Wearing Ao Dai and Ao Ba Ba, singing Quan Ho and Vi Giam, a group of three Japanese and Australian students won the national Vietnamese speaking contest.
The three students, Mizuguchi Sayo, Okabe Chikara, Japanese nationals, and Bennett Arabella, Australian, are currently studying at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. The group's speech, titled "Vietnamese Touches the Heart of the World", won first prize at the 2023 Vietnamese Speech Contest for Foreign Students in Ho Chi Minh City on December 1.
The three contestants impressed everyone when they wore Ao Dai and Ao Ba Ba, performing Quan Ho, Vi Giam and Southern Lullabies. More than a dozen other foreign students danced as backup in the performance with many scenes.
"We prepared very carefully so we are happy to win first place nationwide," said Mizuguchi Sayo.
International students sing Quan Ho folk songs in the final round of the 2023 Vietnamese speech contest for international students in Ho Chi Minh City on December 1. Video: USSH
Mizuguchi was very nervous before. When she got on stage, she gradually calmed down and tried to focus on her performance. For her, singing Quan Ho is fun, singing Vi Giam is more difficult, and singing Southern Lullabies is also very challenging because she has to pronounce the Southern accent.
"I was surprised when my singing was praised by my teachers. Maybe my voice is suitable for Vietnamese folk songs. However, I'm not very satisfied because it was better when I practiced," Mizuguchi, 23 years old, shared.
Okabe Chikara, 27, was shaking so much that he held the microphone tightly. Okabe was not the most confident in his singing because he found it difficult to keep the rhythm.
"I've never sung in front of a crowd. Luckily I didn't forget the lyrics on stage," said Okabe, who was in charge of speaking the first and last parts of his speech.
Meanwhile, Arabella Bennett was a bit nervous because she was afraid of mispronouncing her words and making the audience not understand. Arabella was assigned to talk about famous Vietnamese poets.
"This part is great, giving me the opportunity to learn more about important works by authors like Ho Xuan Huong," said Arabella, 28.
Arabella Bennett (left), Okabe Chikara (middle) and Mizuguchi Sayo receive the first prize certificate of the national final round of the 2023 Vietnamese speech contest for foreign students in Ho Chi Minh City on December 1. Photo: USSH
According to Dr. Le Thi Thanh Tam, head of the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Language, Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities, each team will select 2-3 main speakers. In 7 minutes, the teams will be allowed to be as creative as possible to express their Vietnamese language in the best way. The essay needs to have a topic and arguments to convince the judges and the audience.
To make an impression, the Humanities team leader presented three main arguments: Vietnamese was born at the same time as the birth of the nation; this country is the country of the people, of folk songs, myths and Vietnamese is the heart of the nation; the heart of the nation is also the mother tongue, the maternal culture of the Vietnamese people.
"I'm happy not because my team won against the other team, but because Vietnamese is loved and honored by foreign students to such an extent," said Dr. Tam.
An international student team in the debate competition on December 1. Photo: USSH
Ms. Tam shared that this achievement was a worthy reward for the team’s months of hard work. During the preparation process, the director, main speaker and main dancer were all sick, on business trips or had relatives pass away and had to return home. However, two weeks before the final, the whole team gathered together and were determined to compete.
First, the group practiced pronunciation, then speed, and finally learned to speak expressively. Because they studied Vietnamese in Hanoi, the international students all spoke with a northern accent. However, the test included a lullaby sung in a southern accent.
Ms. Tam said that in the song: "Au o/If the wooden bridge is nailed/The bamboo bridge is rickety and bumpy, hard to cross...", the students initially sang it as "rí sầu". Being from the South, Ms. Tam directly guided the students to sing each word correctly.
"The students only have 7 minutes on stage, an average of 2.5 minutes each, but they have to practice for 1.5 months. Each session, they practice their content 100 times," said Ms. Tam.
The most difficult thing for the three speakers was pronunciation. Mizuguchi could not pronounce the word "child" because Japanese does not have the letters ô, ơ, o. She also could not say the word "eternal", so the director had to replace it with the word eternal.
Every time she practices, Mizuguchi has to record her teacher's instructions so she can listen to them at home and repeat them. She also listens to some singer videos on YouTube to sing along to the right melody.
Okabe also often took the opportunity to read aloud or sing folk songs on the way from his boarding house to school or work to improve his pronunciation.
"I often imitate the cries I see on the street like 'get it laminated immediately' and try saying them while driving. 'Pick up every little thing and make a big bag'. These small exercises help me improve my Vietnamese skills," Okabe said.
According to the students, their love for Vietnamese has helped them practice diligently. Mizuguchi and Okabe chose Vietnamese because they saw the wide range of job opportunities. Before coming to Vietnam, Mizuguchi had spent two years studying Vietnamese at college. She is also passionate about Vietnamese cuisine and felt that studying abroad here was the right choice.
Okabe was a university student in Japan. While working part-time to pay for his tuition and living expenses, Okabe became friends with many Vietnamese international students and learned a lot about Vietnamese culture and language.
"I became interested in Vietnam and wanted to go there, so I decided to study abroad," Okabe said. Okabe is currently a collaborator on many programs for foreigners for Vietnam Television.
Arabella has been studying Vietnamese for a year and is working for a diplomatic agency in Hanoi, before enrolling at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.
"Winning is fun, but most importantly, it's an opportunity for me to improve my confidence when speaking Vietnamese," Arabella said, adding that she is trying to read and watch a lot to expand her vocabulary.
The team from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi includes students from 8 countries. Photo: USSH
This is the first year the Ministry of Education and Training has organized a Vietnamese speaking contest for international students nationwide, aiming to create a playground and at the same time contribute to promoting Vietnamese education and culture to international friends. After the first round in the three regions, 12 teams entered the national final round.
About 22,000 foreign students are studying in Vietnam. The ministry said that on average, between 4,000 and over 6,000 new international students are accepted each year.
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