Experts and administrators in education at a discussion on boosting Japanese language learning at schools in Đà Nẵng. — Photo courtesy of Onedana

ĐÀ NẴNG — Japanese classes will resume in the 2026–27 academic year as the first foreign language lessons at schools in Đà Nẵng's Liên Chiểu Ward following an interruption during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Onedana JSC, an overseas education consultant, Japanese language learning centre and hotel service business, 5,000 students at 25 primary and junior high schools in Liên Chiểu Ward took classes on the Japanese language.

However, the programme was temporarily suspended during the global pandemic in 2020.

Onedana said a majority of the students qualified for scholarships and internship programmes in Japan after their high school graduation.  

Vietnamese students wear traditional Japanese outfits at a Japanese Cultural Exchange event in Đà Nẵng. The annual Japanese Day is held in Đà Nẵng, Hội An and Huế. VNS Photo Công Thành

Plans to resume Japanese language teaching have been under discussion among Liên Chiểu Ward authorities and Onedana, with support from the Consulate General of Japan in Đà Nẵng, to expand the Japanese educational system at other schools in the city in the next five years.

According to head of the Consulate General of Japan in Đà Nẵng Mori Takero, at least 60 elite students from the central region have previously been educated in Japan.

Đà Nẵng City and Japan have been building cooperation in investment, education, cultural exchanges, tourism, manufacturing and high-tech industries.

The Japanese Embassy in Việt Nam has provided funding for construction of classrooms in Phú Túc Commune and a kindergarten in Hoà Phú Commune in the central city through the Japanese government’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project.

Annual scholarship programmes for students in Đà Nẵng have supported education in the area for more than 20 years, funded by Japanese partners including the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Japan Business Federation.

Đà Nẵng University has also built several partnerships with universities in Japan, including Yokohama National University, Kyoto University, the University of Kitakyushu, KOSEN National Institute of Technology, Nagaoka University of Technology, Chuo University, JFE Holdings Inc, Japan Energy Services Corporation and Fulltime System company.

Students at a college in Đà Nẵng taste traditional Japanese food, noodles in bamboo, during an annual Japanese Culture Day. — Photo courtesy of Phương Chi

Eight cities in Japan – Fukuoka, Yokohama, Maebashi, Chiba, Shizuoka, Tokyo, Tottori and Nagasaki – and 82 Japanese businesses have signed cooperation deals with Đà Nẵng’s Đông Á University to train workers from central Việt Nam.

The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Đà Nẵng has also planted a friendship tree to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Việt Nam and Japan at Liên Chiểu Park.

Japanese Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko paid a visit to the city in 2023 as part of their official trip to Việt Nam.

Investment from Japan is one of the top sources of FDI in central Việt Nam, with 280 projects worth US$1.28 billion, creating 40,000 jobs in the region.

After merging with the formerly Quảng Nam Province, Đà Nẵng has signed memorandums of understanding on investment and cooperation with Yokohama, Kawasaki, Nagasaki, Kisarazu, Kinokawa and Sakai. 

It has also built relationships with 20 other cities in Japan, including Mitsuke, Kagoshima, Okayama, Kobe, Yaidu, Fukuoka and Otawara.

Annual Japan-Việt Nam Festival and Cultural Exchange events are held in Đà Nẵng, Hội An and Huế. 

The Japanese General Consulate in Đà Nẵng holds regular information exchanges between universities in Japan and local school students about the full scholarship programmes.

Đà Nẵng has 30 Japanese language training centres and 25 companies operating in education enrollment in Japan. — VNS