Young VN expats learn native tongue

VietNamNet Bridge - A group of Vietnamese people living in Poland have founded a school to teach Vietnamese children born in the eastern european country their mother tongue.

Kids study Vietnamese in Van Lang Centre.

VietNamNet Bridge - A group of Vietnamese people living in Poland have founded a school to teach Vietnamese children born in the eastern european country their mother tongue.

Of the 40,000 Vietnamese people living in Poland, many children who are Vietnamese in appearance only. They follow Western culture, speak the local language and know very little about their mother country.

Students look at a map of Viet Nam for their geography lesson.

“Vietnamese parents tend to send their children to developed countries for study, rather than sending them back to their homeland. As a result the link between children born abroad and their motherland becomes slack,” says Dao Duy Tien, a former teacher at the Ha Noi University of Technology, who has been in Poland for over 30 years.

A way to create a solid link between overseas children and their country flashed through his mind one day. Tien founded the Van Lang Cultural Centre in 2007 to promote traditional Vietnamese culture among the youth. He accomplished this feat with the co-operation of fellow countrymen in Poland, Le Xuan Lam, editor-in-chief of Que Viet Magazine, writer Lam Quang My, painter Loi Hong Diep and student Thai Ha An.

When a Vietnamese child is born in Poland, he or she will likely be taken care of by Polish baby-sitters. The child will study with local kids at local schools.

“If children don’t learn Polish and other western languages, they will lag behind local kids — as a result, the mother tongue becomes a foreign language to them,” Tien says.

“Knowing that Vietnamese language and culture fall into oblivion for foreign-born Vietnamese children makes me sad and nervous,” Lam says.

Work to build the language centre began without many resources but a lot of enthusiasm. The Vietnamese Embassy in Poland and many organisations provided encouragement and assistance to make the project a reality.

Common house abroad

For young overseas Vietnamese to understand their culture, they must first speak their native language. Therefore, the Van Lang Vietnamese Language School was founded.

“The first year ended successfully, with none of the original 70 students giving up the course, which was our first goal,” says Tien.

The leaders faced many difficulties and shortages in the operation of the centre. With money from their own wallets, they rented a classroom at a Polish school and visited the homes of potential students to persuade parents to bring their children to the class.

In the beginning, many parents considered it unnecessary to send their children to the school because they believed their children could learn Vietnamese at home.

“Learning at home may lead to limited knowledge, poor grammar and improper pronunciation,” Tien says.

“The biggest trouble is the lack of teachers. We have had to recruit some Vietnamese students from Warsaw universities,” says Tien.

Vietnamese language text books and curriculum were unavailable, so the founders had to consult several Vietnamese teaching documents compiled in Viet Nam. However, they realised that too many pieces of the curriculum were difficult to understand and unsuitable for Vietnamese children in Poland.

So the founders took time to study and edit text books for their students. They also added special activities to facilitate learning. Studying at the centre, students don’t just learn from books; they have a chance to converse, and to discover history, geography, music and fine arts. They also play traditional Vietnamese games.

On return trips to the country Tien has co-operated with Viet Nam Television to build a set of recordings focused on interesting topics related to Vietnamese history, sports and culture.

“The 360 lessons, complete with vibrant images and brief introductions, will help students easily understand and generate interest in learning,” Tien says.

Tien and his colleagues have experienced many emotional moments during this project.

“Once, a boy came to class but didn’t want to learn. He explained that he was forced to attend by his parents. He found the native language too difficult, especially pronunciation. In this case, our teacher took on the role of a counsellor, talking confidentially to persuade him to study.”

A lesson always starts with a Vietnamese song or a game in order to generate excitement among the students. They are gradually carried away by the cosy atmosphere and interesting things said about the country. Many students have begun to hold conversations with their parents in Vietnamese, which has never happened before.

Vietnamese children who grow up abroad may one day choose to return to work or live in Viet Nam. If they can’t speak Vietnamese, they would feel out of place in their native country.

“Learning the Vietnamese language doesn’t just mean learning one more language - it’s the road that leads overseas children to their homeland,” Tien says.

Le Thanh Binh, the president of the Vietnamese People Association in Poland, appreciates the activities and devotion of the founders.

“They have had to deal with many problems, but with their enthusiasm and love for their fatherland, they carry out very meaningful work,” Binh says.

“I believe the varied teaching methods are attractive to both children and parents.”

There is hope that the Government and the Vietnamese Overseas Committee will hold international exchanges and workshops for educators who are teaching Vietnamese abroad.

“We will have a chance to share experiences and learn new solutions,” Tien says, “I also imagine the creation of a website themed around Vietnamese Language in the world.”

When the students finally finish their highest level, the school will organise trips to Viet Nam to see their homeland, Tien promises.

(Source: VNS)

Update from: http://english.vietnamnet.vn//features/2008/12/816232/