In the heart of the capital Vientiane of the beautiful Land of a Million Elephants, there is a Vietnamese pagoda that quietly and persistently preserves national cultural values.
Phat Tich Pagoda is not only a place to express the spiritual beliefs of the Vietnamese community in Laos, but also a place to spread the Vietnamese language, contributing to preserving the mother tongue for generations of overseas Vietnamese born and raised in Laos.
Since 2016, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, an overseas Vietnamese living and working in Laos, has established a free Vietnamese language class at this pagoda. Stemming from the desire that her children would not forget their mother tongue, she opened a small class, initially with only a few children participating.
Gradually, the class developed and became a meeting place for many Vietnamese families who shared the same concern about how to keep the Vietnamese language from being lost through each generation.
Currently, Vietnamese classes at Phat Tich Pagoda are held regularly 6 sessions per week, divided into two levels, basic and advanced, suitable for the level and needs of each student.
The basic class focuses on practicing basic listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, helping students become familiar with and fluently use Vietnamese in daily communication.
Advanced classes are for students who already have a certain foundation, continuing to improve their ability to use Vietnamese, while expanding their knowledge of Vietnamese culture, history, and geography, contributing to fostering love for the homeland in each lesson.
Teaching staff include 5 teachers, both Vietnamese and Lao, who are all volunteer teachers, dedicated to preserving the Vietnamese language in Laos.
Not only imparting knowledge, they also impart culture and inspire students to love Vietnamese.
Nearly a decade has passed, hundreds of students have attended, from children of overseas Vietnamese to Laotian youth. Vietnamese, through each lecture, each song, each class hour, has quietly spread and taken root in the heart of Vientiane.
The classroom space is sometimes lit up by the singing voices of the students. “Each person has only one homeland, just like only one mother…”, that song is not just music , but also a vivid lesson about the origin, about national pride. For the students, each time they sing, they are more deeply connected to their homeland, a place where they were never born, but always belong.
Souliya Phanthulaatsa, a student of Vietnamese origin, shared that her parents told her to preserve the Vietnamese language because it is her origin. She studies so that she can return to Vietnam to continue her studies.
Not only for the Vietnamese community, the above class also attracts many Lao students. They come to study because they love Vietnamese people and culture, want to study and work in Vietnam or simply want to understand more about their close neighboring country.
Khamphueang Lovanxay, a Laotian student, said: “I learn Vietnamese because I love Vietnamese people and culture.”
Speaking to VNA reporters in Vientiane, Mr. Nguyen Minh Tam, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos, said that Phat Tich Pagoda has been playing a role as a center for preserving Vietnamese language and culture in the capital Vientiane. This is where free Vietnamese language classes are held for Vietnamese children in Laos and for Lao friends who love to learn Vietnamese.
Ambassador Minh Tam affirmed that these classes are not only for teaching, but also to pass on part of the identity, preserve the mother tongue for the third and fourth generations of Vietnamese born in Laos and to spread Vietnamese history and culture. Phat Tich Pagoda is both a place to entrust beliefs and a place to preserve the national soul.
Teaching Vietnamese abroad is not only aneducational activity, but also a cultural mission. In the context of deep integration, preserving the mother tongue among the Vietnamese community living abroad is a great challenge, but also a sacred duty.
The classes at the pagoda are not only a place to impart language, but also a bridge connecting the young generation with their roots, a spiritual support for Vietnamese people in Laos./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/chua-phat-tich-noi-truyen-cam-hung-van-hoa-viet-tren-dat-nuoc-trieu-voi-post1046537.vnp
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