Overseas Vietnamese in Germany: Introducing Culture Through Vietnamese Language

Dr. Dao Thi Chau Ha. Photo: Chau Ha

Being honored as a Vietnamese Ambassador abroad in 2023, what special feelings do you have?

I am happy to receive this title because this is an honor of the country for what I and my colleagues in many countries have done.

I hope Vietnamese children living abroad will be more attached to the homeland of Vietnam, and have the qualities of a "bilingual individual" who is smarter and approaches problems more quickly and creatively.

Having the Vietnamese original language, children also have the ability to learn well the language where they live and other languages.

In that joy and pride, there was a mixture of anxiety. A Vietnamese language teacher with the title of Vietnamese Ambassador certainly has greater responsibility. What should I do to make my lessons better and spread what I have done further? That's something I've always wondered about.

Ha hosts the 2023 Mid-Autumn Festival in Germany. Photo: Chau Ha

Can you share your ideas on using YouTube and podcasts to inspire learners and viewers?

The language teaching programs and materials that I compiled for myself were initially only short-term teaching plans, then became medium-term plans.

Regarding teaching methods, I went from a spontaneous method and then gradually became more conscious in supplementing, adjusting, and updating with modern language teaching methods in the country and the world.

Through teaching practice, I realize that when teaching Vietnamese to children living abroad, cultural factors are extremely important.

Ha selected these books to read to children.

I need to help the children better understand their culture and origins. When there is cultural intervention, the lessons are attractive and new. Therefore, I made it my mission to spread culture through language teaching.

Culture is not something strange, sometimes it is just a nursery rhyme, an animal fairy tale, a family behavior, a dish, a hometown song, and a game.

I deeply understand the function of language as communication, information, and aesthetics. Teaching children a language means spreading good words, beautiful ideas, and most of all, love for the Fatherland, which is evident to Vietnamese expatriates.

Do you have more ideas for the future?

I want to further refine my ideas in several directions, expanding and strengthening the forms of teaching, teaching through storytelling, pictures, with songs as well as folk games.

I want to make good use of cultural content in lessons, add multiple-choice questions, and continue reading Vietnamese books online every week to children in many countries to connect and help them understand more about Vietnamese culture.

I hope to receive support from the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs to have a Vietnamese bookshelf for the community. This is important because the Vietnamese language environment and cultural exposure of children is limited.

I want to publish a book of poems "Funny Vietnamese" that includes both my previous and newly written poems, as a gift for children who love Vietnamese.

Ha teaches Vietnamese to her two children. Photo: Chau Ha

What do you think the creation of the Day to Honor the Vietnamese Language means for the overseas Vietnamese community?

The day to honor the Vietnamese language in the overseas Vietnamese community is a good initiative and also an urgent requirement.

The language of Vietnamese people abroad deserves to receive such honor and attention. Vietnamese is the red thread connecting expatriates with their families and homeland.

This day is for each overseas Vietnamese living far away from home to not forget their mother tongue, and to review, and strengthen good traditions.

What solutions are needed to make the movement to preserve the Vietnamese language more widespread and effective?

Regarding solutions, I think we should have an initial summary of what has been done, and draw lessons from organizational work and many other tasks.

We also need to have short and medium-term plans for each activity such as teacher training, support for teachers and learners, and calling for funding from countries and individuals.

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