Foreign students compete in Vietnamese Debate

International students are wearing Ao Dai, Ao Ba Ba, and scarves, singing, reciting poems… at the Vietnamese Speaking Contest.

Study in Vietnam

International students from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Ho Chi Minh City National University with the contest "Melodies of three regions of Vietnam" won first prize at the Southern region Vietnamese Eloquence Contest

On the morning of November 10, the Vietnamese Speech Contest (preliminary round of the Southern region) for foreign students in Vietnam in 2023 took place at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Ho Chi Minh City National University.

International students from 13 schools in the Southern region compete

With the theme "Vietnam in me", the international students presented their understanding of the country, people, culture, profound memories of life and study in Vietnam, and the solidarity and friendship between Vietnam and the international students' country.

In the preliminary round of the Southern region, 13 teams representing international students studying at training facilities in provinces and cities in the Southern region competed.

Mr. Pham Quang Hung - Director of the Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Education and Training - said: "Launched in August 2023, the contest received the response of 63 training institutions with foreign students studying, with a diversity of nationalities registering to participate.

The Southern region has over 4,000 foreign students studying at about 50 training institutions, not including thousands of foreign students participating in short-term study and exchange programs.

The largest number of international students come from Laos, Cambodia and South Korea. In addition, educational institutions in the South also attract many foreign students from over 60 different countries across 5 continents.

15 years of learning to speak Vietnamese like a native

Impressing the audience, contestant Lee Ah Nam was judged by the audience to have pronounced and spoken as fluently as a local. His team also won first prize in the contest 'Melodies of the three regions of Vietnam'.

Lee Ah Nam (4th year student, Faculty of Vietnamese Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Ho Chi Minh National University) shared: "My friends and I practiced for 2 months to participate in the contest. I have studied Vietnamese for 15 years to be able to speak like a native. Unlike my mother tongue Korean, Vietnamese has tones, so it is a bit difficult to go up or down."

Heng Sotheara (third-year student majoring in food technology, An Giang University - Ho Chi Minh City National University) confided: "Our group practiced for a week, this year is the first time we compete so we will learn from our experience to compete again next year. Initially, when I went to study abroad, I had two choices: China and Vietnam, but I chose Vietnam because I wanted to learn about the Vietnamese language and culture here."

The national final round is scheduled to take place at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Ho Chi Minh City National University on December 1, with the participation of 12 excellent teams selected from 3 competition clusters.

Representatives of 4 teams from the Southern region entered the final round: University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Ho Chi Minh City National University, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, Cuu Long University, Kien Giang University.

Laotian students studying at Cuu Long University wearing Ao Ba Ba talk about the flood season in the West

French, Lao and Korean students studying at Ho Chi Minh City University of Education wear Ao Dai to compete in Vietnamese Speaking Contest

Tuoitre.vn