A field that teaches 'learning to eat, learning to speak, learning to wrap, learning to open'

Vietnamese is difficult but interesting

Having lived in Vietnam for 4 years, Yuichiro Konaka (4th year Japanese student, majoring in Vietnamese Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City ) said that Vietnamese is difficult but interesting.

"For Japanese people, pronouncing Vietnamese is very difficult because it has 6 tones and many vowels. Meanwhile, Japanese has no tones and only 5 vowels," Yuichiro Koana shared.

Besides, the male student also said that he had the opportunity to travel to many places from the North to the Mekong Delta and loved traveling to Vietnam because each place has different cultures and specialties.

Coming to study under the 2023 agreement, P'pok Thinkasang (Laotian student, majoring in Vietnamese Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City ) said that the learning environment here is very good, teachers focus on teaching, and the methods are very different from studying in Laos.

"I came here to exchange knowledge about language, culture, lifestyle, working style and learn many things from Vietnam. Vietnam is more developed than Laos so it is very suitable for studying," P'pok Thinkasang shared.

The course is not only for foreigners

In addition to helping foreigners communicate and learn about Vietnamese language and culture, the industry also expands its recruitment of Vietnamese students with many job opportunities.

As the first course for Vietnamese people, Le Uyen Quynh (3rd year student, majoring in Vietnamese Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City ) shared that students often joke with each other that studying Vietnamese Studies means "learning to eat, learning to speak, learning to wrap, learning to open".

"We learned about traditional theater, cuisine, Vietnamese costumes, interacted with artisans, and prepared regional specialties with our own hands," Quynh said.

The female student said that the faculty has a Vietnamese Studies festival to exchange culture between students with many booths from Japan, Korea, Russia, Laos, etc.

"When introducing folk games to foreign students, they all responded and participated enthusiastically, that image made me extremely proud and happy," Quynh said.

Wanting to research the country's language, culture, and history, Vo Xuan Nghia (3rd year student, majoring in Vietnamese Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City ) was "destined" to study the industry.

Xuan Nghia at the Vietnam Studies festival

"During my studies, I had the opportunity to go on field trips and visit the Cao Dai Holy See in Tay Ninh, Ong Ba Chieu mausoleum... It was not simply to listen and see, but also to 'touch' the core values, understand and research," Nghia shared.

However, some students in this field also encounter prejudices such as "What is Vietnamese Studies?", "What do you study, and what kind of job do you get after graduation?".

Oriented towards the tourism sector, Kim Anh (2nd year student, majoring in Vietnamese Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City ) said that this is a rather unfamiliar field for many people, but when learning about it, it is very interesting, allowing them to learn more about Vietnamese culture, have the opportunity to meet foreign friends, and develop themselves.

Faced with prejudices, Dr. Nguyen Hoang Phuong, Deputy Head of the Department of Vietnamese Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City, emphasized that Vietnamese people still need to study and research Vietnamese studies to appreciate, preserve and promote Vietnamese identity in all aspects: culture, language, society, history... to promote and enhance the country's image to the world in the context of globalization.

Mr. Phuong said that the number of Vietnamese students is stable at 50-60 students/year. "According to the policy of the leaders of Ho Chi Minh City National University on expanding the training subjects to meet the domestic human resource needs, from 2021, the school will start enrolling undergraduate students in Vietnamese Studies for Vietnamese people. Up to now, through 3 enrollment periods, the faculty has about 180 Vietnamese students studying," Dr. Phuong informed.

The festival with many food stalls is an opportunity for students to meet and exchange with international friends and practice foreign languages.

2 career opportunities orientation

Dr. Hoang Phuong shared that due to the abundant domestic recruitment source, the industry is focusing on training Vietnamese students in two directions: tourism and Vietnamese linguistics; Vietnamese linguistics and methods of teaching Vietnamese to foreigners, in order to meet the needs of the domestic and international labor market.

"Graduates can work in diplomatic corps, government and non-government organizations, universities, economic, educational and cultural corporations, and become specialists or managers in cultural, educational, scientific, economic and diplomatic units of Vietnam or countries that have cultural, educational, scientific, economic and diplomatic relations with Vietnam," said Dr. Phuong.

According to Dr. Hoang Phuong, during the course, students will have 1 field trip and 1 internship at facilities and businesses, practicing learning about culture and history, traditional craft villages, culinary life, and the lifestyle of Vietnamese people.

Dr. Hoang Phuong said that currently, teaching Vietnamese to foreigners is developing strongly not only in Vietnam but also abroad. Korea has introduced Vietnamese into general education and it is one of the five foreign languages ​​for university entrance exams. Overseas Vietnamese also have the need to learn Vietnamese and learn about the origins of Vietnamese culture.

According to Dr. Phuong, there are an average of 30-40 foreign students studying each year, but due to the impact of the Covid 19 epidemic, the number has decreased sharply to only about 10 students per year.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/mot-nganh-day-hoc-an-hoc-noi-hoc-goi-hoc-mo-185231111095055386.htm