Launching the English course on Viet Nam’s foreign policy towards ASEAN through lenses of discouse analysis

On November 5, in Ha Noi, in collaboration with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) Viet Nam, Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam held a seminar on the dissemination of a short course titled “Interpreting Viet Nam's foreign policy conveyed in speeches of Vietnamese leaders at ASEAN and ASEAN related summits through the lens of discourse analysis”, a discourse analysis module in English pragmatics.
Các nhiều đại biểu từ các đơn vị giáo dục và nghiên cứu tham dự Hội thảo.
Delegates at the seminar are from educational and research institutions in Ha Noi. (Photo: Hoai Tan)

The seminar was attended by Assoc. Prof. Ambassador Hoang Anh Tuan, Vice President of the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam; Prof. Dr. Pham Quang Minh, Head of International Development Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Duong Van Quang from the Faculty of International Communication, Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam; Ms. Vu Thi Thu Phuong, Program Manager of KAS Viet Nam; Dr. Nguyen Thi Cat Ngoc, Dean of Department of English Language, Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam; Dr. Tran Thi Thanh Lien, Vice Dean of Department of English Language, Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam; Dr. Luong Ba Phuong, Head of English Language Translation Department, Academy of Journalism and Communication; and many representatives from educational and research institutions.

In his opening speech, Assoc. Prof. Ambassador Hoang Anh Tuan affirmed that the building and the teaching of the course’s book named: “Interpreting Viet Nam's foreign policy conveyed in speeches by Vietnamese leaders at the ASEAN and ASEAN related summits through the lens of discourse analysis” is a practical activity enriching the curricula of not only the Department of English Language, but also of the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ambassador Hoang Anh Tuan also emphasized that conducting the seminar on course dissemination is an essential activity in order to introduce the course’s content and its syllabus to other tertiary institutions.

According to the Vice President of the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam, the course sponsored by the KAS Viet Nam serves as a driving force to boost mutual understanding between the people of Viet Nam and Germany, especially among young people of Viet Nam, hence strengthening the relations between the two countries.

PGS.TS Đại sứ Hoàng Anh Tuấn, Phó Giám đốc Học viện Ngoại giao phát biểu mở đầu Hội thảo.
Assoc. Prof. Ambassador Hoang Anh Tuan, Vice President of the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam is delivering his opening speech. (Photo: Hoai Tan)

On behalf of the KAS Foundation, Ms. Vu Thi Thu Phuong expressed her honor to accompany the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam in developing an English language course that provides students with both theoretical and practical knowledge to use their language skills in analyzing Viet Nam’s foreign policy, contributing to the training and educating of modern and professional diplomats.

From a teacher’s perspective, Dr. Nguyen Thi Cat Ngoc, Dean of Department of English Language, Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam, expressed the Academy’s wish to innovate education programs, maintaining its number one position among Vietnamese institutions that train and foster diplomats, conduct research and cooperation in international relations and diplomacy, striving to stand at the leading research and educational groups in the region.

“This desire has encouraged all DAV’s lecturers and researchers, particularly, those in the Faculty of English to renew their teaching methods, improve the quality of courses’ content and standardize learners’ programs so as to enhance their own English levels”, said Dr. Nguyen Thi Cat Ngoc.

Ms. Vu Thi Thu Phuong, KAS Vietnam Program Manager. (Photo: Hoai Tan)
Ms. Vu Thi Thu Phuong, KAS Viet Nam Program Manager. (Photo: Hoai Tan)

Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam is a leading research and training institution on international relations and foreign policy of Viet Nam. It is also one of the top 40 academic institutions endorsed by the government in the Asia-Pacific region.

In recent years, DAV has established cooperative relations with more than 80 universities, agencies, organizations and strategic research cooperation networks in the region and around the world. In the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam, ASEAN is always the top priority in research on foreign policy in general and Viet Nam’s policy in particular.

Toàn cảnh Hội thảo phổ biến khóa học “Giải thích chính sách đối ngoại của Việt Nam trong các bài phát biểu của lãnh đạo Việt Nam tại các hội nghị ASEAN và ASEAN mở rộng qua lăng kính phân tích diễn ngôn”.
At the semina. (Photo: Hoai Tan)

Regarding the teaching and learning activity, at the DAV, foreign languages ​​in general and English, in particular, are taught through subjects named English for specific purposes (ESP). It is the form of language used in specific contexts, in which learners apply their language skills in exploring specific subjects in their own majors, such as politics, law or economics.

This course has been built on an interdisciplinary basis that helps learners analyze the relationship between language and foreign policy, an exciting, new field of research that is offered only by Departments of English language that teach ESP.

The course named “Interpreting Viet Nam’s foreign policy conveyed speeches in the ASEAN and ASEAN-related summits through lenses of discourse analysis” together with a textbook will contribute significantly to the list of textbooks and references for students of the academy, opening a new direction for interdisciplinary subjects between the social sciences and languages, especially the subjects researching on international relations and foreign policy.

KAS has representative offices around the world and has been conducting more than 200 projects in more than 120 countries. Together with its partners, KAS Viet Nam wishes to contribute to the building of freedom, equality and solidarity through a series of projects.
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