Maintaining and developing the Vietnamese language amongst Vietnamese communities abroad is one of the major concerns of the Party and State.

Today many children of the third Vietnamese generation abroad are living with their parents and grandparents. Educating them about their origins is the responsibility and obligation of their parents as well as the Vietnamese communities around the globe.

The children will love their fatherland and promote it to international friends if they understand their native country, its cultural identity and its values.

Those who were born and grew up in Vietnam bear in their minds lovely images of their hometowns, as a popular song goes: “Home is the bunch of sweet fire-star fruit that I climb and pick every day”.

However, those who were born overseas have no notion of a hometown as described in the song. Therefore, it is necessary to promote Vietnamese traditions and culture amongst the young generation of overseas Vietnamese, which requires concerted efforts from Vietnamese agencies both inside and outside the country.

In Russia, it is no easy task to teach children the Vietnamese language. Many of their parents cannot speak Russian, but they rarely use Vietnamese in daily communication with their children, because they think their children do not use Vietnamese well.   

Over the years the Party and State have paid special attention to disseminating the Vietnamese culture and language abroad. Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) and Vietnam Television (VTV), have designed different levels of “Learn to speak Vietnamese” programmes that are broadcast overseas via relay stations and the internet.

The embassy and community of Vietnamese nationals in Russia have made great efforts to popularize Vietnamese culture and language there. Many Vietnamese language classes have been developed for children in Moscow and other cities such as Kazan and Ufa.

However, it is hard to gather the children for a class because their parents are busy working to earn a living, and they live in different, widespread areas. The Vietnamese Association in Russia is currently seeking solutions to this problem.

Russia is home to many thousands of Vietnamese students, most of whom excel in their studies. The association is encouraging student groups to volunteer to teach Vietnamese language and culture to these children.

This will allow the students to be more involved with Vietnamese nationals who have lived longer in Russia and can also help ease their home sickness.

To help children trace their roots and discover their fatherland, many families organize annual trips back to Vietnam for their children during the summer vacation or the traditional lunar New Year festival. This also contributes to instilling a love for the fatherland in young expats.

The Vietnamese language will never die out amongst young expats if it is encouraged in the Vietnamese communities, and the Party and State are making every effort to achieve this goal.

Currently, more than 3 million Vietnamese nationals are living and working abroad.

Source: VOV News