Tokyo (VNA) - As Vietnamese community in Japan is growing, preserving the Vietnamese language among younger generations has become a pressing concern for families, community groups, and representative agencies.
The Vietnamese Consulate General in Fukuoka, in coordination with the Global Network for Teaching Vietnamese Language and Culture, co-hosted the event “Vietnamese Language in the heart of Kyushu, Japan” in Fukuoka city on April 18.
Participants observed that while the number of Vietnamese-origin children in Japan is surging, opportunities to actually speak Vietnamese in daily life are vanishing fast. Many children can understand the language but default to Japanese in response, gradually relegating their mother tongue to a secondary role, sometimes even treating it as a “second foreign language” inside their own houses. The trouble has been noted in localities like Hiroshima, Kumamoto, and Okinawa, where parents watch their kids struggle to chat with relatives back in Vietnam.
Discussions spotlighted three major hurdles. The first is an acute shortage of qualified teachers as most classes rely on volunteers, with professionally trained educators possessing strong pedagogical skills still in short supply. The second is inadequate learning materials, with many textbooks imported from Vietnam failing to resonate with children growing up in multicultural, Japanese-dominant settings. Third, logistical and geographical constraints exist since families are spread across wide areas, schedules are packed, and Japanese permeates both school and daily life, leaving Vietnamese vulnerable unless actively reinforced.
Vietnamese Consul General in Fukuoka Trinh Thi Mai Phuong said keeping the language alive has long been part of diplomatic efforts. She called on local Japanese authorities to help with community spaces and learning venues.
Nguyen Duy Anh, member of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee and Secretary General of the Global Network for Teaching Vietnamese Language and Culture, said sustaining an existing Vietnamese class holds greater value than opening a new one, adding that preserving the mother tongue requires coordinated action from representative agencies, community groups, teachers, parents, and students themselves.
In fact, a number of models have been launched, including blended online–offline formats to overcome geographical barriers, and the integration of language lessons with cultural experiences such as making square glutinous rice cakes, playing folk games, and celebrating the Lunar New Year to engage children.
Some localities have rolled out the “language home” model, putting families front and centre and backing them with digital tools like videos, songs, and interactive games that allow learning anytime, anywhere. There is also a growing push for stronger inter-regional linkages to share best practices and run joint classes.
Participants agreed that Vietnamese language instruction needs to shift from fragmented, ad-hoc efforts to a more systematic, professional framework. This requires tighter collaboration among diplomatic agencies, professional networks, community associations, and families, plus better textbooks, teacher training, and plenty of cultural activities.
On the occasion, the contest “Learning Vietnamese with Joy, Remembering Uncle Ho” was also launched, inviting kids and families to jump in with storytelling, singing, drawing and video-making./.
