One of the students, the Mexican Ambassador Gilberto Limón Enríquez, shared that despite very busy schedule, he often rushes to the class after work and find time to study Vietnamese language.
After studying for 6 weeks, the ambassador explained in Vietnamese that Vietnam is a heroic nation with long history. Vietnam has won two resistance wars against French colonists and American imperialists. He said that “he loves Vietnam, its dishes and people" that encouraged him to study the Vietnamese language.
However, studying Vietnamese language is not so easy as what ambassadors and their wives imagine. The Phillipine Deputy Ambassador Maria Lourdes Salcedo confided that Vietnamese language has 6 timbres and intonations. Distinguishing these intonations and timbres is really a challenge to each student.
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| An outdoor lesson. |
Having been in Vietnam for more than 18 months, Deputy Ambassador Maria is better at Vietnamese language than other students. However, to speak Vietnamese fluently will take her more time and more energy.
“Studying a foreign language will help further understand people and culture of a nation. Thus, I will try my best to study Vietnamese before my term ends”, Deputy Ambassador Maria said.
According to Ms. Vu Thi Hai, Permanent Deputy Chairwoman of HAUFO, the class was opened to meet the demand of foreign friends on finding out about Vietnam, its people and culture. Alongside studying Vietnamese language, these students have chances to learn Vietnamese folk songs.
Experiencing from the first course, this year’s term has been designed two more outdoor classes, including a short tour to Bat Trang ceramic village, which was organized on June 24 th . Via these outdoor classes, students have further understood Bat Trang people’s life and spirit, in general and Vietnamese people, in particular.
The Phillippine Deputy Ambassador and Sudan and Mexican Ambassadors’ wives have done their utmost to build up their vocabularies and have become outstanding students in the class.
In Bat Trang ceramic village, they tried to pronounce again and again a phrase in Vietnamese “hôm/nay/có/bún/chả” (“There is noodles and grilled meat today”). Their efforts won lots of sentiments from local people.
The highlight of this outdoor class was that they listened to the formation and development of Bat Trang ceramic trade and their queries were answered by one of famous artisans of Bat Trang ceramic village To Thanh Son.
While visiting an old Vietnamese house, artisan To Thanh Son pointed at a floor tile with a child’s footprint and said the sign was dated back nearly 1,000 years.
After lsitening to the story of Saint Giong told by teacher Chau, some ambassadors’ wives tried on the footprint and wished to become the Saint Giong in the fairy tale.
This special class, level 1 will conclude this August. HAUFO will organize more higher level classes to boost the sentiments and friendship between international friends and Vietnamese.
Translated by Mai Huong