Vietnamese Woman Preserves Mother Tongue in a Foreign Land

From the fear of mothers living far from home about their children losing their mother tongue, to her innovative approach to developing language curricula and teaching activities, Dr. Nguyen Thuy Anh has emerged as a leading figure in the overseas Vietnamese community. Her efforts to preserve the Vietnamese language and culture are embodied in her textbook series "Hello Vietnamese language" and the Vietnamese summer camps she organizes, which aim to instill a love for the language, particularly among younger generations.

Minh Thai

October 07, 2024 | 09:45

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"Mom, why do I have to learn Vietnamese?"

This is not just a question posed by a Vietnamese child living abroad, it is a concern shared by many Vietnamese parents overseas. Parents and grandparents face a significant challenge in how to ensure that their children and grandchildren retain their mother tongue and national spirit while growing up in a foreign country. Dr. Nguyen Thuy Anh, who spent 17 years in Russia, is no stranger to this issue. She once faced the same question herself, worried that her child might not become fluent in Vietnamese.

Dr. Nguyen Thuy Anh teaches Vietnamese language for students in Germany. (Photo courtery of Nguyen Thuy Anh)

Dr. Nguyen Thuy Anh teaches the Vietnamese language to students in Germany. (Photo courtesy of Nguyen Thuy Anh)

"I even delayed sending my child to kindergarten because I wanted them to speak Vietnamese well first," she shared in an interview. She created a Vietnamese-speaking environment at home, fostering conversations, reading books, and writing poems for her child. Her poetic lullabies became a spiritual gift for children, especially those far from their homeland.

With perseverance and creativity, Nguyen Thuy Anh helped her child master Vietnamese and paved the way for many other Vietnamese children abroad to learn the language naturally and engagingly.

Spreading love for Vietnamese through television

On March 31, 2023, more than 90 online platforms around the world broadcast the debut of “Hello Vietnamese language”, a Vietnamese language teaching program produced by VTV4’s External Relations Television Department in collaboration with the Vietnam Education Publishing House. The program marked a significant breakthrough in teaching the Vietnamese language and promoting it among the overseas Vietnamese community.

Dr. Nguyen Thuy Anh, who played a key role in developing the “Hello Vietnamese language” textbooks and served as a host of the show, emphasized: "We want children not just to learn Vietnamese but to love it." This goal is achieved through interactive activities like games, songs, stories, poems, and folk rhymes.

Each episode revolves around everyday scenarios, helping children use Vietnamese naturally in daily conversations. The show’s "Country Studies" segment, which features cultural and historical stories, reinforces children’s connections to their roots.

The program strengthens language skills and fosters a deep appreciation for Vietnamese culture, an essential step in preserving the language and identity of the overseas Vietnamese community, especially for those born and raised abroad.

Vietnamese summer camps: nurturing the national spirit

Dr. Nguyen Thuy Anh’s dedication to the Vietnamese language extends beyond television. In 2012, with the support of Le Xuan Lam, the principal of Lac Long Quan Vietnamese School, she organized the first Vietnamese summer camp in Poland. This groundbreaking initiative created a Vietnamese-speaking community for children living abroad.

Dr. Nguyen Thuy Anh (R) shares with readers about Andersen's fairy tales. (Photo: Phi Yen)

Initially, only 30 children registered for the camp, but by the opening day, that number had grown to 80. The children participated in fun and creative activities while practicing their Vietnamese in real-life situations, which greatly improved their communication skills.

“We saw how emotional parents became when they watched their children singing Vietnamese songs and speaking in full sentences,” shared Nguyen Thuy Anh.

The children engaged in storytelling, acting in plays, making crafts, and playing sports, all while using Vietnamese in a natural, creative environment. According to Nguyen Thuy Anh, this is the most effective and sustainable way to learn a language.

Since then, the Vietnamese summer camp has become an annual event in Poland, Germany, and other countries, attracting hundreds of Vietnamese children and families abroad. The model has spread and become an indispensable part of life for the overseas Vietnamese community, creating lasting memories for the younger generation.

The mission continues

Since returning to Vietnam in 2009, Dr. Nguyen Thuy Anh’s mission to promote the Vietnamese language has grown stronger. Although she now lives in her homeland, she remains deeply connected to the overseas Vietnamese community through various language education projects, including summer camps, online programs, and the “Hello Vietnamese language” textbook series.

One of her greatest accomplishments has been developing diverse teaching methods, from online lessons to hands-on activities at summer camps, ensuring that Vietnamese learners everywhere can enjoyably access the language. She frequently emphasizes that preserving Vietnamese is not an individual task but a shared responsibility among families, teachers, and society at large.

With her unwavering passion, Dr. Nguyen Thuy Anh is helping to maintain the bond between young Vietnamese around the world and their cultural heritage. Her projects demonstrate that language is more than just a means of communication. It is a symbol of identity, culture, and national pride.

Born in 1974 in Hanoi, Dr. Nguyen Thuy Anh studied at Moscow State Pedagogical University in Russia. After returning to Vietnam in 2009, she has worked in the fields of culture, arts, and education, particularly promoting children’s reading. She is the founder of the “Reading with Children” club, the leader of EcoCamp, a vocational summer camp, an advisor for the teen counseling section of the Literature and Youth magazine, and the Vice President of the Children's Literature Council under the Vietnam Writers’ Association. In 2021, Forbes magazine honored her as one of the Top 20 Most Inspirational Women of the Year. Her “Hello Vietnamese Language” textbook series won first prize at the 6th National Book Awards in 2023.

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