Vietnamese in South Korea Contribute to Bilateral Friendship
	Vietnamese, Korean Youths Engage in Cultural Exchange

For ten years, I have been dedicated to teaching languages in the land of kimchi. Before moving to South Korea, I taught Korean to Vietnamese students and started teaching Vietnamese to foreigners in English and Korean.

Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in Korea Le Nguyen Minh Phuong speaks at the event. (Photo: TGCC)

While pursuing a graduate degree in South Korea, I volunteered to teach free Vietnamese classes sponsored by Korean welfare organizations for children from multicultural families. I also taught Vietnamese to Koreans who loved Vietnamese culture or professionals seeking knowledge about Vietnam.

Recognizing the Need

Through multicultural children’s classes, I met many multicultural families in South Korea and gained a clearer understanding of the challenges in teaching Vietnamese to children.

Years ago, maintaining Vietnamese language education for multicultural families faced difficulties due to a lack of bilingual environments or insufficient awareness of the importance of bilingual development. Parents often prioritized Korean to help their children adapt better in school.

However, with societal changes, bilingual development has become increasingly emphasized, becoming a goal in many families’ education plans.

The strengthening of Vietnam-South Korea relations has also elevated the status of Vietnamese, making it a language of interest. Consequently, many families are now keen on teaching Vietnamese and fostering a Vietnamese-speaking environment at home.

Currently, the Vietnamese community in South Korea is the second-largest foreign community, with approximately 300,000 people. Over 70,000 Vietnamese women have married and gained citizenship in South Korea. Children from these multicultural families have the opportunity to embrace two languages and cultures.

This bilingual and bicultural upbringing is not just a distinction but a significant advantage. Proficiency in Vietnamese helps these children connect to their roots, gain unique opportunities, and contribute to both homelands.

Vietnamese serves as a sacred bond linking individuals to their heritage. Beyond preservation, promoting Vietnamese abroad is crucial as it helps share Vietnamese cultural identity with the world.

Learning Vietnamese also helps children understand the culture, history, and traditions of Vietnam. This fosters personal growth and strengthens family ties, helping build a cohesive, thriving Vietnamese community in South Korea that stays connected to its homeland.

Highlights of the Vietnamese Language Day Initiative

In 2022, the government launched the “Day Honoring Vietnamese Language in the Overseas Vietnamese Community” initiative, promoting activities like Vietnamese writing classes, creating book collections, distributing Vietnamese textbooks, and organizing a competition to find Vietnamese language ambassadors abroad.

The Vietnamese Association in South Korea, along with local chapters, opened classes to help children not only speak Vietnamese but also understand Vietnamese culture, cuisine, and people, thus fostering a love for their parents’ homeland.

I vividly recall the opening ceremony of the “Beloved Vietnamese Language Class” in South Korea, where Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang stated: “The Vietnamese language embodies the soul of our nation. To preserve our culture and traditions, we must first preserve the Vietnamese language.”

In 2024, the Vietnamese Association in South Korea received significant support from various agencies, including valuable books gifted during a visit from a delegation. Among these were resources for teaching and learning Vietnamese, provided by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, and the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front.

In May 2024, a delegation from Ho Chi Minh City visited South Korea, demonstrating deep concern for the Vietnamese community by listening to their experiences and aspirations. Deputy Chairman Vo Van Hoan presented a Vietnamese book collection, a heartfelt gift symbolizing cultural and emotional ties to the homeland.

Launching Ceremony of Vietnamese Language Honor Day and Opening of Vietnamese Classes for Multicultural Children in South Korea, 2024. (Photo: State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese)

Continuing the Journey

Currently, I remain devoted to language teaching, delivering lectures on Vietnam’s language and culture to university students and researchers interested in Vietnam.

In my role as President of the Vietnamese Association in South Korea, I launched the "Rainbow Fund" in early 2024 to support practical projects. Over the past year, the fund has undertaken initiatives such as advocating for a park on the Spratly Islands and supporting single Vietnamese mothers raising biracial children in South Korea.

Starting in 2025, the Rainbow Fund aims to promote a new model combining language learning with traditional Vietnamese music, enhancing multilingual and multicultural connections among Vietnamese youth in South Korea.

Through creative approaches, we hope to nurture love for the motherland among younger generations. I aspire to contribute, however modestly, to planting and spreading the seeds of this love.

More and more foreigners have need to learn Vietnamese Not only expatriates in Vietnam but also foreign students in all over the world have a need to learn Vietnamese.

Vietnamese, Korean Youths Engage in Cultural Exchange The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in the Mekong Delta province of Long An has launched voluntary and cultural exchange activities between local youths ...