Coming to VSL is like coming home!

Within the framework of the training program, nearly 60 overseas lecturers came to the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language to exchange experiences in teaching Vietnamese language and culture with teachers in the Faculty.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thien Nam - Head of the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Language introduced the Department to the delegates.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thien Nam - Head of the Faculty - introduced some information about the Faculty: The Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language was originally the Vietnamese Language Department of the Faculty of Literature and History, teaching Vietnamese to a number of international students. In 1959, the Vietnamese Language Department was separated from the Faculty of Literature and was officially established by the Ministry of Universities and Vocational Secondary Schools in 1968. The Faculty currently has two undergraduate programs in Vietnamese Studies for Vietnamese students and for international students. The Faculty has also just opened a master's program in Vietnamese Studies with nearly half of the international students. The Faculty regularly has about 250 Vietnamese students and 250 international students studying various types of training here. There are 13 alumni who have become ambassadors of countries in Vietnam. With such characteristics, the Faculty is a bright spot in terms of multicultural environment, highly international in the University of Social Sciences and Humanities as well as VNU.

As an institution with the most tradition in Vietnamese language training in the country, in the past, the Faculty has sent staff to perform international duties, with the responsibility of training Vietnamese in many countries such as Cambodia, Laos, etc. Many teachers of the Faculty have been sent and invited to work as teaching experts in many countries around the world. The Faculty has also contributed to the construction of many Vietnamese studies research centers at many universities and research institutes abroad.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thien Nam, the teachers in the Faculty always keep in mind that teaching Vietnamese language and culture to foreigners is to contribute to spreading Vietnamese culture and identity closer to international friends. This thought helps the teachers to appreciate and love the profession they have chosen more, and at the same time always try to seek innovation to improve the quality of training.

Teachers shared that they felt like they were coming home, returning to their roots on this trip.

In the intimate atmosphere of the meeting, the students shared their thoughts on their return to their homeland to learn and explore more about the beauty of the Vietnamese language. Many of them have been away from Vietnam for decades and for them, visiting one of the cradles of Vietnamese language and culture teaching in their homeland brought a lot of emotions.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dung, 66 years old, from Switzerland, shared: This is the second time she has attended this training course. She felt very moved when visiting the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language, and talking with the teachers here. It was a feeling like returning home, returning to her roots. Ms. Dung went abroad in 1970, studied at a French school since she was young, so Vietnamese was an optional foreign language for her at that time. She admitted that her Vietnamese was not good, especially her Vietnamese in literature was limited. After 45 years abroad, when she returned to Vietnam, she felt closer to and loved her mother tongue more. The Vietnamese teachers helped her not only pronounce more correctly, speak Vietnamese more polishedly, but also feel the quintessence of her mother tongue.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dung (from Switzerland) expressed her joy when holding the souvenir from the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language.

In Switzerland, the number of overseas Vietnamese is about 10 thousand people. The number of Vietnamese people abroad is increasing, but the generation gap makes it difficult for many children born later to speak Vietnamese, leading to difficulties in communicating with relatives and loved ones in the homeland. Ms. Dung believes that teaching Vietnamese in the overseas Vietnamese community is now very necessary to help the next generations understand and preserve the national cultural identity in their thinking and lifestyle. That is the reason why she voluntarily chose to teach Vietnamese for free to Vietnamese children in the Vietnamese community in Switzerland.

Ms. Le Thi Bich Huong (from Italy) talks with Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thien Nam

Ms. Le Thi Bich Huong, 33 years old, from Italy, said: She teaches Vietnamese to Vietnamese children in Italy, France and some foreigners interested in Vietnam. There are many difficulties in teaching Vietnamese here such as: families live far apart so it is difficult to travel, busy in life to integrate into the culture in the host country... so she often teaches children via the internet or teaches in small groups. And sometimes to attract children to go to school, teachers also have to support parents with gas money. The curriculum, when Vietnamese books are few and hard to buy. This September, after many efforts, she will organize an official Vietnamese class at the Cultural Exchange Center of the Bologna City Committee (Italy). She also participated in the establishment of the Italy-Vietnam Association - Cultural Bridge to contribute to spreading Vietnamese language and culture more widely in the community, as well as promoting the voice of the Vietnamese community here.

Besides teaching Vietnamese, Ms. Huong and many colleagues also organize festivals to introduce Vietnamese cuisine and the beauty of Vietnamese folk culture; and compile Vietnamese dictionaries to serve overseas Vietnamese.

In the delegation of Vietnamese teachers abroad, there are many very young people.

Expressing her gratitude to the teachers of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language, Ms. Huong commented: the course is extremely useful for her current job. Not only did the teachers help her review and provide her with more systematic knowledge, but she also became more confident because from now on, she has a whole community of Vietnamese language teachers in Vietnam and many other countries behind her to support and share about their profession and love for their homeland.

The meeting became even more intimate when the members of the delegation and teachers and students of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language had exciting cultural exchange performances before the delegation officially observed Vietnamese language classes for foreigners at the Faculty.

The Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Language is a bright spot in international cultural exchange at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU.