On June 18, the Association for the Promotion and Exchange of Languages among Southeast Asian Countries in Japan held the 6th Vietnamese Proficiency Test at the Japan College of Foreign Languages in Tokyo. A total of 789 candidates of various ages from many localities across Japan participated.
The Vietnamese proficiency test is divided into 6 levels, in which the lowest level is level 6 - introductory level of Vietnamese, then the levels are gradually increased from level 6 to level 1.
The lowest fee is for level 6 at 3,000 yen (about 498,000 VND), then level 6 is 3,500 yen, level 5 is 4,500 yen, level 4 is 5,500 yen, level 3 is 6,500 yen, level 2 is 8,000 yen.
In addition, to facilitate candidates who are still hesitant and have not yet determined their exact Vietnamese proficiency level, candidates are allowed to register for two levels of exams with more preferential fees.
The fee for a candidate taking the 2+3 level exam is 14,500 yen (2 million VND), level 3+4 is 12,000 yen, level 4+5 is 10,000 yen, level 5+6 is 8,000 yen and level 6 + near level 6 is 6,500 yen.
Level 5 is the level with the most number of candidates registering for the exam with a total of 128 people. Level 2 - the most difficult level - has the lowest number of candidates with 48, an increase compared to 34 candidates in 2022.
The pass rate in the Vietnamese proficiency test has been gradually increasing. In the first test, the average pass rate for all levels was only 16.7%, and by 2022, this rate reached about 43.5%.
The exam received a great response from candidates from many regions across Japan, with a total of 35 regions having candidates participating. There were candidates from neighboring regions of Tokyo such as Chiba, Saitama, Kanagawa, Nagano... to the northernmost and southernmost regions of Japan such as Hokkaido and Okinawa. Many candidates from far away provinces took the Shinkansen train to Tokyo on the morning of June 18 to take the exam.
The average age of the candidates is around 40 years old, with the oldest candidate being 82 years old and the youngest being a 12-year-old high school student registering for level 3. This is the second time for both of these special candidates, with the 12-year-old candidate having passed level 4 in the 2022 exam and registering for level 3 this year.
Like every year, there are many candidates studying or working in jobs related to Vietnamese such as Vietnamese language students at universities, Vietnamese interpreters... In addition, many candidates said they study Vietnamese because they have Vietnamese friends or have been to Vietnam and have come to love the country, people, especially the delicious dishes of Vietnam.
Contestant Taishimura Kami, 25, said he has Vietnamese colleagues so he wants to learn Vietnamese. He has been to Vietnam and has a good impression of Vietnam, especially its cuisine.
Because he has only just started learning Vietnamese, Kami registered for the level 5 exam and believes that his chances of passing are around 80%. He affirmed that he wants to improve his Vietnamese ability and will continue to register for the proficiency exam next year.
Contestant Ryoko, a Vietnamese interpreter who lived in Ho Chi Minh City for a year, said that she failed the high school exam last year, so she registered to take the exam this year. Ryoko really wants to return to Vietnam because the people are very kind and helpful.
Mr. Nakamura, from Nagano Prefecture, currently an interpreter for the Ueda City Government in Nagano Prefecture, is one of the candidates who registered for the two levels of the exam, Level 3 and Level 2. Mr. Nakamura said he studied Vietnamese because he wanted to support Vietnamese people in Japan as well as Japanese people in Vietnam.
Mr. Isaka, 31 years old, said he plans to work in Vietnam and he is eagerly preparing for his first trip to Vietnam scheduled for this year.
Chairman of the Association for the Promotion and Exchange of Languages of Southeast Asian Countries in Japan, Mr. Fujino Masayoshi expressed his joy at the fact that the 6th proficiency test attracted candidates from all over Japan to participate.
According to him, another good thing about the 6th Vietnamese proficiency test is that many candidates who passed the 2022 test continued to register for this year's test at a higher level. This shows that candidates continue to improve their Vietnamese proficiency and have chosen the association's test to determine their level. He hopes that with this effort, the number of candidates registering at higher levels will increase in next year's test.
Chairman of the Board of the Bunsai Gakuen Non-Profit Education Association, Mr. Ise Yoji, believes that the number of Japanese people interested in Vietnam will certainly continue to increase because the exchange and cooperation activities between the two countries are developing very well. Besides, there are many Japanese people who have a good impression of the country and people of Vietnam, which is the motivation for them to learn Vietnamese.
He said that despite the temporary interruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of candidates taking the Vietnamese proficiency test in 2023 has not decreased. He believes that with the foundation of the bilateral relationship continuing to develop strongly in many areas from economy, culture to cuisine, the number of candidates registering to take the Vietnamese proficiency test will certainly continue to increase in the coming years.
The Vietnamese Proficiency Test of the Association for the Promotion and Exchange of Languages of Southeast Asian Countries in Japan is held annually with the aim of standardizing and promoting Vietnamese in Japan. According to the plan, the 7th Vietnamese Proficiency Test will take place on June 16, 2024./.
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