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Vietnamese students leave lasting impression at Asian Arabic Debating Championship

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Three students from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH) under the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM) impressed the audience and experts at the second Asian Arabic Debating Championship in Oman in January and February.

The championship took place in Muscat, Oman, with 165 debaters representing 42 teams from 18 countries competing for five days from January 29 to February 2.

USSH students Nguyen Thi Cam Huong, Thai Nha Tho, and Nguyen Thi Van Anh competed in the Non-Native Speaker category of the contest.

Huong, Tho, and Anh, all of whom major in Arabic studies, secured two surprising victories during the competition, defeating a team from the National University of Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim country where Arabic is popular, and another from Azerbaijan’s Baku State University.

The Vietnamese delegation’s only loss in the competition came against a team from host Oman, where Arabic is the official language.

In the end, the Vietnamese team’s total score fell short of what they needed to bring home a prize, but their efforts were considered a great success considering they marked the first-ever victories of USSH students at a continental Arabic speaking contest.

Like most Vietnamese students in Arabic at university level, Huong started from scratch. 

Many people have difficulty understanding the Arabic writing system because so many words look alike, said Huong.

“But for me, that wasn’t the hardest thing,” she said. 

“The letters in Arabic have very specific pronunciations and very strange accents. 

“It took me two months of practice to grasp basic pronunciation rules. 

“I always have a sore throat after pronunciation practice sessions.”

Huong added that her family was surprised when she told them she was learning Arabic, which is a shock given that most people in her hometown of Ben Tre – a province in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta – have little knowledge of Arabic culture.

Huong also explained that her family was worried when she first received a year-long exchange scholarship to study at Kuwait University.

“I told them about the beauty and the safety in the Middle East to ease their worries,” Huong said.

For Tho, learning Arabic was a constant struggle.

During her four years of study, Tho saw many of her classmates switch to different majors, pursue new languages, or even quit school. 

“But a strange attraction helped me stick to this language,” Tho said. 

“I think it is because in my program I learn about the language as well as the culture, countries, and people of the Middle East.”

In addition to passion, Tho’s willingness to accept new challenges has helped her on her language learning journey. 

“While an English, French, Japanese, or Korean learner can easily find native speakers to practice the language in Ho Chi Minh City, it is more difficult for Arabic speakers,” she said. 

“We have to actively learn through books and the Internet, as well as connect with international friends to find opportunities to speak Arabic, especially in different dialects of the language.”

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Three students from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH) under the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM) impressed the audience and experts at the second Asian Arabic Debating Championship in Oman in January and February.

The championship took place in Muscat, Oman, with 165 debaters representing 42 teams from 18 countries competing for five days from January 29 to February 2.

USSH students Nguyen Thi Cam Huong, Thai Nha Tho, and Nguyen Thi Van Anh competed in the Non-Native Speaker category of the contest.

Huong, Tho, and Anh, all of whom major in Arabic studies, secured two surprising victories during the competition, defeating a team from the National University of Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim country where Arabic is popular, and another from Azerbaijan’s Baku State University.

The Vietnamese delegation’s only loss in the competition came against a team from host Oman, where Arabic is the official language.

In the end, the Vietnamese team’s total score fell short of what they needed to bring home a prize, but their efforts were considered a great success considering they marked the first-ever victories of USSH students at a continental Arabic speaking contest.

Like most Vietnamese students in Arabic at university level, Huong started from scratch. 

Many people have difficulty understanding the Arabic writing system because so many words look alike, said Huong.

“But for me, that wasn’t the hardest thing,” she said. 

“The letters in Arabic have very specific pronunciations and very strange accents. 

“It took me two months of practice to grasp basic pronunciation rules. 

“I always have a sore throat after pronunciation practice sessions.”

Huong added that her family was surprised when she told them she was learning Arabic, which is a shock given that most people in her hometown of Ben Tre – a province in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta – have little knowledge of Arabic culture.

Huong also explained that her family was worried when she first received a year-long exchange scholarship to study at Kuwait University.

“I told them about the beauty and the safety in the Middle East to ease their worries,” Huong said.

For Tho, learning Arabic was a constant struggle.

During her four years of study, Tho saw many of her classmates switch to different majors, pursue new languages, or even quit school. 

“But a strange attraction helped me stick to this language,” Tho said. 

“I think it is because in my program I learn about the language as well as the culture, countries, and people of the Middle East.”

In addition to passion, Tho’s willingness to accept new challenges has helped her on her language learning journey. 

“While an English, French, Japanese, or Korean learner can easily find native speakers to practice the language in Ho Chi Minh City, it is more difficult for Arabic speakers,” she said. 

“We have to actively learn through books and the Internet, as well as connect with international friends to find opportunities to speak Arabic, especially in different dialects of the language.”

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Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/education/20230310/vietnamese-students-leave-lasting-impression-at-asian-arabic-debating-championship/72049.html

Education

Vietnamese high school principal’s enthusiastic greeting on first day goes viral on social media

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A video capturing the spirited moment of a high school principal, dressed in a white shirt, standing in the schoolyard and wholeheartedly applauding and welcoming every student on the inaugural day of his new role in Thua Thien-Hue Province, central Vietnam, has garnered significant attention on social media.

The video began circulating on social media on Friday last week, marking the first day that Le Trieu Son took on the role of principal at Hai Ba Trung High School in Hue City, Thua Thien-Hue Province.

Numerous teachers at the school were surprised to witness the new principal standing and warmly greeting each student, a scene that also took many students aback.

Following the school drum signaling the commencement of the school day, Son took advantage of the 15-minute bellwork period in each class to visit every classroom, extending personal greetings to students and homeroom teachers.

