Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Thị Thu Hằng delivers remarks at the opening of the 2026 training course on Vietnamese language teaching methods for overseas Vietnamese teachers. VNS Photos courtesy of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese

HÀ NỘI - The 2026 training course on Vietnamese language teaching methods for overseas Vietnamese teachers officially opened in Hà Nội on August 12.

Scheduled to run until August 27, the course is jointly organised by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) and the Vietnam Education Publishing House.

With the attendance of lecturers and 50 overseas Vietnamese trainees from 14 countries and territories, the event aims to enhance professional capacity, innovate pedagogical methods, and strengthen the network of Vietnamese language teachers within the community.

Through the programme, participants will update their knowledge, exchange experiences, and explore teaching methods tailored to the practical realities of their respective regions. This effort seeks to improve the efficiency of teaching and learning Vietnamese for younger generations of overseas Vietnamese.

It is also a practical activity contributing to the implementation of Resolution No 23-NQ/TW, aimed at preserving the Vietnamese language and cultural identity, while promoting the role of the overseas Vietnamese community in cultural promotion, fostering friendship, and consolidating the bond between the community and the homeland.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lê Thị Thu Hằng emphasised that the trainees’ presence is a vivid testament to their deep connection to their roots and the persistent efforts of the overseas Vietnamese community in preserving and passing on the mother tongue to future generations.

"The teaching and learning of Vietnamese is both a long-term mission and a practical action to bring the spirit of Resolution 23 into life; it helps the younger generation of overseas Vietnamese understand their roots, nurture their love for the homeland, and strengthen community cohesion," said the Deputy Minister stated.

She further noted that the Party and State have always paid close attention to and supported Vietnamese language education abroad. During trips overseas, Party and State leaders have personally visited classrooms, met and encouraged teachers and students, and donated Vietnamese books and materials to the community.

The event aims to enhance professional capacity, innovate pedagogical methods, and strengthen the network of Vietnamese language teachers within the community.

In the context of an increasingly diverse overseas Vietnamese community in terms of generations and linguistic environments, teaching Vietnamese faces new requirements, said Hằng.

“While digital technology, online platforms, and artificial intelligence offer opportunities to innovate teaching methods, the teacher still plays a decisive role in inspiring and nurturing a love for the Vietnamese language and culture.”

Therefore, it is essential to continue improving professional skills, innovating pedagogy, increasing the application of technology, and building a network of Vietnamese language teachers abroad.”

The Deputy Minister emphasised that each Vietnamese teacher in the community is not only a language instructor but also a contributor to preserving and spreading the nation's cultural values, history, and fine traditions.

“By teaching the language, these teachers act as "cultural ambassadors" and "friendship ambassadors," helping younger generations understand their homeland while introducing the image, country, people, and culture of Việt Nam to international friends, thereby enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between Việt Nam and the world,” said Hằng.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Dean of the Faculty of Linguistics and Vietnamese Studies at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Dr. Nguyễn Ngọc Bình, highlighted the faculty's long-standing experience in training and teaching Vietnamese to foreigners. He expressed his hope that the training course would contribute to spreading Vietnamese linguistic and cultural values to the world.

"There are things that, the further away we go, the closer they feel. There are sounds that may seem ordinary, but hearing them in a foreign land can suddenly move one’s heart. For every Vietnamese person, that sound is the 'Vietnamese language'."

The course attracts the attendance of lecturers and 50 overseas Vietnamese trainees from 14 countries and territories.

According to Dr. Bình, Vietnamese is not merely a tool for communication but also a repository of memories, culture, and affection for the homeland—one of the strongest bonds connecting generations of Vietnamese people both at home and abroad.

He hoped that after the course, each overseas teacher would become a "nucleus" for preserving the Vietnamese soul within their communities, helping the language be loved and flourish across all five continents.

Representing the trainees, Nguyễn Thị Liên, an overseas Vietnamese from Malaysia, said after 10 years of teaching Vietnamese to children in the community there, that was her first time attending an intensive training course in Việt Nam.

Liên said she expected the course to provide practical knowledge, skills, and methods that teachers can effectively apply in their classrooms. Her goal is to help the younger generation of overseas Vietnamese love the language, use it proficiently, and maintain a deep connection with their homeland and roots. VNS