Vietnamese proficiency test in Japan has a "huge" number of candidates

A total of 889 Japanese candidates attended the 7th Vietnamese Language Proficiency Test at the Japan College of Foreign Languages ​​in Tokyo on June 16.

Candidates take the Vietnamese listening test.

The Vietnamese Proficiency Test was organized by the Association for the Promotion and Exchange of Languages ​​among Southeast Asian Countries in Japan, with candidates of all ages from many localities across Japan participating.

The Vietnamese proficiency test is divided into 6 levels, in which the lowest level is level 6 - the introductory level of Vietnamese, then the levels are gradually increased from level 6 to level 1. Level 6 is the level with the most candidates registering for the test with a total of 229 people, followed by level 5 with 201 candidates registering to participate. Level 2 - the most difficult level with candidates registered - has 73 candidates, an increase of 1.5 times compared to 48 candidates in 2023.

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 2023, this rate reached about 43.5%.

The President 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 7th proficiency test had the most candidates ever.

Except for 2020 when it could not be held due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Association always organizes the exam every year to create a suitable playground for Japanese people learning Vietnamese to test their abilities.

This year’s exam received a great response from candidates from many localities across Japan, with a total of 39 localities having candidates participating. There were candidates from neighboring localities of Tokyo such as Chiba, Saitama, Kanagawa, Nagano... to the northernmost and southernmost localities 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. Even candidates working in Vietnam returned to Japan on this occasion to take the exam.

The average age of the candidates is about 40 years old, in which the oldest candidate is 86 years old and the youngest is an 8-year-old high school student, both registered for the level 6 exam. 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 learned Vietnamese because they had Vietnamese friends or had been to Vietnam and fell in love with the country, its people, and especially its delicious food.

Candidate Yamamoto Fubito, an employee of a Japanese law office in Ho Chi Minh City, has 20 years of using Vietnamese.

Most candidates said that listening comprehension is the most difficult part of the Vietnamese test. Candidate Okada Shuhei, an employee of Japan Finance Corporation, said he had only been studying Vietnamese for about 5 months. He learned about the Vietnamese proficiency test through friends and looked it up on the Internet, so he decided to register.

When talking about the reason for learning Vietnamese, Mr. Okada said the first reason was work because he was working at the company's branch in Ho Chi Minh City. Besides, he also wanted to learn about Vietnamese life and culture.

Regarding Vietnamese culture, what impressed him most was that Vietnamese people highly value family values. Evaluating life in Ho Chi Minh City, he said this is his favorite place with a bustling atmosphere, delicious food, friendly and lovable people and warm weather all year round.

Candidate Yamamoto Fubito, an employee of a Japanese law firm in Ho Chi Minh City, said he registered for the high school and middle school exams, with the second level being the highest level in this round of the Vietnamese proficiency test. However, he also admitted that listening comprehension was the most difficult part of the test and he estimated that he could do about 70% of this part.

With 20 years of experience using Vietnamese, he is quite confident in his ability to communicate in daily life in Vietnam without any major obstacles. He is married in Vietnam, so he communicates in Vietnamese every day at home. At work, he also uses Vietnamese to communicate with Vietnamese colleagues.

He said that he took this exam because he wanted to test his Vietnamese proficiency level and that if he passed this exam, he would feel more confident. Like Mr. Okada, Mr. Yamamoto was very impressed by the friendliness of the Vietnamese people. He said that for him, life in Ho Chi Minh City is quite comfortable.

Chairman of the Board of the Bunsai Gakuen Non-Profit Education Association, Mr. Ise Yoji, expressed his joy that this year had the largest number of candidates ever. According to him, this shows the interest in Vietnam, and that more and more Japanese people want to learn Vietnamese. He believes that language reflects the spirit of a country and believes that more and more people will learn Vietnamese. He hopes that Vietnamese will become a widely recognized foreign language in the world.

He assessed that Vietnam is a country with rapid economic growth, a country with outstanding development in the Southeast Asian region. He expressed his belief that Vietnam will continue to develop, grow and become a country with position and influence in the Asian region as well as in the world.

Chairman Ise Yoji expressed his pride in being the legal entity organizing the Vietnamese proficiency test and being the legal entity of the school related to Vietnam. He said that this year is the 7th year that the Vietnamese proficiency test has been organized, the number of candidates has increased each year. According to him, this is a very encouraging sign. He affirmed that the Association will continue to make efforts to further develop this test.

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 8th Vietnamese Proficiency Test will take place on June 15, 2025.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/ky-thi-nang-luc-tieng-viet-tai-nhat-ban-co-so-luong-thi-sinh-khung-275242.html