"Do you like learning Vietnamese? Do you want to visit Vietnam?" were the questions Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked students in Brunei at a Vietnamese language class at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD).
On the morning of February 11, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his spouse Le Thi Bich Tran visited Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD).
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh interacts with Brunei students in the Vietnamese language class
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The Brunei students played traditional Brunei musical instruments with folk melodies to welcome the Prime Minister and his spouse. The university has about 4,000 students enrolled, with 10 foreign languages to choose from, including Vietnamese.
Lecturer Tran Trong Nghia, from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City, has been teaching Vietnamese to Brunei students for 13 months under a 3-year contract.
Mr. Nghia said that this language class has 20 students and has been running for over 3 weeks. Currently, there are 71 students across the university choosing Vietnamese as a foreign language to study.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his spouse Le Thi Bich Tran take photos with lecturer Tran Trong Nghia and Brunei students in the Vietnamese language class
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In Mr. Nghia's class, the Prime Minister was very pleased that many students spoke Vietnamese quite well despite the short duration of their study. "Why do you study Vietnamese?" the Prime Minister asked a female student. The student said she likes learning Vietnamese to understand the Vietnamese people. Another student shared that she really likes Vietnamese dishes like pho, banh mi...
The Prime Minister continued to ask: "Do you like to go to Vietnam?". The students all said they really want to visit Vietnam for tourism and love Vietnamese food.
"You are the ones who will be important "bridges" promoting cooperative relations between Vietnam and Brunei. Seeing you happy makes me happy too; it feels like the relationship between the two countries is developing very quickly and comprehensively," the Prime Minister said.
Vietnamese books are displayed within the campus of Universiti Brunei Darussalam
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Not only teaching Vietnamese, Universiti Brunei Darussalam also cooperates with FPT University to establish the FPT Global University Center, fostering exchanges, cooperation, and lecturer and student exchanges, as well as conducting online courses.
Conducting an online call with two connection points at the language center of UBD and Da Nang, the Prime Minister talked with a lecturer from Brunei. She said she has quickly adapted to life in Vietnam as well as teaching here.
The Prime Minister asked students at the Da Nang connection point about learning English through the cooperation program. Student Khoi Nguyen said the lecturers are very enthusiastic and patient. Some students whose English proficiency was not good, upon receiving a lot of support from the lecturers, have made clear progress.
Meanwhile, Vu Minh Hieu, who works at FPT Software and is participating in the class, said the online learning schedule is very flexible. Specifically, being able to speak and communicate entirely in English also helps to hone English skills very quickly. Mr. Hieu proposed to the Prime Minister to extend the study period from 3 months to 6 months to have more time for effective learning.
A Vietnamese exercise of a Brunei student
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Discussing with students, the Prime Minister affirmed that online learning and cooperation between Vietnam and Brunei, in addition to honing professional knowledge and foreign languages, also provides understanding of culture. Students are also the "bridges" between the two countries.
Regarding the students' proposal, the Prime Minister suggested that the two universities discuss further the appropriate duration, increasing it from 3 months to 6 months. The Prime Minister also requested the two universities to try to replicate the model and summarize experiences. Whatever is done well, expand it; whatever is not good, adjust it and propose to the governments of the two countries.
"This is a model to promote the relationship between the two countries in many forms, to understand each other better, and to contribute to the relationship between the two countries in general and each country in particular," the Prime Minister emphasized.
There are currently 71 students at Universiti Brunei Darussalam who choose to study Vietnamese
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Developing a project to promote the Vietnamese language abroad
Lecturer Tran Trong Nghia shared that at Universiti Brunei Darussalam, there are 9 Vietnamese lecturers and researchers studying and working. He expressed his wish for the two countries to have more cooperation projects and cultural connection events, as well as more educational connection activities.
Preserving and spreading the Vietnamese language is also the aspiration of many overseas Vietnamese living and working in other countries.
Providing information at the meeting with the Vietnamese community in Singapore on the evening of February 8 within the framework of the Prime Minister's official visit to Singapore, Ms. Ta Thuy Lien, Head of the Liaison Committee for the Vietnamese community in Singapore, said the Vietnamese community in Singapore always looks towards their homeland.
The Prime Minister presents and receives souvenirs with the leadership of Universiti Brunei Darussalam
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The Prime Minister plays the traditional drums of Brunei
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In particular, the community attaches great importance to teaching and spreading the Vietnamese language in Singapore. The curriculum in Singapore requires at least two languages, but not Vietnamese. The Vietnamese community in Singapore wishes for the Government to support the construction of direct classes to preserve the Vietnamese language for the second and third generations of Vietnamese.
The Prime Minister affirmed that not only overseas Vietnamese in Singapore but many countries also wish to preserve and promote the Vietnamese language. Therefore, the Government will develop a project to promote the Vietnamese language for the Vietnamese community abroad. This is also a legitimate aspiration of Vietnamese people living all over the world.
