Society

More Japanese people interested in Vietnamese language

The number of participants in the Vietnamese language proficiency exams in Japan has increased over the past years, and those passing the tests have also been on the rise, showing the growing interest of Japanese people in the language.
More Japanese people interested in Vietnamese language ảnh 1A test room of the Vietnamese language proficiency exams in Tokyo on June 20 (Photo: VNA)
Tokyo (VNA) – The number of participants in the Vietnamese language proficiency examsin Japan has increased over the past years, and those passing the tests havealso been on the rise, showing the growing interest of Japanese people in thelanguage.

After aone-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the Japan College of Foreign Languages (JCFL) heldthe fourth Vietnamese language proficiency exams in Tokyo on June 20,attracting 561 participants, 182 more than the first tests organised in 2017.

Among them, theeldest is Matsumiya Masaharu, 80, who used to teach the Japanese language inHanoi. He got up at 4am and travelled hundreds of kilometres from Hyogoprefecture to come to Tokyo for the tests.

MasayoshiFujino, director for external relations at JCFL and member of the testingcouncil, said despite the complex COVID-19 situation, the exams attracted alarge number of participants from across Japan, from the prefecturesneighbouring Tokyo like Chiba, Saitama, and Kanagawa to farther places such asHyogo and Okinawa.

PhD Dinh SyDien, member of the testing council, said the rate of participants passing theexams has been rising over the past years, with the average figure of all levels going from16.7 percent in 2017 to 29.8 percent in 2018. The passing rates stood at 64.3percent for exams at Level 6, the lowest level, and 32 percent for Level-2 examsin 2019.

JCFL President IseYoji said relations between Vietnam and Japan have been thriving in all aspectssuch as economy, trade, and investment in recent years, hence the growing demand forlearning the Vietnamese language among Japanese people.

In the timeahead, the school will organise Vietnamese language proficiency tests in notonly Tokyo but also other big cities like Osaka, Fukuoka, and Kyushu, headded./.
VNA
#Vietnamese language #Japanese people #Japan College of Foreign Languages #Vietnam - Japan relations #updated Vietnam news #Vietnamplus #Vietnam News Agency Japan Vietnam
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