The visit of the South Korean President to Vietnam National University, Hanoi is of great significance, creating momentum to promote educational and training cooperation between the two countries, and providing opportunities for Korean language learners to interact, exchange ideas about South Korea and the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and South Korea.
Attending the reception for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at Vietnam National University, Hanoi were Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son, Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi Le Quan and the Deputy Directors; leaders of the Office, functional departments, member units and affiliated units of Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol held discussions with the Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Le Quan. The South Korean President expressed his belief that Hoa Lac will become the largest and most dynamic university city in the near future (image source: https://www.president.go.kr).
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife pose for a commemorative photo with leaders of Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
Expressing his joy and honor in welcoming the President of South Korea to visit Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU), Director Le Quan stated that, as a leading institution in Vietnam's higher education system, VNU was the first public institution to open Korean language and Korean studies programs in 1993, shortly after the two countries established diplomatic relations. Over the past 30 years, most of the heads of Korean language departments/faculties in the northern region have graduated from the University of Foreign Languages and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU. Currently, VNU's faculty and experts are actively participating in projects to promote and develop research on Korean language and culture within the Vietnamese education system.
The number of Korean language learners in Vietnam is currently over 50,000. Nearly 60 universities and colleges offer Korean language courses, making Vietnam the largest and most comprehensive country in Southeast Asia and Asia in terms of training and research in Korean language and culture. The Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Le Quan, hopes that the Korean government will continue to support Vietnam in education, technology transfer in general, and in teaching and researching Korean language and culture, as well as training human resources related to Korea.
Speaking at the reception, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed his pleasure at visiting Vietnam and the Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU). He remarked that VNU shares similarities with Seoul National University in South Korea and both are important higher education institutions in training talent for their respective countries.
Following Director Le Quan's presentation on the new campus of Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) in Hoa Lac, President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed his admiration for the vision of VNU's leadership. He hoped that VNU would soon complete the construction of facilities and the campus at the Hoa Lac site to live up to its status as a leading university in Vietnam.
On this occasion, the President of South Korea and his wife interacted with and answered questions from young Vietnamese people about the beauty of Korean culture and the Korean Wave in Vietnam.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife interacted with students and Korean language learners.
Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son, Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi Le Quan, and other delegates at the exchange between the President of South Korea and students and learners of Korean language.
Speaking to Vietnamese students learning Korean, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol affirmed that his visit to Vietnam took place amidst the flourishing development of bilateral relations. The two sides upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, and bilateral relations have developed comprehensively across many fields, from politics, economics, and diplomacy to culture and society. The President expressed his delight that more and more young Vietnamese people are learning Korean.
“I understand that Korean has become a popular choice for many young people in Vietnam, not only university students but also many middle and high school students are studying Korean. I am also very impressed by their accurate pronunciation of Korean. As the head of state of South Korea, I feel even more responsible for promoting relations between the two countries, especially in educating the younger generation about bilateral relations,” said South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed his pleasure at the numerous cultural exchange activities organized between Vietnam and Vietnam, believing these to be favorable conditions for young Vietnamese people to better understand Korean culture. He hoped for more activities not only in culture but also in education, so that young people could study Korean more deeply and at a more specialized level. The South Korean government will implement more policies to support young Vietnamese people in accessing the Korean language and culture.
(Image: https://www.president.go.kr)
Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) has had numerous collaborations in training and scientific research with leading Korean universities such as Seoul National University, and high-tech corporations like Samsung, LG, Hyundai, and SK. Graduates from VNU's science, technology, and engineering programs are highly regarded and often secure important positions in Korean technology and industrial corporations in Vietnam. The cooperation between VNU and Korean corporations serves as a model for training high-quality human resources, providing targeted training to support the economic and scientific and technological development of both countries.
At Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU), the Asian Research Support Center (ARC) is the unit that implements many collaborative research activities, supports scientists inside and outside VNU, carries out scholar exchange activities, publishes scientific and technological publications, etc., in cooperation with South Korea.
(Image: https://www.president.go.kr)
The current state of Korean language teaching at the university level in Vietnam.
Currently, nearly 60 universities and colleges nationwide are offering full-time programs in Korean language and culture, or Korean studies. The total number of full-time Korean language students is approximately 25,000. The total number of Vietnamese lecturers teaching at universities and colleges in Vietnam is around 300.
Korean was first introduced as a subject of instruction at Vietnam National University, Hanoi (Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities and Faculty of Foreign Languages) and Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, starting in 1993.
Regarding postgraduate training, currently, the University of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, is implementing a master's program in Korean language since 2018; and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, has launched a master's program in Korean Studies since 2022.
The University of Foreign Languages introduced Korean as a second foreign language in 1994. Currently, the University is the largest and most diverse institution among nearly 60 universities and colleges in Vietnam offering Korean language and culture training and research programs. The total number of full-time Korean language students at the University of Foreign Languages is nearly 2,000, including students from the Foreign Language Junior High School (50 students studying Korean as a second foreign language), the Foreign Language Specialized High School (263 students studying Korean as a first and second foreign language), undergraduate programs (full-time, dual degree, and second foreign language programs with a total of 978 students), and Master's programs in Korean Language (approximately 20-30 students per year).
The total number of King Sejong Institutes under the Sejonghakdang Foundation, funded by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in Vietnam is 23. Among them, King Sejong Institute Hanoi 1 (affiliated with the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi) and King Sejong Institute Hanoi 2 (affiliated with the University of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi) are the two earliest established institutions (in 2011) and have achieved many outstanding accomplishments.
The University of Foreign Languages is also the first institution in Vietnam to register and successfully implement the research project "Building a Key University for Korean Studies," funded by the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS) since 2019, and currently in its fifth year.
The current situation of Korean language teaching in Vietnamese secondary schools.
- Korean was introduced as a second foreign language in Vietnamese secondary schools in 2018, and then as a first foreign language in 2021. Currently, Vietnam is the only country in the world that offers Korean as a first foreign language at the secondary school level (starting from grade 3).
- The total number of high schools currently offering Korean as a second foreign language is 79.
Several schools have included Korean as a specialized foreign language (NN1), including: the High School for Foreign Languages under the University of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (since the 2017-2018 academic year), Tran Phu High School for the Gifted (since 2021), etc. The total number of students studying Korean as a second or first foreign language in high schools is approximately 10,900. Korean has been included in the high school graduation exam in Vietnam since 2020.
Currently, the Korean language textbooks for general education (Foreign Language 1 and Foreign Language 2), compiled by authors from the Department of Korean Language & Culture, University of Foreign Languages and the Department of Korean Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (Dr. Tran Thi Huong as chief editor, Dr. Luu Tuan Anh as chief editor), have completed drafts for grades 6-12 (Foreign Language 2) and grades 3-6 (Foreign Language 1). The Grade 3 Foreign Language 1 textbook has completed national evaluation and is ready for printing. The remaining drafts are awaiting national evaluation and sample prints are available. |