During these visits, Son humbly introduced himself to the students and teachers, saying, “I have been assigned by the Department of Education and Training of Thua Thien Hue Province to serve as the school principal, and today marks the beginning of my job.”

“I hope you will join hands with me to transform this hundred-year-old school into a happy place.” 

In response to the principal’s sincerity, many students expressed interest and asked to shake hands with him.

Le Trieu Son visits every classroom on the first day of his new role as the principal at Hai Ba Trung High School in Thua Thien-Hue Province, central Vietnam, December 1, 2023. Photo: Anh Thu / Tuoi Tre

Le Trieu Son visits every classroom on the first day of his new role as the principal at Hai Ba Trung High School in Thua Thien-Hue Province, central Vietnam, December 1, 2023. Photo: Anh Thu / Tuoi Tre

Son, confirming the incident to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, said that he extended this personal greeting not only to morning classes but also to afternoon classes on Friday. 

Reflecting on the motivation behind his actions, Son explained that upon arriving at the school, he noticed the hurried faces of students rushing to their classes. 

In response, he headed to the schoolyard, greeted the students, and reminded them to walk slowly to avoid tumbles.

“I remained standing to welcome the students until the start of the class,” Son said. 

“Subsequently, I visited every classroom to personally meet with all the students and their respective homeroom teachers throughout the entire school.

“The fulfillment of my assigned tasks at this school hinges on the cooperation and engagement of the students.”

The Department of Education and Training in Thua Thien Hue Province has designated Son, the former principal of Gia Hoi High School in Hue City, as the new principal of Hai Ba Trung High School.

This decision comes in the aftermath of Ngo Duc Thuc’s resignation due to financial management violations.

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Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/education/20231204/vietnamese-high-school-principals-enthusiastic-greeting-on-first-day-goes-viral-on-social-media/77052.html

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UK government scholarship recipients train Vietnamese students in clean energy

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Luu Nguyen Nguyet Minh, an alumnus of the UK government’s Chevening Scholarship Program, is working alongside a cohort of her fellow Chevening alumni to promote the shift to renewable energy in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region.

Last weekend, the group hosted a two-day training program for 9th graders at Doan Thi Diem Middle School in Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho City.

The program, named ‘Enhancing Awareness of Renewable Energy Toward Achieving Zero Net Emissions in the Mekong Delta,’ brought several Chevening scholars and local experts together to teach the participants about simple renewable energy models.

Minh, a Can Tho native, has spent the better part of her academic and professional life working to create positive changes in the Mekong Delta region.

“The project brings together Chevening alumni, young engineers, and lecturers from Can Tho University,” Minh said. “Young people in the Mekong Delta, especially in Can Tho, have the ability and passion to build a sustainable and healthy delta.”

During the training program, Nguyen Thi Anh Thu, a Chevening scholar who specializes in environmental and energy studies, spent time teaching the participants about energy, including different sources of energy and actions they can take within their families and schools to implement renewable energy and efficient energy-saving practices.

Thu specifically focused on the Mekong Delta’s abundance of wind as a clean, renewable energy source for the region.

Contributing to the project, Bui Minh Duc, a construction engineer in Can Tho, along with a team of experts, built a visual model depicting four systems of renewable energy production.

According to Duc, the model allows students to visualize the basic principles of generating electricity from renewable sources. The students also wrote down the ideas for their own model and presented them in English.

The model will eventually be donated to the school so that it can continue to be used to inspire the transition to renewable energy.

On December 11, a convoy from the British Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City will visit the school to present awards to the teams who participated in a solar energy-powered mini vehicle design competition.

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Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/education/20231201/uk-government-scholarship-recipients-train-vietnamese-students-in-clean-energy/77035.html

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Vietnam university awards honorary doctorate to S.Korean province governor

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The University of Social Sciences and Humanities under the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday awarded an honorary doctorate to Lee Cheol Woo, governor of North Gyeongsang Province in eastern South Korea for his contributions to the friendship between the East Asian country and Vietnam.

Speaking at a ceremony to give the doctorate, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Minh Tam, vice-president of the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City, hailed Lee’s assistance, informing that Lee had received many medals and prizes, including the Order for the Hongjo Geunjeong Medal, the Proud Korean Grand Prize, and the grand prize for Proud Koreans Who Shined for Korea.

He promoted the establishment of the Saemaul Globalization Foundation in Vietnam.

Activities of the foundation and the Center for Rural Development – Saemaul Undong have helped foster Vietnam’s socio-economic development, which has been recognized by many Vietnamese localities.

Saemaul Undong is also known as the New Community Movement, a political initiative launched in 1970 to modernize the rural South Korean economy.

“Through the operations of the foundation and the Saemaul movement, North Gyeongsang Province governor Lee has helped with increasingly tightening the Vietnam – South Korea relations,” Tam said.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ngo Thi Phuong Lan, rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City, said Lee had contributed significantly to the local community through the Center for Rural Development – Saemaul Undong’s activities.

Lan added that Lee would continue making great contributions to the currently strong Vietnam – South Korea relations.

“It’s my great honor and pride to receive the honorary doctorate from the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City, which is known as the largest university in Vietnam and the cradle of many talents of the country,” Lee remarked at the ceremony.

He added he used to be a teacher and has more than 40 years of working in the National Diet of Japan and then the North Gyeongsang Province administration.

“I get a new feeling when standing here because Vietnamese educators recognized my efforts and achievements from my contributions to human prosperity through the Saemaul movement,” Lee shared.

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Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/education/20231129/vietnam-university-awards-honorary-doctorate-to-skorean-province-governor/76995.html

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