Editor's Note: The VNUHCM Newsletter is honored to present the speech by Prof. Hiroki Tahara - Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (Japan) on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City. He is an alumnus of the first generation of the Center for Vietnamese and Southeast Asian Studies, the predecessor of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies.
PROF. HIROKI TAHARA - PHIEN AN recorded
I started learning Vietnamese in 1991. After 3 semesters at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, I moved to Vietnam and officially enrolled to study Vietnamese at the Center for Vietnamese and Southeast Asian Studies. At that time, the number of international students was still very small; if I recall correctly, there were no more than 50 students. Among them, 10 were Japanese students. The relationship between Japan and Vietnam had not yet developed to the level it is today.
Although still very young, the center's faculty possessed profound knowledge. Everyone was enthusiastic and professional in teaching Vietnamese. This made international students, including me, even more passionate about learning the language. I still remember that back then, I studied under a "one-on-one" mode. Students could ask questions at any time, and the teachers were always willing to answer and provide relevant materials on any topic or field.
Because I was the only one in class, I couldn't skip sessions. I didn't have the right to say "I haven't reviewed the lesson" or "I haven't memorized the lesson." Once a lesson was covered, I had to remember it. The lectures were sometimes difficult; doing my homework felt like eating extremely spicy Hue beef noodle soup, but it was very nutritious. Although 27 years have passed, I still remember the main points of the lectures and the phrases the teachers often said to me: "Forgot it again?", "Why didn't you review the lesson?"…
Regarding facilities, they cannot be compared to today. The classroom I studied in back then did not have air conditioning, only a ceiling fan, and power outages were frequent. The room could not be tightly closed, so during class, besides "fighting" with the textbook, international students always had to face attacks from "the enemy" – various types of mosquitoes and ants. And we often had to "surrender" to them. Therefore, we always had to keep a bottle of green medicated oil (dau xanh) right next to our books. Now, every time I smell green oil, I remember the old classroom and the dear faces of my teachers.
I started working at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University when it was founded in 2000. Over the years, the university has trained about 750 students in Vietnamese. The students are not only Japanese but also from other countries around the world such as China, South Korea, Thailand, the US, Mexico… Among these students, about 100 have returned to the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City for Vietnamese language internships under the joint program between the two universities. About 20 students have taken a leave of absence in Japan to study in Vietnam for 1-2 years. In addition, our university has trained nearly 2,000 Vietnamese undergraduate students. With the friendship between our two institutions, many young talents who understand the cultures of both Vietnam and Japan have emerged and are actively contributing to the development of Vietnamese society.
Learning Vietnamese is truly wonderful. With the language and communication skills learned at the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies, I worked in diplomacy as an Attaché at the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam. Then, returning to education, I was still able to make a living. I, along with my students, went to the Central Highlands to do charity work, making a small contribution to the study of Vietnamese for ethnic minority students. Thanks to Vietnamese, I have made friends all over the world, especially with the Vietnamese community in Southern California. Vietnamese is part of my flesh and blood. And I am sure that I am not the only one; for those who have studied here, Vietnamese has become a part of their flesh and blood as well.
Dear teachers! Now I have grown up, and even more so as a professor at a university in Japan, a teacher loved by students, capable of contributing to Vietnamese linguistics research and teaching Vietnamese to foreigners. That I have achieved today is entirely due to the dedicated and thoughtful guidance of my teachers.
Dear teachers, I miss you and am very grateful to you.
On this joyous day of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies, I wish you all good health. May our bond as teacher and student remain forever beautiful.
* Title provided by the VNUHCM Newsletter.
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Nearly 30,000 international students have studied Vietnamese
Assoc. Prof. Le Giang - Dean of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies, stated this at the 20th Anniversary Ceremony of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies - University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City, on the morning of December 20.
According to Assoc. Prof. Le Giang, from 1998 to present, the faculty has trained 29,418 students in short-term Vietnamese courses. In 2018 alone, the faculty had about 5,800 student enrollments, becoming the leading unit among Vietnamese language training institutions nationwide.
“Students from 95 countries and territories have come to study and research at the faculty. The largest group is from South Korea, followed by Japan, the US, France… Along with training bachelors and masters in Vietnamese Studies, the teaching of Vietnamese has contributed to the growing development of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and promises to create breakthroughs in the future,” said the Dean of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies.
Prof. Hiroki Tahara speaking at the ceremony. Photo: YEN THI
Assoc. Prof. Le Giang awarding the Commemorative Medal for the development of Vietnamese Studies to lecturers of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies. Photo: YEN THI
Singer Hari Won - an alumna of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies, touching the audience with the song Bụi Phấn. Photo: PHIEN AN
