International and Vietnamese students join a cultural exchange event at the Đà Nẵng City's Đông Á University. Photo courtesy of Phương Chi

ĐÀ NẴNG – The central city will host the first Vietnamese Language Eloquence Contest for Expats in the central and Central Highlands region testing foreigners for their fluency.

The city’s Union of Friendship Organisations, the contest’s organisers, said the preliminary rounds are already underway and will finish on May 9, to select the best 20 teams for the final round.

Participants needed to send over video clips on culture, the land or the people of Việt Nam, with the descriptions in the Vietnamese language.

The contest’s jury board will classify the best 20 teams between May 15-20 to make a final round list at the Đà Nẵng University of Science and Education, under the University of Đà Nẵng on May 30-31.

All foreigners living and working or studying the Vietnamese language in Việt Nam, are eligible to enter the contest.

The winning team will take a cash prize of VNĐ5 million (US$200), while two runners-up will get VNĐ4 million ($160) each.

Three third-place prizes will be awarded of VNĐ 3 million ($120) each, with 14 other 'encouraging' prizes of VNĐ2 million ($80) given to the best finalists.

Two teams with the most impressive performances will receive prizes of VNĐ1 million ($40) each from the organising committee.

International students take part in a farm trip on the Vietnamese language practical course at Đà Nẵng City's University of Science and Education under the University of Đà Nẵng. Photo courtesy of Đà Nẵng City's University of Science

It said candidates have free range on how to show off their language skills, singing, dancing or story-telling, or even while playing musical instruments, provided they can show their Vietnamese language skills after their time living and studying the Vietnamese language at colleges in Việt Nam.

The Đà Nẵng City’s Union of friendship organisations said it had hosted other contests for Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages spoken by Vietnamese students in the past, as part of cultural and education exchange programmes.  — VNS