By: Dustin Angeles
Vietnamese experts and authorities have expressed their support to have September 8 as the official date to honor the Vietnamese language and promote it in overseas communities.
Pham Quang Hieu, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Foreign Ministry’s State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, said that “the maintenance and promotion of the language, which is a tool for spreading cultural values of the nation, is an important task holding practical, scientific, and human significance.”
Other locals have emphasized the importance of a day celebrating the Vietnamese language as a way to honor and take pride in their mother tongue overseas, as well as inspire foreigners to respect Vietnam’s cultural identity.
Dr. Nguyen Thien Nam, former dean of the faculty for Vietnamese studies and language at the University of Social Sciences and Humanity, suggested September 8 as the date for the celebration, as it holds cultural significance as the date that mass education was launched in the former Provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (1945) and the date that then President Ho Chi Minh delivered a speech about the Vietnamese language at the congress of the Vietnam Journalists’ Association (1962).
Other experts and authorities in attendance expressed their support and offered suggestions on how to celebrate the day including organizing competitions, recognizing individual and group efforts in popularizing the Vietnamese language overseas, and developing language teaching tools for expatriates. One thing is for sure, the Vietnam language has no shortage of supporters and Vietnamese are all for showing love to their mother tongue, even while they are away from home.