OVs in Fukuoka Boost Teaching of Vietnamese Language, Culture to Children

Vu Chi Mai, consul general of Vietnam in Fukuoka and Nguyen Duy Anh, president of Vietnamese People Association in Fukuoka at the workshop on June 3. Photo: Truong Quan

A workshop held in Japan’s Fukuoka prefecture on June 3 highlighted the importance of teaching the Vietnamese language and culture to Vietnamese children in Kyushu, the third largest island of the Northeast Asian country, VNA reported Sunday.

Addressing over 120 participants in the hybrid event, Vu Chi Mai, consul general of Vietnam in Fukuoka, said the workshop was part of activities the Consulate General has carried out under the Prime Minister-approved plan on the Day for honouring the Vietnamese language in overseas Vietnamese (OV) communities in the 2023 - 2030 period.

Promoting the language is also part of the Consulate General’s efforts to help develop OV communities and maintain and popularise the Vietnamese culture, she added.

She said teaching the Vietnamese language and culture to OV children will bring about many substantial benefits, including enhancing their patriotism, awareness of the homeland, and understanding of society and also strengthening their bonds with families.

Participants in the workshop in Fukuoka prefecture on June 3. Photo: VNA

Encouraging the use of the Vietnamese language in second and third-generation Vietnamese families in Japan will also help the community develop strongly and create an important source of manpower for both countries, Mai went on.

Mai Phan Dung, vice chairman of the State Committee for OV Affairs, said the Vietnamese community in Japan, as well as others around the world, have shown their sense of responsibility towards younger generations as seen in the organization of numerous practical activities to maintain and popularise the homeland’s language, including opening Vietnamese language schools, classes, and centers such as Vietnamese schools/classes in Tokyo, Osaka and Saitama, Hoa Mai class in Kobe.

He hailed the opening of a class giving guidance on how to teach the Vietnamese language and culture to Vietnamese children in Kyushu, voicing his hope that similar initiatives will be implemented in not only Northeast Asia but also around the world.

Representatives of the State Committee for OV Affairs attend virtually from Hanoi. Photo: Truong Quan

At the workshop, experts presented their opinions on issues related to the maintenance and teaching of the Vietnamese language and culture in foreign countries.

Dr. Kondo Mika, majoring in Vietnamese - Faculty of Foreign Languages - at Osaka University, gave a talk on "Preserving language and culture for children of Vietnamese origin, especially how to ensure opportunities to learn Vietnamese, Vietnamese culture in school education in Japan”.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Anh Thi, Osaka University shared about the classroom model for two subjects who are not fluent and fluent in Vietnamese as their mother tongue" and Hua Ngoc Tan from Dai Nam University contributed experiences from Taiwan on "Building and organizing a curriculum of Vietnamese language and culture for these two subjects."

Meanwhile, Le Hoai Thu, deputy director in charge of the Center for Education Technology - Vietnam Education Publishing House demonstrated some new points in the approach to teaching Vietnamese to Vietnamese children abroad in the Hello Vietnamese book and introduction of the Hello Vietnamese program on VTV4 while Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Lan Trung analyzed guidelines for the Vietnamese language teaching curriculum and Vietnamese language teaching methods.

Participants in the workshop in Fukuoka prefecture on June 3. Photo: VNA

On this occasion, the Vietnamese People Association in Fukuoka officially debuted a board for the Vietnamese language to honor and maintain the language and culture in the local OV community.

Vietnamese continue to be the second largest expat community in Japan with over 489,000 at present.

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