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Diverse Vietnamese playgrounds for Russian students

With a major in Vietnamese, Nikita Luxenko, a student at the Institute of Asian and African Studies, Moscow State University (MGU), Russian Federation, signed up to participate in the Vietnam Knowledge Contest on September 21st.

For two hours, Nikita Luxenko and other participants were engaged with a variety of questions and images about Vietnamese culture, history, geography, cuisine, and daily life. These questions were not only multiple-choice but also provided participants with interesting and memorable information about Vietnam.

Russian students enthusiastically participate in the Vietnam Knowledge Contest. Photo: Quoc Hung

"This contest has been meaningful to me," said Nikita Luxenko. "Not only has it given me the opportunity to enhance my knowledge, but it has also allowed me to test my understanding of the Vietnamese language and culture. I've noticed that more and more people are learning Vietnamese and studying Vietnamese culture," he said.

Organized by the university with the support of the Russia-Vietnam Cooperation Support Fund "Tradition and Friendship" the Vietnam Knowledge Contest aims to promote cultural and educational activities, foster cooperation in Vietnamese studies and teaching Vietnamese in Russia.

Nguyen Quoc Hung, director of the Russia-Vietnam Cooperation Fund, shared that for many years, the Fund has been implementing the special "Enlightenment" project, focusing on developing culture, education, and especially promoting Vietnamese language studies.

Specifically, the Fund, in collaboration with MGIMO University (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia), organized the All-Russia Vietnamese Translation Contest in Professional Communication (Political and Social Translation). With three consecutive editions and a growing number of participants, the translation contest has proven to be highly attractive and effective in teaching and learning Vietnamese in the Russian Federation.

Within the framework of the "Enlightenment" project, the Fund has also supported the inauguration of the Vietnam Library at the Institute of Contemporary Asia, Russian Academy of Sciences, and the launch of the Vietnam – Trade and Investment Partner: Handbook. Moreover, in collaboration with Moscow State Linguistic University (MGLU), the Fund organized the Vietnamese Language Day 2023 to honor and promote Vietnamese language learning in Russia.

Nurturing Vietnamese language for overseas Vietnamese children in Russia

Not only spreading Vietnamese to foreigners, but the Vietnamese Association in the Russian Federation also raises awareness among the Vietnamese community in Russia about the Vietnamese language, honors the beauty and value of the Vietnamese language within the community, and maintains the use of Vietnamese in families.

Under the guidance of the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia, the Vietnamese Association in the Russian Federation, together with the Tradition and Friendship Fund, has implemented comprehensive measures to develop the Vietnamese language in Russia and has launched the Vietnamese Language Day project for overseas Vietnamese communities,

Pham Thanh Xuan, standing committee member of the Vietnamese Association in Russia said that "We have regularly organized cultural and artistic activities, supported initiatives within the community to enhance cultural exchange and improve Vietnamese language skills, especially among the younger generation.

Some specific activities include co-organizing the "Community Singing Contest", supporting the annual Mid-Autumn Festival for Vietnamese children; Nguyen Tieu Poetry Night; All-Russia Student Summer Camp, Vietnam Day, which have attracted great interest from Vietnamese youth and students in Russia, as well as Russian students."

Closing ceremony of FunVietnamese. Photo: Quoc Hung

"Another program organized by the Vietnamese community in Russia to honor the Vietnamese language is Fun Vietnamese," said Xuan. "This is a series of activities to teach and learn Vietnamese, and to organize cultural clubs for Vietnamese children in Russia, aiming to ignite their passion for, maintain, and enhance their ability to use their mother tongue. They help them better understand the country's traditions and history, foster their love for their homeland and building pride in their national origin."

As of now, the program has officially been running for a year with 3 classes and nearly 40 students aged 6-12 who are children of the Vietnamese community in Russia. After three phases and numerous meaningful activities, it has become a bridge connecting Vietnamese students and youth with the Vietnamese community in Russia. It is also a nursery for the next generation of the Vietnamese community in Russia, aiming to preserve the cultural and linguistic essence of the nation.

To promote Vietnamese language teaching and learning abroad, Pham Thanh Xuan suggested that in the future, it is necessary to regularly organize both in-person and online training programs for Vietnamese language teachers overseas. It is also essential to provide guidance and possibly send staff to organize Vietnamese language summer camps for overseas Vietnamese children. Moreover, supporting the provision of Vietnamese teaching materials to serve the teaching and learning of Vietnamese abroad is crucial.

"I want to share that the most important thing to preserve and develop the Vietnamese language within the Vietnamese community abroad is love for the Vietnamese language. This love must be nurtured within each family. Vietnamese is the language of love from our parents, it is the call of our homeland. President Ho Chi Minh said that protecting the Vietnamese language is one of the important tasks that the government and people must do along with the task of protecting the homeland: 'We must protect our country, our homeland, we must protect our language'," Xuan said.

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