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Growing up with Vietnamese

On a Saturday afternoon in a small classroom in Malaysia, 17-year-old Le Nguyen Luu An stands beside the board, patiently correcting every Vietnamese sound and tone for a young child struggling to read aloud. An’s confidence and maturity often surprise parents, but in the Vietnamese class established by her mother, teacher Nguyen Thi Lien, over the past nine years, this image has become familiar. Before assisting her mother in teaching, An was one of the first students to grow up within this very class.

Le Nguyen Luu An is honored as the 2025 Overseas Vietnamese Language Ambassador.

Born in Malaysia in a multilingual environment, An has always been guided by her parents to maintain the habit of speaking Vietnamese at home. Although she uses English at school, at home she speaks entirely in Vietnamese with her parents, listens to her mother’s stories, watches Vietnamese children’s programs, and is exposed early to her homeland’s culture through lullabies and folktales.

When Lien opened a Vietnamese class for the overseas Vietnamese community in 2016, An accompanied her mother every weekend. These were also the days when she learned to recognize the alphabet, practice reading, and practice writing. The lessons were simple yet engaging: An and her classmates read short passages, wrote basic words, played word-matching games, and listened to her mother teach standard pronunciation in Vietnamese.

The class gradually became an environment that strengthened An’s bond with her origins. In addition to learning the language, she experienced Vietnamese culture through extracurricular activities her mother organized: making lanterns for Mid-Autumn Festival, reading New Year greetings, learning about Lunar New Year customs, and performing in events held for the Vietnamese community in Malaysia. These activities made Vietnamese for An no longer a compulsory subject, but a familiar part of her childhood memories.

Her mother’s Vietnamese class has been the place An has been attached to for nine years.

Thanks to systematic and consistent learning, An’s Vietnamese skills have become increasingly refined. She reads fluently, writes with correct spelling, pronounces accurately, and is confident when communicating in Vietnamese with others. “At first, I simply thought I was learning Vietnamese to make it easier to talk with my family or communicate with my grandparents and relatives when we returned to Vietnam. But as I grew older, Vietnamese helped me feel closer to my homeland, and no matter how far I go, I always feel there is a place of affection to return to,” An said.

After many years in the class, An gradually shifted from the role of learner to that of companion to her mother in the Vietnamese classroom. She became a valuable assistant during weekend lessons: guiding younger children with pronunciation, reading aloud as a model, preparing exercises, and helping newcomers keep up with the class. With her gentle and approachable manner, An inspires many children to feel more confident when learning Vietnamese.

Since 2021, when in-person classes resumed after the pandemic, An’s role has become even clearer. She and her mother reorganized the class, participated in designing extracurricular activities, and prepared programs for Mid-Autumn Festival, International Children’s Day on June 1, Christmas, and Lunar New Year celebrations for the overseas Vietnamese community. Many performances, ao dai showcases and cultural exchange activities for children were choreographed, guided, or supported by An.

Le Nguyen Luu An during a Mid-Autumn Festival-themed extracurricular activity.

The youngest Vietnamese Language Ambassador of 2025

Not only excelling as a teaching assistant, An has also become increasingly aware of the value of the Vietnamese language in the lives of Vietnamese people in Malaysia. Here, many children must use English, Chinese, Malay, and other languages simultaneously. Exposure to too many languages can easily cause Vietnamese to recede if it is not nurtured from early childhood. An realized that when language fades, the connection to one’s roots can also weaken. Therefore, accompanying her mother in teaching is not merely supporting the class; it is also her way of helping preserve the language that nurtured her childhood.

Teacher Nguyen Thi Lien - An’s mother - was honored as the Overseas Vietnamese Language Ambassador in 2023, the first year the contest was held. For An, her mother is not only a teacher but also the greatest source of inspiration on her journey to preserve Vietnamese far from home. The moment her mother’s name was announced at the award ceremony that year became a special memory. It was her mother who encouraged An to participate in this year’s contest, viewing it as an opportunity for An to challenge her Vietnamese abilities, reflect on her journey with her mother tongue, and mature in her thinking.

Le Nguyen Luu An (second from left) is the youngest contestant honored as an Overseas Vietnamese Language Ambassador in 2025.

Those experiences strengthened An’s confidence as she entered the 2025 Overseas Vietnamese Language Ambassador Competition. Although the youngest contestant, she impressed the judges with her natural demeanor, cultural understanding, and sincere affection for Vietnamese. Her performance stemmed from familiar, everyday experiences: family stories, weekend classes, and the joy she finds in supporting younger students. The title of 2025 Vietnamese Language Ambassador came to An as a complete recognition, not only the result of personal effort but also proof that the younger generation of overseas Vietnamese can fully serve as bridges to promote Vietnamese, even while growing up in a multilingual international environment.

For An, the title is a motivation to continue accompanying her mother’s class. She hopes to create more engaging activities for younger students: exploring Vietnamese cuisine, discovering folk music, storytelling, reading poetry, and experiencing traditional games. An believes that when Vietnamese culture is brought into daily life in a lively way, the Vietnamese language will feel closer and more relatable to the younger generation.

Looking ahead, as she enters university, An hopes to have opportunities to participate in international exchange activities and continue introducing Vietnamese culture to friends around the world. For her, preserving the Vietnamese language is not only a responsibility but also a source of pride - a gift she wishes to carry with her on every journey of her youth.

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