Vietnamese Language Ambassador Le Nguyen Luu An: Continuing the journey of spreading the mother tongue
WVR - Living in Malaysia, Le Nguyen Luu An is the youngest contestant to win the 2025 Overseas Vietnamese Language Ambassador Contest, organized by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, under Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She is currently a teaching assistant and participates in supporting extracurricular activities of the Vietnamese Language Club in Malaysia, chaired by her mother, teacher Nguyễn Thị Liên.
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| Le Nguyen Luu An during a Mid-Autumn Festival themed extracurricular session. |
From the perspective of a young Vietnamese living abroad, how do you perceive the significance of preserving and spreading the Vietnamese language?
Since I was young, my parents have paid special attention to preserving Vietnamese for me. At school, I speak English, but at home, our family always speaks Vietnamese. In daily life, my parents often remind me to maintain the habit of using my mother tongue.
Initially, I simply thought I was learning and speaking Vietnamese to facilitate conversations within the family or communicate with grandparents and relatives when visiting Vietnam. But as I grew older, I realized that Vietnamese helps me connect more deeply with the Vietnamese community in Malaysia, opening up many opportunities to interact and make friends with peers in the country. Thanks to Vietnamese, I explore my homeland through music, newspapers, television, and many other cultural values.
At 17, I also see that Vietnamese offers young overseas Vietnamese real career opportunities in Vietnam, where the economy is dynamically developing across many sectors with a high demand for human resources. Vietnamese helps us feel closer to our homeland, and no matter how far we go, there is always a beloved place to return to.
I further understand that in an international environment rich in cultural diversity, the mother tongue is not only a means of communication but also a bond connecting each person to their homeland and national identity. It creates unique values and pride for each individual and contributes to helping a nation establish its position and identity on the world cultural map.
The title of Vietnamese Language Ambassador is a special recognition that brings both pride and a sense of responsibility. Did your mother inspire you on the path of teaching Vietnamese abroad?
My mother has been the Chair of the Vietnamese Language Club in Malaysia since 2016 and was honoured as an Overseas Vietnamese Language Ambassador in 2023, the inaugural year of the contest. To me, my mother is not only my first teacher but also the most powerful source of inspiration on the journey of teaching and spreading Vietnamese abroad.
My mother directly teaches Vietnamese and involves my sister and me in cultural exchange activities, performances, and community service. As students of the club, my sister and I started supporting my mother in the role of teaching assistants.
By 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic ended and classes resumed, we continued to assist our mother in organizing classes. In 2022, when my sister entered university, I became the main companion, continuing to support my mother in teaching Vietnamese to young children in Malaysia.
Besides teaching, I participate in organizing extracurricular activities under my mother's guidance, such as Mid-Autumn Festival, International Children's Day on June 1st, or Christmas... The role of a teaching assistant and community activities have brought me many skills, joy, and memories that I always cherish.
For instance, after participating in several áo dài performances and receiving guidance from directors, I can now come up with ideas and guide young children in performances. Or after being the MC for the "Mid-Autumn Festival Night 2023", many young children called me "Sister Hang" instead of my name, which made me very happy and touched.
The moment my mother was named at the 2023 Vietnamese Language Ambassador honour ceremony is a memory I will never forget. Many people in the community came to congratulate my mother, and I felt immensely proud. It was my mother who encouraged me to participate in this year's contest. She said it was an opportunity to challenge my Vietnamese skills, reflect on my journey of preserving and spreading Vietnamese, and that the contest would help me grow. I am truly grateful that my mother is always by my side, supporting and encouraging me on this path.
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| Le Nguyen Luu An at the 2025 Overseas Vietnamese Language Ambassador Honor Ceremony. |
Malaysia is a place where the Vietnamese community is growing, what role does language play in connecting and preserving identity?
In Malaysia, the Vietnamese community is expanding, leading to an increase in the number of Vietnamese-origin children. Besides a few purely Vietnamese families, most families have either a Vietnamese mother or father.
Children in purely Vietnamese families often attend international schools, primarily using English, and learn Malay or Chinese as elective subjects. Meanwhile, many children attend schools for the Chinese or Malay community, requiring them to use and learn Chinese, Malay, and English simultaneously...
Especially for children whose paternal families are Hokkien, Cantonese... besides the aforementioned languages, they also learn Hokkien, Cantonese. Thus, the family background greatly influences the language choices children are exposed to and use daily. Although every family hopes their children know their mother tongue, the reality of learning too many languages makes Vietnamese easily overshadowed.
In such a multilingual and multicultural context, if not carefully preserved, Vietnamese can easily fade away among the younger generation. When the language is lost, the Vietnamese roots also face the risk of fading.
So how is the Vietnamese Language Club in Malaysia operating?
The Vietnamese Language Club in Malaysia was established in 2016, and my friends and I have participated since the first classes. From my observation, more and more parents are bringing their children to learn Vietnamese. The parents express a desire for their children to know and maintain their mother tongue.
However, I notice that even though children study in the same class, those whose parents closely accompany them progress much faster, such as being encouraged to speak Vietnamese at home, reminded to do homework, or review lessons after each class.
In community gatherings, adults mainly converse with each other in Vietnamese. In such an environment, children who can speak Vietnamese tend to be more confident and bold in communication.
At many events, the organizers pay attention to incorporating fun activities and performances rich in Vietnamese cultural colors, creating attraction and appeal for the children. Participating in these activities gives children more experiences to understand their homeland better, thus motivating them to learn and use Vietnamese.
With the advantage of existing Vietnamese classes and many community activities for connection, if there is more positive family involvement, preserving Vietnamese for overseas Vietnamese children and teenagers in Malaysia will surely achieve better and more sustainable results.
With the title of Overseas Vietnamese Language Ambassador in 2025, what are your plans to continue the journey of spreading the mother tongue?
First, I will continue my work as a teaching assistant at the Vietnamese Language Club in Malaysia and strive to organize more meaningful and engaging extracurricular sessions; instilling in the children a love for their mother tongue and Vietnamese culture through exploring cuisine, music, stories of customs, traditions, or experiencing folk games...
Later, when I enter university, I believe the new environment will open up many opportunities for learning and experience. I hope to continue the journey of preserving and introducing Vietnamese and Vietnamese culture to more international friends.
