According to Luong Xuan Hoa, Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in Udon Thani Province, the local Vietnamese community numbers around 15,000 people. Most engage in commerce, possess stable legal status, and are deeply integrated into Thai society. Despite their settled and prosperous lives, they continue to hold their mother tongue in exceptional esteem. Currently, the province maintains eight Vietnamese-language classes, many of which rely entirely on the voluntary efforts of elderly teachers.

On a late weekend afternoon, when the shops along Vietnam Town close for the day, the lights of the Khanh An Vietnamese Language School, located within the premises of the Vietnamese Association headquarters in Udon Thani, begin to shine. Elderly teachers, their hair touched with grey, wait patiently for their students to arrive. After decades of teaching without salary or title, they carry with them only a deep love for the Vietnamese language and a hope that children growing up in Thailand will still retain the sounds of their homeland.

Delegates and overseas Vietnamese pose for a commemorative photo with students of Khanh An Vietnamese Language School.

Classes begin in solemnity: students sing the Vietnamese national anthem, recite President Ho Chi Minh’s Five Teachings, and then disperse into nine groups based on proficiency. One group practices spelling, another focuses on handwriting; some study poetry, while others learn phonics through Vietnamese children’s songs.

In teacher Ha's class (also known as Tun), teacher Tuc-ta (Vietnamese name: Hang Nga) sits with her husband and their son, carefully reviewing the song taught in the previous lesson. Born in Thailand to a Vietnamese family, she has had few opportunities to use her mother tongue, prompting her decision to attend Khanh An Vietnamese Language School together with her husband and their 10-year-old son.

“I want to speak Vietnamese, and I want my child to learn Vietnamese. I am proud to be Vietnamese and want my son to be proud of his Vietnamese heritage too,” Tuc-ta shared.

These twice-weekly classes not only help children learn to speak Vietnamese but also nurture in them a love for their origins. The teachers take pride in seeing their students introduce themselves, talk about their families and schools, sing and recite Vietnamese poems, and understand President Ho Chi Minh’s Five Teachings.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to inaugurate the Vietnamese Bookshelf serving the community in Udon Thani Province (Thailand).

Founded in 2017 based on the idea of former Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Nguyen Tat Thanh and Luong Xuan Hoa, the Khanh An Vietnamese Language School is the center of the Vietnamese-language teaching movement in Udon Thani. The teachers who have been with the school since its early days are all elderly overseas Vietnamese who regard teaching the Vietnamese language as their responsibility to the Fatherland.

Teacher Tran Trong Tai, commonly known as teacher Chun, now nearly 80 years old, smiled gently as he recounted that his youngest students can now count fluently in Vietnamese.

“Teaching here is as challenging as teaching foreigners. The children have no Vietnamese foundation at all, so we have to tutor them bit by bit, translating into Thai when needed. But as long as the Vietnamese language remains, Vietnamese people remain,” teacher Chun said.

A Vietnamese class at Khanh An Vietnamese Language School led by teacher Nguyen Thi Xuan Oanh.

Teacher Nguyen Thi Xuan Oanh (77 years old) shared: “We contribute by teaching Vietnamese so that the children learn to love the Fatherland and understand their origins. Who knows - one day, some of them may return to contribute to the country.” Teacher Oanh is pleased that the Khanh An Vietnamese Language School has received increasing attention and support. Everyone now recognizes that teaching Vietnamese to the children of overseas Vietnamese is essential.

The teachers’ efforts have been rewarded with commendable achievements. Thanakorn (Vietnamese name: Huy Hoang), a 10th-grade student at Udonpittayanukoon School, won First Prize with a perfect score of 30/30 in the Vietnamese writing and speaking categories at the Vietnamese Speaking - Spelling Bee 2024 hosted by Maha Sarakham University. “I have studied Vietnamese for six years. If given the opportunity, I want to teach Vietnamese and make a small contribution to Vietnam,” Huy Hoang said.

In November 2023, the Center for Vietnamese Studies at Udon Thani Rajabhat University was established, bringing new vitality to the movement of learning Vietnamese. Within a short time, the Center organized several major activities, including the 2024 Lunar New Year celebration, a Language and Culture Camp in Nong Khai Province, and Vietnamese training courses for secondary school students.

Duong Bich Ngoc, a member of the Center’s Management Board, noted that the Northeast region of Thailand currently has more than 30 schools teaching Vietnamese. In the future, the Center aims to open Vietnamese classes from basic to advanced levels, eventually moving toward deeper research into Vietnamese culture and language.

Phiraphat Thongkaem, a student at Udon Thani Rajabhat University, shared that he is fond of Vietnam, Vietnamese cuisine, and Vietnamese tourism, which is why he wants to learn the Vietnamese language.

The launch ceremony of the Center for Vietnamese Studies at Udon Thani Rajabhat University (Thailand), November 1, 2023.

The university’s first Vietnamese training course attracted nearly 50 secondary school students. Many expressed a desire to study and work in Vietnam. Chayanan Panmapuek, from the Demonstration School of Udon Thani Rajabhat University, said: “I see that Vietnam is opening up, and more and more tourists are visiting the country. Therefore, I want to go to Vietnam to seek job opportunities and gain new experiences.”

During his working trip in August 2024, Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung praised Udon Thani Rajabhat University for putting the Center for Vietnamese Studies into operation. The Ambassador expressed hope that the Center would host more diverse activities, providing knowledge about Vietnam to students, researchers, and Thai people interested in learning about the country.

The second Vietnamese basic training course for all learners in 2025, organized by the Center for Vietnamese Studies at Udon Thani Rajabhat University.

Udon Thani Vice Governor Nathapol Withee noted that the province has many policies encouraging Vietnamese students to study and conduct research at educational institutions in the area.

Sompon Baolophet, Director of the Vietnam Center at Udon Thani Rajabhat University, said that the Center for Vietnamese Studies is preparing a longer-term Vietnamese course so that those who truly wish to speak Vietnamese within a short period can come to the university and the Center to study.

From the Vietnamese class that President Ho Chi Minh opened nearly a century ago to the classes in Vietnam Town and the Center for Vietnamese Studies today, the movement of teaching and learning Vietnamese in Udon Thani has been an unbroken current. It has become a lasting part of the cultural life of the local Vietnamese-origin community. This continuity not only preserves the Vietnamese language for the children of overseas Vietnamese but also creates new academic spaces for young Thai people to gain deeper insight into Vietnam. On this land once marked by President Ho Chi Minh’s footsteps, the Vietnamese language continues to be preserved and developed thanks to the enduring efforts of the Vietnamese community and the increasingly enthusiastic participation of the younger generation.

Overseas Vietnamese and teachers in Northeast Thailand complete the “Training Program to Enhance Vietnamese Language Teaching Capacity,” organized by the Consulate General of Vietnam in Khon Kaen, Thailand, September 2025.

By: Phan Anh

Design: Mai Anh