Party chief’s spouse donates 100 books to Vietnamese language class in Singapore

Introducing the class, Tran Thanh Phuong Nghi, spouse of the Vietnamese ambassador to Singapore, said the class was recently established and currently has a modest number of students, most of whom have one foreign parent.

She noted that around 34,000 Vietnamese people are currently studying, working, and living in Singapore. 

Most are professionals and young people who still have family members and relatives in Vietnam, leading to growing demand for preserving Vietnamese language and culture among their children and maintaining ties with their homeland.

The class is currently taught by several volunteer community teachers on a rotating basis. Students are enthusiastic about attending the lessons.

In addition to supporting the Lac Hong class, the Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore has provided free Vietnamese-language textbooks issued by Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training to families wishing to teach their children the language.

The embassy has also encouraged the organization of online Vietnamese-language classes and activities aimed at connecting younger generations, including study tours and career orientation programs for overseas Vietnamese youth.

Speaking with teachers and students, Madame Ly said she was proud to see a Vietnamese-language class for children thriving amid Singapore’s modern and busy environment.

She said the class was more than just a place of learning, describing it as a small home filled with love for the Vietnamese language, the homeland, and national roots.

Praising the dedication of the volunteer teachers, who devote their time, effort, and patience to nurturing Vietnamese language skills among young learners, she encouraged parents to continue preserving their children's mother tongue, emphasizing that doing so helps safeguard cultural identity and strengthens family bonds across generations.

She also expressed hope that the children would diligently study their mother tongue so that they could confidently communicate with relatives and share stories about their lives in Singapore whenever they visit Vietnam, thereby strengthening their connection with their families and homeland.

Later on Saturday, Madame Ly and Loo Tze Lui, spouse of Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, visited Temasek Shophouse, a center for social impact initiatives in Singapore, and attended a tea reception.

Loo said that Singapore, as a country with limited land and natural resources, regards its people as its most valuable asset.

For that reason, Temasek Shophouse, a building dating back to 1928, was renovated to preserve its heritage while serving as a collaborative space for charitable organizations, social enterprises, community-focused startups, and social activists.

Madame Ly expressed her pleasure at meeting Loo again and recalled fond memories of her visit to Singapore in March 2025 and their subsequent meeting in Hanoi.

She said she was impressed by Singapore’s creative integration of historical architecture with community development, social innovation, and sustainable development through the Temasek Shophouse project.

Thanking Singapore and Loo for their warm hospitality, Madame Ly expressed hope that they would meet again soon in Vietnam to further strengthen exchanges, mutual understanding, and cooperation between the peoples of the two countries.

Earlier, on Friday, Madame Ly met Ittogi, spouse of Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, at the Peranakan Museum, one of Singapore’s most distinctive cultural venues.

The meeting provided an opportunity for the two spouses to exchange views on art and heritage while exploring ideas for enhancing cultural and people-to-people exchanges between Vietnam and Singapore.

Impressed by the preservation of Peranakan art and culture through the museum’s exhibits, Madame Ly said art not only preserves historical memory but also inspires cultural identity and connects generations.

She noted that although Vietnam and Singapore have distinct characteristics, both countries share many cherished Asian values, including strong family ties, a commitment to education, diligence, and community spirit.

These common values, she said, have helped strengthen the friendship and close bonds between the peoples of the two nations.

Ittogi, who has close ties to the Peranakan community, expressed her admiration for Vietnamese fine arts.

She said many works by renowned Vietnamese artists such as Bui Xuan Phai, Le Pho, and other contemporary painters are highly appreciated in Singapore for their artistic value and the cultural and historical depth they convey about Vietnam and its people.

Mentioning Bui Xuan Phai’s paintings depicting cheo (traditional northern Vietnamese music and performance), Ittogi expressed hope that the distinctive Vietnamese art form would one day be introduced in Singapore.

Madame Ly thanked Ittogi for her interest in Vietnamese art and culture, expressing hope that the two countries would further expand cultural exchanges in the future, including not only cheo performances but also other forms of Vietnamese culture, as well as art exhibitions by Vietnamese artists in Singapore and vice versa.