Imprint of Vietnamese school in Vientiane capital

(Baonghean.vn) - In the capital Vientiane (Laos), there is a school named after the great national poet Nguyen Du, built with the support of the governments of Vietnam and Laos. This is not only a place to study, propagate and preserve the Vietnamese language and cultural identity of the homeland for Vietnamese children in Vientiane, but also a familiar meeting place for overseas Vietnamese in the land of a million elephants...

We visited Nguyen Du school in Chan Tha Bu Li district - Vientiane capital on a sunny afternoon, without an appointment but still received a very warm welcome from principal Truong Van Tai. At that time, it was Vietnamese class for primary school students. In the classrooms, the familiar sounds of spelling i to resounded like any other class in Vietnam.

Visiting class 1E, all the children stood up and greeted each other in Vietnamese very politely. Teacher Nguyen Thi Thu - from Dan Phuong (old Ha Tay), settled in Laos with her husband and two daughters for 10 years and has taught Vietnamese at Nguyen Du School for more than 4 years said: the class has 39 students, mostly Vietnamese, only 1 Lao student. The children are very interested in the 2-period Vietnamese class every day and study very hard.

Students learn Vietnamese at Nguyen Du School, Vientiane Capital, Laos

Most of the Vietnamese students studying at this school were born in Laos and were sent to school by their parents to preserve the language and identity of their homeland. Talking to us, 6-year-old Dinh Thi Yen Nhi, whose Lao name is PaPani, innocently expressed: "I want to learn Vietnamese so that when I go back to my hometown, I can talk to my grandparents and older siblings." At recess, students rushed from their classrooms to the schoolyard and we were quite surprised to see that they were still playing Vietnamese folk games such as jumping rope, blindfolded goat catching, etc.

Vietnamese class of 1e grade students, Nguyen Du school in Vientiane Capital, Laos

According to Mr. Truong Van Tai - Principal of Nguyen Du School: In the capital Vientiane, there are currently about 20 thousand Vietnamese people living and working. Although living far from home, they still wholeheartedly turn to their homeland and wish to preserve Vietnamese cultural identity, especially their mother tongue for their children. However, the reality is that for many different reasons, but mainly because they are busy with work, some families do not have much time to teach Vietnamese to their children. Therefore, for the 4th and 5th generations or the next generations, cultural identity is at risk of being lost, which can easily lead to losing their roots. Many children cannot speak Vietnamese fluently. Therefore, Nguyen Du School was established to meet the aspirations of the large Vietnamese community in Laos.

Recess time of students at Nguyen Du school

The school started construction in 2007 on an area of ​​10,370m2, 3 floors with 44 classrooms, a library, a computer room, a teachers' lounge and a dining room for boarding students. The land was provided by the Lao government, and the school's construction costs were mainly funded by the Vietnamese government, in addition to the active support of the Association of Vietnamese Enterprises and the Vietnamese community in the capital Vientiane.

High school students, Nguyen Du school, Vientiane capital, wearing green youth uniforms

In the first school year, Nguyen Du School only received 700 students, from kindergarten to secondary school. Students study according to the curriculum of the Lao Ministry of Education, but Vietnamese is also the main subject with a schedule of 2 periods per week. Up to now, the school has had 4 levels of education from kindergarten to high school with 1,761 students, 85 teachers, including 35 Vietnamese teachers. The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training has also sent teachers with sufficient professional qualifications and pedagogical knowledge to support the school. Many have been with the school for many years and have made great contributions to the school, such as Ms. Luong Thi Vin - from Nghe An, who previously taught primary school at the school for 6 years, and currently Ms. Le Hong Phuong and Nguyen Thi Phuong... Thanks to the enthusiasm and dedication of the teachers, the efforts of parents and students, from not knowing any Vietnamese, many students can now read and write Vietnamese fluently. Notably, 20% of the school’s students are Laotian children. They are mainly children of military officers and officials, whose parents trust them to send them to study at Nguyen Du School. “I want to learn Vietnamese well so that I can continue to study abroad in Vietnam in the future,” said Hun A Lun, a Laotian student at Nguyen Du School. This is also a testament to the Vietnam-Laos solidarity and friendship that has been built by previous generations.

Students of grade 1e at Nguyen Du school in Vientiane capital

As a multi-level private school, Nguyen Du School does not receive state budget every year. The number of students increases every year, but the facilities are not enough, while teachers' salaries depend on the contributions of parents, but the school does not forget its noble mission. Every year, the school is always in the top 5 schools in Chan Tha Bu Li district - Vientiane capital. Last school year, the rate of students going to all levels reached 98%, the rate of graduating from junior high school reached 98%. The school also has many students winning first, second, and third prizes in literature, math, natural science, and social sciences at the district and city levels, and second and third prizes in international math competitions. In the 2012-2013 school year, Ha Yen Vy won first prize at the district, provincial, and national levels, so she was exempted from tuition fees.

Nguyen Du School students take care of the green campus

In parallel with the implementation of the program of the Lao Ministry of Education and Training, the school always attaches importance to teaching Vietnamese to students. With the desire to maintain the mother tongue to preserve and promote the spirit of Vietnamese culture for future generations, the school's Board of Directors is always looking for measures to create the best conditions for children to study in a quality educational environment. "Starting from 2014, the school has increased the number of Vietnamese teaching hours from 2 periods to 4 periods per day" - Mr. Truong Van Tai shared.

Students of Nguyen Du School in Vientiane Capital play jump rope.

Along with teaching Vietnamese, on important national holidays such as the traditional New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival, Uncle Ho's birthday, etc., the school also organizes extracurricular programs to create useful playgrounds for students. Every month, the school regularly organizes knowledge competitions by topic in Vietnamese, activities of the I love Vietnamese club, etc. The school also focuses on sports, Vietnamese culture, and discipline education for students. Every Monday and Friday, primary and secondary school students must wear white uniforms with red scarves, high school students wear blue uniforms of Vietnamese youth. The flag-raising and singing of the Vietnamese-Lao national anthems are also maintained regularly every Monday. Every morning, before officially starting school, students line up to exercise and read in unison the 5 teachings of Uncle Ho; 6 things to love, 3 things to hate taught by the late President Cay Xon Phom Vihan of Laos. In the school grounds there are many trees and colorful flower pots that are taken care of by the classes themselves.

Panorama of Nguyen Du School, Vientiane Capital, Laos

Through investment in education, the school's Board of Directors and the Vietnamese community in the capital Vientiane want to create conditions for students to have a good learning environment, foster their love for their homeland and roots, and create an impression of a Vietnamese school named after the great poet Nguyen Du in Laos.

Article and photos:Khanh Ly - Dao Tuan