Finding Identity Through Language: The Vietnamese Journey Home
	Vietnamese Bookshelf: Connecting Overseas Vietnamese Community

Journey of the "Beautiful Vietnamese" project

Launched in 2012, the project started as Nghia's personal hobby he would pursue outside of his high school classes. Back then, he used the page to share articles about Vietnamese and national culture. As he went to Japan to study in 2015 then stayed to work, Nghia realized the preciousness of the Vietnamese language.

"No matter how fluent you are in a foreign language, you can hardly express your thoughts and feelings in that language like in your mother tougue," says Nghia. With that in mind, he decided to develop the page "Beautiful Vietnamese" not only to spread the love for Vietnamese but also to help preserve the language in the overseas Vietnamese community.

Le Trong Nghia (second from left), founder of the "Beautiful Vietnamese" page. (Photo: Le Trong Nghia)

The project became widely known after the "Day for Honouring Vietnamese Language" (February 21 - International Mother Language Day recognized by UNESCO) in 2021, attracting the large participation of overseas Vietnamese communities. To celebrate this event, Nghia's team organized two writing contests, one to praise the Vietnamese language, and the other named "Vietnamese through paintings". In 2022, "Beautiful Vietnamese" organized a series of events to celebrate February 21. They posted a series of stories about Vietnamese, held contests named "Colorful Vietnamese Language" and "Vietnamese in Songs". They also organized an online talk show named "Vietnamese in Me" with the participation of Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Van Tinh, General Secretary of the Vietnam Linguistics Association and Dr. Nguyen The Duong, Director of Yeu Tieng Viet School in Australia.

From a Facebook page, "Beautiful Vietnamese" has transformed into a non-profit organization with many projects to preserve the Vietnamese language. Currently, the organization's Facebook has more than 148,000 followers, reaching thousands of young Vietnamese people abroad.

Nghia explains his group's missions statement. "'Beautiful Vietnamese' is not only the organization's name but also the message that all members want to send to the community. We want to learn the beauty of Vietnamese and also spread that beauty to the community, especially young people. With friendly and lively articles, we hope to bring a more friendly perspective on linguistics, while at the same time stimulating pride in the diversity and richness of our homeland's language. Thereby, each Vietnamese will raise their awareness to preserve, spread and promote the noble values ​​of the beloved Vietnamese language".

Spread Vietnamese through literature and teaching

The story of preserving Vietnamese does not stop at language research, but is also expressed through literature and teaching. At the Vietnam Summer Camp 2024, Nguyen Nam Khanh, a young Vietnamese living in Pakistan, brought along Nguyen Du's "Truyen Kieu" to introduce Vietnamese culture to international friends. Khanh believes that literature is a bridge between him and his homeland, helping to maintain the connection of language and culture.

"I often look for the English translation of "Truyen Kieu" to introduce Vietnamese culture to my friends in the host country," Khanh said.

Khanh also introduced Vietnamese through meetings with international friends. He often hosts traditional Vietnamese meals at home, which have become a great opportunity for him to introduce his language, culture and roots.

Meanwhile, Le Nguyen Luu An, a young overseas Vietnamese in Malaysia, chooses teaching to preserve Vietnamese. Together with her mother, An teaches overseas Vietnamese children at the Vietnamese Language Club. “I feel proud to see the children making progress, being able to write, read and communicate in Vietnamese,” An said. Teaching Vietnamese not only helps children maintain the language but also connects family generations, helping them get closer to their cultural roots.

Technology - A bridge to preserve Vietnamese

In the digital age, technology opens up many opportunities for preserving and spreading Vietnamese. Vietnamese learning applications such as Monkey Junior, Duolingo... are useful tools for many young people. In Chiba (Japan), Bui Le Bao Chau (9 years old) learned Vietnamese through Monkey Junior. With the support of science and technology, the application developers has created many easy-to-understand lessons so that Vietnamese children abroad can learn the language. Chau said: "I learned how to spell and write Vietnamese. Thanks to the application, learning Vietnamese has become much more interesting."

Along with applications, Vietnamese youth abroad also learn Vietnamese through television. Aired since 2018, the program "Hello Vietnam" produced by VTV4 is a familiar address for overseas countrymen to learn Vietnamese. Through episodes of foreigners experiencing culture and life in Vietnam, the program provides language knowledge and brings a closer look at the homeland to Vietnamese people abroad.

Annie, a Viet girl in Australia, known for her YouTube channel "Learn Vietnamese With Annie". (Photo: Hao Tran)

In addition, YouTube channels such as "Learn Vietnamese With Annie" have also become familiar addresses for Vietnamese youth to access the language. With a creative and practical teaching method, Annie, a Vietnamese girl in Australia, has attracted nearly 40,000 subscribers. The everyday stories and real-life communication situations that Annie includes in her lectures have helped young people easily learn Vietnamese language and culture.

Online communities also play an important role in preserving the Vietnamese language. Facebook groups and forums have attracted thousands of members from all over the world, where people share learning experiences, documents and stories about their mother tongue.

The efforts of overseas Vietnamese youth to preserve the homeland's language are not merely personal stories. It is a combination of technology and national pride. From non-profit projects to technology support, young Vietnamese people abroad are gradually preserving and spreading the beauty of their homeland's language, maintaining cultural identity in the hearts of every Vietnamese living abroad.

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