Lao student uses Vietnamese to build bridge of friendship

Vietnamese was once a major obstacle for Kittilat when he arrived in Vietnam at the age of 18 to pursue his studies.

However, through persistent learning, social interaction and a willingness to make mistakes and learn from them, the Lao student has gradually transformed the language into a vital link.

Vietnamese is more than just a subject

Kittilat, a senior student at Quang Nam University in Da Nang City, central Vietnam, comes from a family with a three-generation tradition of studying in Vietnam.

As a self-funded international student from Attapeu, southeast Laos, he arrived in Vietnam with only 12 days of experience learning the Vietnamese alphabet and a few basic greetings.

“I felt I was really bad at Vietnamese at first. Whenever lecturers asked me something, I had no idea how to answer,” Kittilat recalled.

“I found the hardest things were pronunciation, the use of tones and multiple meanings of Vietnamese vocabulary.

“What you learn in class can be quite different from what you encounter in real-life conversations, because each region has its own way of speaking.”

Rather than giving up, he drew up a strict study plan.

“By my fourth month, I decided I had to change,” he said.

“At 8:00 pm, after eating, I would take my notebook to the stairwell and study vocabulary.

“I forced myself to learn 20 new words every day, studying until after 11:00 pm.

His efforts eventually paid off.

From being one of the weakest Vietnamese speakers in his class, he went on to win second prize at the 2025 Central Vietnam Vietnamese Speech Contest.

His language skills also helped him win third prize nationally at the 2024 Eureka Scientific Research Awards for a buckwheat flower cultivation model, as well as second prize in his university’s 2025-26 scientific research competition.

For Kittilat, mastering Vietnamese has come to carry a much greater purpose.

“My Vietnamese is no longer simply a subject I study to communicate and live in Vietnam. It has become a bond connecting Lao and Vietnamese students,” he said.

Every Lao student can be a small bridge

As head of the Lao International Students Management Board and chairman of the Lao Trade Union at Quang Nam University, Kittilat supports 126 Lao students.

His responsibilities go beyond looking after their daily lives and studies.

He also helps develop cultural and sporting activities designed to create a more connected learning environment.

He has actively helped Lao students integrate into the local community by arranging sporting exchanges with the Tam Anh Nam Commune Petanque Club and police forces in Da Nang City.

In one particularly notable case, a chance conversation with a Vietnamese lecturer in a university dormitory courtyard opened the door to a wider educational partnership.

Thanks to his fluent communication skills and reputation, he directly helped connect four Lao provinces, including Attapeu, Sekong, Salavan and Champasak, with Phan Thiet University to sign educational cooperation agreements, creating valuable scholarship opportunities for students from his home nation.

Explaining why he remains so enthusiastic about student activities despite his busy academic schedule, he said that every passing moment is meaningful and should not be wasted.

“I have to do something to leave a mark during my youth, so that when I return home someday, people will still remember a dynamic Kittilat in Vietnam.”