Born and raised in Laos, though able to communicate relatively well in Vietnamese, 11-year-olds Mai Linh and Ngoc Van can neither read nor write their mother tongue.
Since free Vietnamese classes reopened after being suspended because of COVID-19, Linh and Van have been learning the language three times a week for nearly two months.
Van and Linh are two of many young Vietnamese people in Laos who cannot read or write Vietnamese fluently. This is why the Vietnamese Association in Vientiane coordinated with the Vietnamese Embassy and Phat Tich Pagoda in the Lao capital to hold the free classes.
The cooperation of people in preserving the Vietnamese language is greatly appreciated at all levels and is a model that should be replicated.
A desire to learn Vietnamese is spreading not only among the Vietnamese community but also among Lao people.
Classes like this have not only helped the Vietnamese community in Laos preserve the use of the Vietnamese language but also helped foreigners gain more understanding of and love for the language./.
