Winners of Vietnamese eloquent contest for Lao students unveiled

Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha and Chairman of the Vietnam – Laos Friendship Association Central Committee Tran Van Tuy presented the special prize to a team of the University of Education under the Thai Nguyen University (Photo: Ministry of Education and Training)

 Hanoi (VNA) – The 2019 Vietnamese language eloquent contest for Lao students studying in Vietnam saw the participation of nearly 2,000 contestants from 67 educational establishments nationwide. 

The final round of the contest took place on November 8 at the Thai Nguyen University of the northern province of the same name, with a team of the University of Education under the Thai Nguyen University winning the special prize.

A team of the Vinh University of Technology Education in the north-central province of Nghe An claimed the first prize, followed by those of the Foreign Trade University in Hanoi, the Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy and the University of Transport and Communications.

The organising board also handed over the third prize to seven other teams.

The event, themed “Vietnam - The country I love”, was co-held by the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) and the Vietnam-Lao Friendship Association Central Committee.

Launched this August, it saw the participation of 67 teams comprising nearly 2,000 Lao students of 67 educational establishments across Vietnam. The preliminaries were held in all three regions of the country, and 12 teams booked their spots in the final round.

The finalists shared their understanding about Vietnam’s people, history, culture and landscapes, along with their memories and experience when studying in the country. With good command in Vietnamese language, Lao students at the competition expressed their sentiments for Vietnam and its people, as well as the bond between Laos and Vietnam. In addition, the teams showed creativity to make their presentation become more interesting.

Speaking at the beginning of the final round, Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha underlined that Vietnam and Laos are neighbours who have nurtured a traditional friendship, solidarity and long-standing cooperation. The two countries’ Parties and States have always paid due attention to cooperation in education and training.

Therefore, cooperation and mutual support in education and human resources development between Vietnam and Laos have reaped major achievements, contributing to the renewal, national construction and development of each nation and bolstering the bilateral cooperation, he added.

The minister noted that the number of Lao students in Vietnam has been on the constant rise, surging from about 5,000 in 2011 to more than 16,000 this year. Of the figure, over 5,000 are studying in Vietnam’s central region.

He added that despite initial language barriers and living conditions and thanks to the support of Vietnamese teachers, students and people, along with the creativity of educational establishments in the organisation of training activities, most of the Lao students in Vietnam have completed their study.

Upon their return to their homeland, every Lao student has made use of knowledge and skills he or she acquired while in Vietnam and become a bridge for the two countries’ friendship, he affirmed.

The Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam believes that Vietnamese language serves as a key factor for training quality for Lao students in the country, Nha said.

Therefore, improving Vietnamese language skills for those students is considered an important and consistent task of all educational establishments across the country, he highlighted.

Speaking highly of the Vietnamese language eloquent contest for Lao students, which was held at the national scale for the first time, the minister voiced his belief that the competition will help strengthen Vietnam – Laos cultural exchanges and improve Vietnamese language for Lao students while staying in the country.

It also offered chances for the students to share their memories and understanding about Vietnam, its people and culture.

In addition to the final round, the organising board and Thai Nguyen University jointly held a series of activities on the sidelines, such as a Vietnam – Laos Cultural Space exhibition, an art programme and a field trip to the ATK Dinh Hoa (a safe zone during the war) historical relic in Thai Nguyen province./.