Opening Ceremony of Vietnamese Language Course for Vietnamese Children in the UK

On June 9, the opening ceremony of the free Vietnamese language teaching program for overseas Vietnamese children in the UK was held online with the participation of lecturers from the University of Languages and International Studies (ULIS) under the Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) and around 200 students across the UK.

The program is jointly organized by the Vietnamese Association in the UK (VAUK), the Association for Liaison with Overseas Vietnamese (ALOV), and ULIS, aiming to support the Vietnamese community in the UK in preserving and developing the Vietnamese language and culture.

(The opening ceremony attracted the participation of about 200 students across the UK, making it the Vietnamese language teaching program abroad with the largest number of students to date.)

Phase 1 of the program lasts 15 months with 16 classes, divided into 3 levels A, B, C, with 228 students.

Classes are held online every Sunday, each class has 15 students led by a lecturer from the Department of Vietnamese Language and Culture, ULIS. At the end of the course, students will be awarded certificates from ULIS. The program also includes annual summer camps to bring Vietnamese language and cultural experiences in their homeland to young overseas Vietnamese generations.

(All 32 lecturers involved in the teaching are volunteers.)

The teaching curriculum of the program is compiled by Associate Professor-Doctor Nguyen Lan Trung – Chairman of the Vietnam Linguistics Association – and is provided free of charge to students.

According to TTXVN reporter in London, VAUK President Tang Tuan Tu at the opening ceremony expressed his pride in accompanying ULIS and Vietnamese parents and students in the UK in the Vietnamese language teaching program, helping to connect the Vietnamese community in the UK and spread Vietnamese language among generations of Vietnamese people born and raised in the UK.

(Associate Professor-Doctor Nguyen Lan Trung, Chairman of the Vietnam Linguistics Association, author of the Vietnamese language teaching curriculum for overseas Vietnamese people, shared his experience of teaching and learning Vietnamese at the opening ceremony.)

Mr. Tang Tuan Tu expressed his gratitude for the support and voluntary contributions of Associate Professor-Doctor Nguyen Lan Trung and the lecturers of ULIS so that VAUK could organize a meaningful program, contributing to preserving and promoting national cultural traditions abroad.

Ms. Dao Thi Hong, First Secretary in charge of Education, Vietnamese Embassy in the UK, assessed the online Vietnamese language teaching program as a meaningful activity, opening up an effective channel to preserve and develop Vietnamese language and culture abroad, and at the same time help generations of Vietnamese people born and raised in the UK to maintain and develop their mother tongue, turn towards their roots, and create connections between generations in Vietnamese families in the UK.

Ms. Hong believes that with the standardized curriculum and the professionalism of ULIS lecturers, along with the desire to learn of the students, the program will be a great success, helping young overseas Vietnamese generations not only learn Vietnamese well but also understand about the history and culture of the nation.

Ms. Nguyen Minh Tuyen, General Secretary of VAUK and Head of the program organizing committee, expressed her delight that the program has received enthusiastic response from the overseas Vietnamese community.

*(Within 5 days of the announcement, the program has attracted nearly 230 students to register to participate.)*

Ms. Tuyen emphasized that the Vietnamese language teaching program is one of the focuses in VAUK’s activities and will be maintained for a long time.

VAUK is raising a scholarship fund for overseas Vietnamese children who are valedictorians at secondary schools, high schools, universities, and win prizes in gifted subjects in the UK, in order to encourage and nurture young talents, build prestige and develop the community. Vietnamese people in the UK are increasingly strong.

Right after the opening ceremony, Associate Professor-Doctor Nguyen Lan Trung, a person who is passionate about preserving and maintaining Vietnamese language and culture, and lecturer Nguyen Lan Huong introduced to parents and students about the Vietnamese language learning program, and answered questions about the program in particular and learning Vietnamese in general.

With the largest number of students registered for a Vietnamese language teaching program abroad, the program reflects the high demand for learning Vietnamese and learning about Vietnamese culture of the overseas Vietnamese community in the UK in particular and abroad in general.

Ms. Trang Lam, a parent attending the opening ceremony, was very touched by the enthusiasm of Associate Professor-Doctor Nguyen Lan Trung, the lecturers of ULIS, VNU, and VAUK in supporting the overseas Vietnamese community to maintain the Vietnamese language in the host country.

She said she would accompany her child in the learning process – to preserve the identity of the Vietnamese people, the soul of the nation, and to contribute to the development of the Vietnamese community in the UK.

Check out the first class here: