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This year's contest attracted the participation of 21 Japanese and Korean students from prestigious universities in Japan such as Kanda University of International Studies, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Showa Women's University, Osaka University, and Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University. A new feature of this year's contest is the participation of not only university students but also high school and college students of various levels.

A contestant at the 18th Vietnamese eloquence contest held at Kanda University of International Studies. Photo: VNA

The contestants were divided into groups based on their Vietnamese language proficiency. Group A was for first-year university students or high school students, Group B was for second-year university students, Group C was for students who had never studied in Vietnam. Group D was for students who had studied in Vietnam for more than 6 months, and Group E was for contestants whose parents were Vietnamese.

For beginners, the contest required practicing the expressive reading of the poem "Nguyet cam" by poet Xuan Dieu or "Que huong noi nho" by poet Hoang Thanh Tam. Although the pronunciation of some words was not yet fluent, most contestants recited the poems from memory and showed unique, emotional expressions.

The remaining contestants participated in the speech contest with two topics. The first topic required contestants to express their views on the famous quote by Nelson Mandela; "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart." The second topic was about the contestants' thoughts on the quote by Japanese writer Murakami Haruki; "Learning another language is like becoming another person."

According to the judging panel, the two speech topics were considered difficult, requiring contestants to have a solid understanding and a high level of Vietnamese proficiency. With their knowledge and Vietnamese language skills, the contestants shared their perspectives on the speech topics.

Miura Kotaro, from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, shared his experience learning Vietnamese as a journey of discovering a new culture with a fresh perspective and new thoughts. He concluded that his reason for learning Vietnamese was "a love for Vietnam and its people."

Song Kaeun, a Korean student studying Vietnamese at Showa Women's University, talked about the interesting aspects of Vietnamese pronouns. She noted that Vietnamese pronouns like "anh," "chi," and "em" made her feel like all Vietnamese speakers were members of a big family. Kaeun was also impressed by the confidence and friendliness of Vietnamese people towards foreigners, and she believed that this had inspired her to be more confident in facing new challenges in life and work.

Professor Kasuga Atsushi, a Vietnamese language teacher at the Department of Asian Languages, Kanda University of International Studies, stated that over 18 years of organizing the speech contest, the quality of the contestants has improved significantly, and their Vietnamese language skills have become better. The judging panel awarded First, Second, and Third prizes to each group, and Ando Fuma from Osaka University won the Special Prize.

The Organizing Committee awarded the Special Prize to the contestant. Photo: VOV

Ando shared his special connection to Vietnam. "When I was a high school student, I traveled to Vietnam and was deeply moved by the way Vietnamese people live. Therefore, I decided to study Vietnamese at university. In the future, I plan to return to Vietnam to work as an interpreter for an IT company."

The Organizing Committee awarded prizes to the first, second, and third prize winners. Photo: VOV

Speaking at the contest, Iwai Misaki, head of the Southeast Asian Studies Program, Department of Asian Languages, Kanda University, said that the Vietnamese language program was established in April 2001. The contest is a playground for students to showcase their presentation skills and their ability to communicate in Vietnamese, thereby improving their ability to apply Vietnamese in their studies and future work. She hopes that in the future, many of the contestants participating in today's contest will become bridges of friendship between the two countries.

Vu Thi Lien Huong, first secretary of the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan appreciated the Vietnamese language teaching at Kanda University of Foreign Studies, as well as its role in connecting universities, high schools, and colleges that teach Vietnamese in Japan. Through this program, students can exchange and share their experiences in learning Vietnamese, further promoting interest in Vietnamese culture and language in the future.

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