TEACHING VIETNAMESE
The Vietnamese language is an invaluable asset of the Vietnamese people. Preserving and promoting the Vietnamese language abroad is of utmost importance, as it serves as both a bridge and a means of spreading the nation’s language and culture, as well as expressing the love of the motherland by those living far from home. At Truc Lam Monastery in Sri Lanka, efforts are being made to promote the beauty of Vietnam’s country, culture, and people to international friends through free Vietnamese language classes.
The inspiration for teaching Vietnamese came from the local children who often played at the temple and, after listening to many Dharma talks in Vietnamese, grew curious and gradually became fascinated, wanting to learn the language to converse with the monks and understand more about Vietnam. Initially, the monks taught the children basic conversational phrases such as greetings and thank-yous. Then, the adults who accompanied their children to the temple also became interested in learning Vietnamese. Venerable Phap Quang decided to start a Vietnamese language class. From June 2022, the first Vietnamese class for Sri Lankans was inaugurated right in the main hall of Truc Lam Monastery, fixed from 6 PM to 7 PM, Monday to Friday, attracting many locals to attend. This class is unique in that the teachers are six monks, and the students range from children as young as 5 years old to elderly individuals up to 71 years old.
Starting from a class without desks, podiums, tuition fees, or textbooks with 30 students, the children who came to the temple gradually formed the habit of communicating with each other in Vietnamese. Gradually, people wanted to have Vietnamese names. Using the name of Truc Lam Monastery, “Truc” is added to the names of females, and “Lam” to the names of males, the monks named them with endearing Vietnamese names like Truc Hanh, Truc Mai, Truc An, Truc My, Truc Hien, Truc An, Truc Khanh, Truc Vy, and Lam Manh, Lam Thang, Lam Sang, Lam Phong, Lam Tue, Lam Vu…
In addition to teaching the language, the monks also taught the villagers Vietnamese songs and introduced them to Vietnam’s traditional cultural customs through dances, traditional dress like the ao dai, conical hats, and Vietnamese cuisine. In themed Vietnamese language classes, the monks showed pictures of tourist sites in Vietnam and specialities of each province. The children at the monastery have learned over 20 Vietnamese songs such as “Noi Vong Tay Lon,” “Vietnam My Homeland,” “Bong Bong Bang Bang,”…
Furthermore, Truc Lam Monastery also organizes online Vietnamese language classes for Sri Lankans working at the embassy and those preparing to work in Vietnam.
The Vietnamese language is an invaluable asset of the Vietnamese people. Preserving and promoting the Vietnamese language abroad is of utmost importance, as it serves as both a bridge and a means of spreading the nation’s language and culture, as well as expressing the love of the motherland by those living far from home. At Truc Lam Monastery in Sri Lanka, efforts are being made to promote the beauty of Vietnam’s country, culture, and people to international friends through free Vietnamese language classes.
The inspiration for teaching Vietnamese came from the local children who often played at the temple and, after listening to many Dharma talks in Vietnamese, grew curious and gradually became fascinated, wanting to learn the language to converse with the monks and understand more about Vietnam. Initially, the monks taught the children basic conversational phrases such as greetings and thank-yous. Then, the adults who accompanied their children to the temple also became interested in learning Vietnamese. Venerable Phap Quang decided to start a Vietnamese language class. From June 2022, the first Vietnamese class for Sri Lankans was inaugurated right in the main hall of Truc Lam Monastery, fixed from 6 PM to 7 PM, Monday to Friday, attracting many locals to attend. This class is unique in that the teachers are six monks, and the students range from children as young as 5 years old to elderly individuals up to 71 years old.
Starting from a class without desks, podiums, tuition fees, or textbooks with 30 students, the children who came to the temple gradually formed the habit of communicating with each other in Vietnamese. Gradually, people wanted to have Vietnamese names. Using the name of Truc Lam Monastery, “Truc” is added to the names of females, and “Lam” to the names of males, the monks named them with endearing Vietnamese names like Truc Hanh, Truc Mai, Truc An, Truc My, Truc Hien, Truc An, Truc Khanh, Truc Vy, and Lam Manh, Lam Thang, Lam Sang, Lam Phong, Lam Tue, Lam Vu…
In addition to teaching the language, the monks also taught the villagers Vietnamese songs and introduced them to Vietnam’s traditional cultural customs through dances, traditional dress like the ao dai, conical hats, and Vietnamese cuisine. In themed Vietnamese language classes, the monks showed pictures of tourist sites in Vietnam and specialities of each province. The children at the monastery have learned over 20 Vietnamese songs such as “Noi Vong Tay Lon,” “Vietnam My Homeland,” “Bong Bong Bang Bang,”…
Furthermore, Truc Lam Monastery also organizes online Vietnamese language classes for Sri Lankans working at the embassy and those preparing to work in Vietnam.
