Teaching Vietnamese to Italian students

At the end of May, the first batch of Vietnamese students at the Department of Asia and North Africa Studies at Ca’Foscari University, Venice (Italy) will graduate with a bachelor’s degree.

On this occasion, PV Youth had the opportunity to talk with Associate Professor Tran Quang Anh-Richard, head of the department Vietnameseabout his journey through and plans to attract more foreign students to learn about Vietnamese culture.

The charm with the profession

The Vietnamese Department of Ca’Foscari University was established in 2019. Answer YouthMr. Quang Anh said that the idea of ​​creating a program for Vietnamese in particular and Vietnamese studies in general came from the foresight of Professor Marco Ceresa, Dean of the Faculty of Asia and North Africa.

From left to right: Associate Professor Tran Quang Anh-Richard, Ambassador Nguyen Thi Bich Hue and Professor Marco Ceresa at the Vietnamese soul show on February 25. NVCC

“Mr. Ceresa wants to set up a program on Southeast Asian studies, which teaches about Vietnam and Thailand. Mr. Ceresa also plans to create a Vietnamese language course first,” said Mr. Quang Anh.

“At that time, I heard that Ca’Foscari University was looking for someone to help them with this project. Because I found it so interesting and curious, I contacted to learn more. I am the first professor of the program and the person in charge of the development of the Vietnamese language department,” Associate Professor Quang Anh shared about his predestined relationship with Ca’Foscari University.

“In addition to the origin story of the sport, I believe that the city of Venice is a gateway for the exchange of civilizations. Therefore, this place has a lot of potential to develop a Vietnamese study program,” added Mr. Quang Anh.

Teaching language with culture

According to Associate Professor Quang Anh, the graduted student After 3 years of studying Vietnamese at Ca’Foscari University, you will achieve an intermediate level, or about B1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages ​​(CEFR). At this level, students can understand the gist of conversations about common topics at work, at school, or at play. They can also describe wishes or opinions with reasons and explanations.

Although established late, the Vietnamese language department at Ca’Foscari University is considered to have the most complete Vietnamese learning program in Italy because students also learn Vietnamese history, literature, economy and culture.

Performances in the Vietnamese soul show

“The special feature of this program is that we emphasize traditional Vietnamese culture and art, such as quan ho folk song, a Vietnamese heritage recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. Italian students not only learn the language but also learn about the rich culture of Vietnam,” said Mr. Quang Anh.

At the end of February, Italian students of the Vietnamese department also connected with student Viet Nam studying abroad at Ca’Foscari University to organize a cultural performance called “Vietnamese soul”. “During this event, students sent Ambassador Nguyen Thi Bich Hue off to Vietnam after she completed her term in Italy. The students also introduced to the Italian community the very unique repertoire of Vietnamese folk songs,” said Associate Professor Quang Anh.

Hoping to attract more students

Despite being guided by dedicated teachers, Italian students often face some obstacles in the process of learning Vietnamese. Mr. Quang Anh said that when leaving the class, Italian students have little opportunity to interact with people who can speak Vietnamese, so they cannot practice much. Therefore, he organized cultural exchanges between Italian students and student Viet Nam are studying abroad at Ca’Foscari University so they can connect with each other.

“Despite graduating at B1 level, most Italian students are not yet able to communicate naturally and fluently with the locals. Therefore, we often advise Italian students to study abroad in Vietnam,” added Mr. Quang Anh.

Associate Professor Quang Anh shared that he is cherishing many plans to develop the Vietnamese language subject in the future. “I want to increase the number of Italian students studying Vietnamese, and I also hope that these students will open their eyes to the rich culture of Vietnam,” said Mr. Quang Anh.

Mr. Quang Anh also wants to further expand the cooperation relationship between Ca’ Foscari University and other universities University in Vietnam in all three regions of the country. He shared that he is creating a project for the coming years. In which, professors from Vietnamese universities can be invited to come Italy to give presentations to increase cooperation between universities.