Workshop spotlights teaching of Vietnamese language, culture to OV children in Japan

Participants in the workshop in Fukuoka prefecture on June 3 (Photo: VNA)

Tokyo (VNA) – A workshop held in Japan’s Fukuoka prefecture on June 3 highlighted the importance of teaching the Vietnamese language and culture to Vietnamese children in Kyushu, the third largest island of the Northeast Asian country.

Addressing over 120 participants in the hybrid event, Vu Chi Mai, Consul General of Vietnam in Fukuoka, said the workshop was part of activities the Consulate General has carried out under the Prime Minister-approved plan on the Day for honouring the Vietnamese language in overseas Vietnamese (OV) communities in the 2023 - 2030 period. Promoting the language is also part of the Consulate General’s efforts to help develop OV communities and maintain and popularise the Vietnamese culture.

She said teaching the Vietnamese language and culture to OV children will bring about many substantial benefits, including enhancing their patriotism, awareness of the homeland, and understanding of society and also strengthening their bonds with families.

Encouraging the use of the Vietnamese language in second- and third-generation Vietnamese families in Japan will also help the community develop strongly and create an important source of manpower for both countries, Mai went on.

Mai Phan Dung, Vice Chairman of the State Committee for OV Affairs, said the Vietnamese community in Japan as well as others around the world have shown their sense of responsibility towards younger generations as seen in the organisation of numerous practical activities to maintain and popularise the homeland’s language, including opening Vietnamese language schools, classes, and centres.

He hailed the opening of a class giving guidance in how to teach the Vietnamese language and culture to Vietnamese children in Kyushu, voicing his hope that similar initiatives will be implemented in not only Northeast Asia but also around the world.

At the workshop, experts presented their opinions on issues related to the maintenance and teaching of the Vietnamese language and culture in foreign countries.

On this occasion, the Vietnamese People Association in Fukuoka officially debuted a board for the Vietnamese language to honour and maintain the language and culture in the local OV community./.

VNA