Nguyễn Trung Kiên, Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs speaks at the closing ceremony of the 2025 Vietnamese Language Day for overseas Vietnamese community on Thursday. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Foreign Minister Lê Thị Thu Hằng emphasised the need to continue using both mainstream media and social media channels to share Vietnamese-language content with overseas Vietnamese communities. 

She encouraged the active participation of overseas Vietnamese, particularly young people, in creating and spreading Vietnamese-language content on digital platforms.

Hằng was speaking at the closing ceremony of the 2025 Vietnamese Language Day for the overseas Vietnamese community, organised by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday. 

The event was also held online to Vietnamese representative offices and communities worldwide.

Speaking at the ceremony, Hằng noted that on August 3, 2022, the Prime Minister issued Decision No 930/QĐ-TTg, approving the project of Vietnamese Language Day among Overseas Vietnamese Communities for the 2023–2030 period.

The initiative aims to raise awareness, instill pride and love for the Vietnamese language, promote learning among overseas communities and spread cultural values globally.

She added that during official trips, Party and State leaders regularly meet with overseas Vietnamese, listening to their aspirations and encouraging them to maintain and promote the Vietnamese language as a way to preserve and share national cultural values.

“One of the gifts prepared by Party and State leaders for overseas Vietnamese is a set of Vietnamese-language books," Hằng said. 

"These books are placed at Vietnamese representative offices abroad, community associations, libraries and schools where Vietnamese people live.”

The Deputy Minister noted that in 2024 and 2025, many activities have been organised to strengthen the role of Vietnamese in the lives of overseas communities and encourage younger generations born and raised abroad to stay connected to their mother tongue.

Outlining future directions, Hằng said activities should be diversified, from interactive online classes to creative competitions and cultural-artistic events, while integrating Vietnamese language learning with topics familiar to young people, such as music, cinema and sports. 

She also called for greater involvement of community associations and schools, the expansion of successful models and initiatives and the active role of Vietnamese cultural centres abroad, such as the Việt Nam Cultural Centre in Laos and the Việt Nam Cultural Centre in France.

Building networks of teachers and volunteers for Vietnamese language teaching within communities remains a priority.

In addition, international cooperation will be promoted, seeking support from foreign organisations and individuals who love Việt Nam to help promote the language and culture.

Deputy Minister Hằng reaffirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue working with ministries, sectors and localities to improve and expand programmes to ensure the successful implementation of the project.

Providing updates on the project’s implementation in 2025, Nguyễn Trung Kiên, Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, said that in March 2025, the committee launched the Vietnamese Language Day campaign and the Vietnamese Language Ambassador Contest for overseas Vietnamese. The contest attracted more than 50 participants from 15 countries and territories.

After three rounds, the jury selected outstanding contestants to be honoured at the 'Beloved Vietnamese Language' Gala, scheduled for the evening of August 21.

Preparations are also underway for the cultural-art performance programme 'The Eternal Flow – Connecting Vietnamese Worldwide', also set for August 21.

The Vietnamese Bookshelf project continues to grow. Since 2023, 11 Vietnamese-language book collections have been established for overseas communities, with three more planned by the end of this year.

From early 2025 to date alone, the committee has provided nearly 5,560 books and Vietnamese teaching materials to communities in various locations.

Also on Thursday, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, in collaboration with the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Việt Nam National University, Hà Nội) and the Việt Nam Education Publishing House, launched the 2025 training course on teaching Vietnamese for overseas Vietnamese teachers.

The programme brought together 80 teachers from 15 countries and territories.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Nguyễn Trung Kiên, Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, expressed his delight at welcoming such a large number of teachers from abroad, calling it a vivid testament to their love for the Vietnamese language and their deep connection to their roots.

Võ Thị Thanh, a participant from Laos, said the course offers teachers the chance to acquire new knowledge while serving as a platform to exchange teaching experiences with colleagues from various countries.

“From these experiences, I will apply what I’ve learned to my Vietnamese language classes for students in Laos,” she added.

Nguyễn Thị Thảo My, from Vladivostok, Russia, expressed her wish to open a Vietnamese language class in her locality. She described attending the training in Việt Nam as a great honour and a valuable opportunity to improve her teaching skills.

“After this course, I hope to gain more confidence, skills, and experience to organise classes effectively, while also building a support network among teachers for mutual assistance,” she said.

The training course runs from August 13 to 28 in Hà Nội. — VNS