Chinese Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City seeks to promote Chinese language education

The remarks were made at a major Chinese speech contest held in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday, which featured 25 contestants from 19 universities in southern Vietnam and attracted more than 1,000 attendees.

The competition, co-organized by Lac Hong University and the Chinese Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, is one of the largest Chinese speech contests in the southern region.

Speaking at the event, Mao Zhaoxia, Consul of the Chinese Consulate General, said language helps people of both countries better understand each other.

She emphasized that learning Chinese creates opportunities for young people to explore Chinese culture, engage in cultural exchanges, and strengthen economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and China.

Mao added that the contest allowed students to showcase their language skills and cultural appreciation.

She expressed the consulate’s desire to continue supporting Chinese language education in southern Vietnam and facilitate greater exchanges and mutual learning among young people from the two countries.

Do Thi Lan Dai, chairwoman of Lac Hong University’s council, said this marked the second edition of the contest, with an aim at offering students a platform to practice Chinese, demonstrate talent, and connect with peers from other schools.

This year’s competition featured 21 categories, with contestants competing individually or in pairs.

Each contestant or team had to complete both a presentation and a talent performance, with a maximum combined score of 100 points.

In the five-minute presentation, students spoke in Chinese on topics such as Chinese as a language connecting the world, Vietnam-China friendship, the world as one family, or their personal experiences learning Chinese.

Judges scored based on content, pronunciation, and presentation style.

In the talent segment, contestants had up to six minutes to showcase aspects of Chinese culture through singing, dancing, martial arts, calligraphy, paper cutting, dubbing, or playing musical instruments.

The top prize went to Tran Pham Yen Nhi from Lac Hong University.

Second prizes were awarded to Ha Phuong Nhi from FPT University in Ho Chi Minh City and Tran Thi Bich Ngoc from Thu Dau Mot University.

Organizers also presented three third prizes and 15 consolation awards.

In addition, 36 students from disadvantaged backgrounds received scholarships worth a total of VND766 million (US$29,580), supported by 75 businesses.