest is not only for Vietnamese students studying Korean, but also an interesting playground for Korean students living in Vietnam. The contest has created an exchange playground, where students from both countries not only demonstrate their language skills, but also create opportunities for students to exchange and learn from each other.

The contest attracted the attention of all students majoring in Korean – Faculty of Oriental Studies. (Photo: Thu Hang).

In preparation for the 8th National Korean-Vietnamese Speaking Contest, the Korean Department of the Faculty of Oriental Studies organized the 2015 Korean Speaking Contest. The program was attended by Mr. Park Myung Chul - Chief Representative of the Korea Foundation in Vietnam. The jury of the contest included: Dr. Ha Minh Thanh - Deputy Head of the Korean Studies Department, Ms. Kwon Mi Ae - Lecturer of the Sejong Korean Language Center, Ms. Jeong Har Ri - Lecturer of the Sejong Korean Language Center, MSc. Nguyen Minh Chung - Lecturer of the Korean Studies Department.

Mr. Park Myung Chul - Chief Representative of Korea Foundation in Vietnam - spoke at the ceremony (Photo: Thu Hang)

After the preliminary round, the jury has considered and selected the 10 best students to enter the final round. Each contestant will have 3 minutes to present on a topic of their choice to demonstrate their language ability. After that, the contestants will listen to the comments and answer the questions of the jury.

Three candidates will represent the University of Social Sciences and Humanities to participate in the 8th Korean-Vietnamese Speaking Contest. (Photo: Thu Hang)

In the end, Han Thi Van Anh won first prize, Nguyen Thi Nga and Giang Yen Ngoc won second prize. These three candidates will represent the University of Social Sciences and Humanities to participate in the 2015 National Korean-Vietnamese Speaking Contest.

The program is sponsored by Kookmin Bank of Korea and the Korea Foundation.