"Red address" in the heart of the Francophone community

(Baonghean) - At No. 36, Nguyen Duc Canh Street, Vinh City, located in the campus of the Provincial Continuing Education Center, there is an address that has long been very familiar to French language lovers in the area: Vinh Francophone Center.

The center has a rather modest area, located in a simple room, filled with books, French documents, winning paintings in the drawing contest that the center has just organized, or even neatly packed boxes of books to be sent to schools in the upcoming book donation activity. Amélia and Morgane, two young French volunteers, are working hard, with cherished plans to enrich and bring the center's programs closer to everyone.

Students in an extracurricular class with volunteers from the French Language Center.

When asked why they came to Vietnam and not any other country, Amélia, the center's operations manager, shared: "Although I was born and raised in France, I always felt an indescribable attraction to Asia. It seemed like something urged me: 'Let's go and challenge ourselves in a different and unique culture.' Among many choices, I came to Vietnam as a predestined fate."

Among the practical activities organized by the center, it is impossible not to mention the useful programs aimed at students in the province. The most prominent of these is the French language teaching program, in cooperation with the following schools: Cua Nam Primary School, Le Loi Primary School, Le Loi Secondary School and Phan Boi Chau Specialized High School. According to this model, French volunteers will come to the classrooms, organize games, teach French songs, practice standard pronunciation and improve students' ability to communicate in French. Although each year there is only 1 volunteer directly teaching this content, up to now, more than 800 students in the area have been exposed to interesting and new things about the culture of the neighboring country through useful extracurricular activities.

Ms. Tran Thi An, a French teacher with nearly 20 years of teaching experience at Le Loi Primary School, highly appreciates the center's activities: "The center's French language activities in conjunction with the classroom are very diverse and stimulate students' interest in learning. Learning while playing, playing while learning, the games organized by volunteers always create a lively and exciting atmosphere in the classroom."

In parallel with the French language teaching program at schools, the Vinh French Language Center also cooperates with the Provincial Women's Union to award scholarships to poor students to support the dream of going to school for the future of the country. This scholarship fund was formed from contributions from French parents who also have children of school age. They understand the importance of education for the younger generation and wish to share part of the economic burden with families of children in difficult circumstances in Vietnam. To date, more than 30 students have received this scholarship.

In addition, Vinh French Language Center is also a free and reliable consulting address for high school students who wish to study abroad in France. Here, students are not only helped to improve their French, but also receive support from volunteers who are willing to help with writing scholarship application letters, giving advice on choosing schools, majors and study locations, helping them have the most memorable experiences when setting foot in France.

The effective activities in the school environment of the Francophone Center in recent times are the launching pad for the development and dissemination plan to the community that the volunteer group is about to carry out. With steady steps, the center has gradually affirmed its role as a bridge between the two cultures of Europe and Asia, while at the same time strengthening the long-standing friendship between France and Vietnam.

Thu Giang