(Dan Tri) - Nguyen Thi Ngoc Quyen (born in 2001) is the valedictorian of the Arabic language major - University of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
Ngoc Quyen graduated with a score of 3.87/4.0, the highest in the Arabic language major - University of Foreign Languages (Vietnam National University, Hanoi). The female student from Hanoi was honored to be one of the 100 valedictorians at the ceremony to honor outstanding valedictorians graduating from universities and academies in Hanoi in 2024.
"I'm not too surprised with this result because being valedictorian was my goal when I first entered the school. When I stood on the podium to receive this title, I felt happy that my efforts and hard work throughout 4 years of university had paid off," Ngoc Quyen shared.
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Quyen is the valedictorian of the Arabic language major at the University of Languages and International Studies - Vietnam National University, Hanoi (Photo: NVCC).
Love and affection for the Arab country and people
Thanks to her excellent academic achievements, Ngoc Quyen is one of four Vietnamese students to receive a full scholarship to study one year in Qatar sponsored by Qatar University.
For Quyen, the opportunity to experience firsthand a country whose language and culture she has spent a lot of time studying is invaluable. Having never seen the country with her own eyes before, the opportunity to set foot there and explore it firsthand is something she has always looked forward to.
"During a year living in Arabia, I have discovered many special cultural features of them. The friendliness, kindness and hospitality of the people here, something that made me realize the deep similarities with the Vietnamese people.
The experiences of traditional festivals and rituals, along with the enthusiasm of my friends, helped me gradually gain a deeper understanding of Arab culture. The traditional meals that my friends invited me to, the new knowledge shared, have fostered in me an increasingly deep love for this land and its people," Quyen recalls.
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Quyen (wearing Ao Dai, far left) at the Graduation Ceremony of the Arabic Language Program for Non-Native Speakers at Qatar University (Photo: NVCC).
The student said that what impressed her most was the time she got to participate in the Arab month of Ramadan. This is considered the holiest month of the year for Muslims around the world. During this month, they will perform a number of special religious rituals, including fasting, praying and practicing charity.
Ngoc Quyen was lucky to be able to study abroad at this particularly sacred time. Although the female student had learned and heard about their culture, when she witnessed it with her own eyes, she found it very magical.
"When the cannon sounds signal the end of the fast, people from all over flock to eateries and restaurants. This month, I also got to experience visiting and praying at their mosques," the female student shared.
A year of studying abroad helped Ngoc Quyen understand more about the culture and people of the host country. These experiences helped the female student have a clearer view of the language she was learning. After returning from the exchange study abroad, Quyen said she was more confident in communicating, and her listening and speaking skills had improved a lot.
In addition to receiving an exchange scholarship from the Qatar Embassy, Ngoc Quyen also won second prize in the Arabic speech contest organized by the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Vietnam in collaboration with the University of Foreign Languages (Vietnam National University, Hanoi), the world's largest Arabic speech contest Qatar Debate 2023 held in Oman...
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Quyen (3rd, from left to right) in the Qatar debate 2023 competition (Photo: NVCC).
Choose to learn one of the most difficult languages in the world
In 2019, when starting the process of choosing a major, Ngoc Quyen accidentally read information about the Arabic language training program at the University of Foreign Languages. Out of curiosity about the phrase "one of the most difficult languages in the world", the female student gradually became drawn into Arabic culture and people.
According to the US Foreign Service Institute (FSI), Arabic is one of the most difficult languages to learn in the world, along with Japanese, Korean, Cantonese (Chinese), etc. Experts estimate that it will take an average learner 1.69 years (88 weeks) and 2,200 hours of study to become proficient.
In addition, Arabic is not a very popular language in our country. Therefore, if learners have the desire and need to learn the language, they must study by themselves or find some language teaching facilities.
Currently, in Vietnam, Arabic language or Arabic studies is being taught at only two universities: University of Foreign Languages - Vietnam National University, Hanoi and University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City.
When she decided to study Arabic, Quyen said her parents supported her wholeheartedly: "My parents always supported and believed in me by encouraging me to pursue my own passion and choices. When they heard that I became the valedictorian, my parents were the happiest and proudest because I had succeeded in the way I wanted."
During her four years at university, Ngoc Quyen lost more than a year of online study due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Studying only through a computer screen, without interaction between the learner and the teacher, made Quyen feel lost and "out of breath" at first.
"Although the Arabic alphabet only has 28 letters, the position of each letter in a word greatly affects the way the word is written and its shape. That's why when I first started learning Arabic, I had a lot of difficulty remembering the alphabet, how to write and the meaning of the words," Quyen said.
Ngoc Quyen (2nd, from right to left) visits the ancient market of Souq Waqif, Qatar (Photo: NVCC).
Ngoc Quyen expressed that sometimes she feels discouraged when learning Arabic. But Quyen thinks that the decisive factor for the success of language learners is their perseverance and determination: "Because there is no language that can be learned in a day or two. It is a whole process of reviewing, studying and honing that language."
To avoid losing her roots, Ngoc Quyen spends time every day reviewing vocabulary and grammar. Investing a lot of time and effort in learning a language is the secret to helping learners conquer it, even if it is the most difficult language in the world.
The female student said that the Arabic vocabulary is extremely large, with more than 12 million words: "For example, there are hundreds of words used to refer to and describe camels in Arabic. Therefore, I have a lot of difficulty remembering the meaning of words and grasping the correct context of use of these words."
But for Ngoc Quyen, the more she studied and delved into this language, the more interested she became. She spent a lot of time researching it even though documents about this language were scarce in Vietnam. Thanks to that, the female student graduated with the highest score in her major.
Sharing about her future plans, Ngoc Quyen said she will continue to stick with this language. It is not only about the language, but also about the country, culture and people of Arabia.
"I hope that in the future, Arabic will no longer be an unpopular language in Vietnam. I hope that people will accept and love Arabic like other languages so that language lovers like me will have more opportunities to access it," Quyen confided.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/suat-hoc-bong-dang-nho-cua-nu-thu-khoa-nganh-ngon-ngu-kho-bac-nhat-the-gioi-20250115115702076.htm
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