Coming to VSL feels like coming home!

As part of the training program, nearly 60 overseas Vietnamese lecturers visited the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language to exchange experiences on teaching Vietnamese language and culture with faculty members in the Department.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thien Nam - Head of the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese 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 originated from the Vietnamese Language section of the Faculty of Literature and History, teaching Vietnamese to a number of international students. In 1959, the Vietnamese Language section was separated from the Faculty of Literature and officially established as the Faculty by a decision of the Ministry of Higher Education and Vocational Training in 1968. The Faculty currently has two undergraduate programs in Vietnamese Studies for Vietnamese students and for international students. The Faculty has also recently launched a master's program in Vietnamese Studies with international students accounting for nearly half of the student body. The Faculty regularly has approximately 250 Vietnamese and 250 international students enrolled in various training programs. Thirteen alumni have become ambassadors of their respective countries to Vietnam. With such unique characteristics, the Faculty is a shining example of a multicultural and highly international environment within the University of Social Sciences and Humanities as well as the Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

As the institution with the richest tradition of Vietnamese language training in the country, the Faculty has historically sent staff to perform international duties, with the responsibility of teaching Vietnamese in many countries such as Cambodia and Laos. Many of the Faculty's teachers have been sent or invited to work as expert lecturers in many countries around the world. The Faculty has also contributed to the establishment of many centers for Vietnamese studies at universities and research institutes abroad.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thien Nam, the faculty members in the Department always believe that teaching Vietnamese language and culture to foreigners contributes to spreading Vietnamese culture and identity closer to international friends. This thought helps the faculty members to cherish and love their chosen profession even more, while always striving to innovate and improve the quality of education.

The teachers shared that they felt like they were coming home, returning to their roots, during this trip.

In the warm and friendly atmosphere of the meeting, the students shared their feelings about returning to their homeland to learn more about the beauty of the Vietnamese language. Many of them had been away from Vietnam for decades, and for them, visiting one of the cradles of Vietnamese language and culture in their homeland brought them many emotions.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dung, 66 years old, from Switzerland, shared: "This is the second time I've participated in this training course. I'm very moved to visit the Department of Vietnamese Studies and the Vietnamese Language and to talk with the teachers here. It feels like coming home, back to my roots." Ms. Dung went abroad in 1970 and studied at a French school from a young age, so Vietnamese was an elective foreign language for her at that time. She admits that her Vietnamese isn't very good, especially her vocabulary in literature. After 45 years abroad, returning to Vietnam has made her feel closer to and love her mother tongue even more. The Vietnamese teachers have helped her not only pronounce words more correctly and speak Vietnamese more fluently, but also to appreciate the most exquisite aspects of her mother tongue.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dung (from Switzerland) expressed her joy upon receiving the commemorative gift from the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language.

In Switzerland, there are approximately 10,000 Vietnamese expatriates. The number of Vietnamese living abroad is growing, but the generation gap means many younger generations struggle with the Vietnamese language, leading to difficulties in communicating with relatives and family back home. Ms. Dung believes that teaching Vietnamese within the Vietnamese community abroad is essential to help future generations understand and preserve their national cultural identity in their thoughts and lifestyles. That is 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) had a discussion with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thien Nam.

Ms. Le Thi Bich Huong, 33 years old, from Italy, said: She teaches Vietnamese to Vietnamese children in Italy and France, as well as to some foreigners interested in Vietnam. There are quite a few difficulties in teaching Vietnamese here, such as: families living far apart making travel difficult, busy lives trying to integrate into the local culture… so she often teaches the children online or in small groups. Sometimes, to encourage children to attend classes, teachers even have to help parents with fuel costs. The curriculum is also challenging, as Vietnamese textbooks are scarce and difficult to obtain. This September, after much effort, she will organize an official Vietnamese language class at the Cultural Exchange Center of the Bologna City Committee (Italy). She also participated in establishing the Italy-Vietnam Cultural Bridge Association to contribute to spreading the Vietnamese language and culture more widely within the community, as well as promoting the voice of the Vietnamese community here.

Besides teaching Vietnamese, Ms. Huong and many of her colleagues also organize festivals to showcase Vietnamese cuisine and folk culture; and compile Vietnamese dictionaries to serve overseas Vietnamese communities.

Among the delegation of Vietnamese teachers abroad, there are quite a few very young members.

Expressing her gratitude to the lecturers of the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language, Ms. Huong commented: "The course was extremely beneficial to my current work. Not only did the lecturers help me review and provide more systematic knowledge, but I also gained more confidence because from now on, I have a whole community of Vietnamese language teachers in Vietnam and many other countries to support me, to share my profession and love for my homeland."

The meeting was made even more intimate when members of the delegation and the teachers and students of the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language engaged in lively cultural exchange performances before the delegation officially observed Vietnamese language lessons for foreigners at the Department.

The Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language is a shining example of international cultural exchange at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.