IT has been used in teaching Vietnamese for Lao students at Son La College. (Photo: VOV)

After 5 months, the students from the northern Laos have gotten used to their new environment in Son La.

Their initial confusion and difficulty in learning Vietnamese and communicating in daily life has gradually lessened thanks to their Vietnamese teachers’ dedication and creative teaching methods.

Each Vietnamese teacher is in charge of one Laotian student who learns and practices Vietnamese through singing songs, visiting historical sites and tourist attractions, going to the market, and shopping.

Chen Ny Ma Lay San of Xiangkhouang province who is studying Vietnamese at Son La College said, “Before coming to Vietnam, I felt very nervous because I had no idea how life and study would be. After 5 months in Son La studying Vietnamese, I was able to listen, speak, read and write thanks to the teachers who have used different methods to help us understand each lesson, including explaining it in Lao.”

The teachers have used IT in teaching Vietnamese and other subjects, and have improved their own Lao language proficiency in order to support their students.

Son La College has organized activities on the major holidays of the two countries to enable the Laotians and Vietnamese to exchange cultural understanding.

Vice Rector Nguyen Xuan Thang said that since 2001 the College has organized 20 training courses in Vietnamese and other subjects for 3,000 students from Laos.

“We have offered many incentives for Laotian students, including providing financial support from the provincial budget, and providing free dormitory accommodation, electricity, water, and full health insurance,” said Thang.

Lao students who don’t know Vietnamese receive a one-year preliminary language course and are paired up with Vietnamese students studying the same major at Northwest University, Son La College, Son La Medical College, or Son La School of Art, Culture, and Tourism.

Chon Ny Phu Thon from Sainyabuli province, told VOV, “I chose to study in Son La because I know that Son La College has a lot of experience teaching Vietnamese to Laotian students and that Northwest University has the IT major I want to study.”

Lao students have been provided with accommodations at dormitories of educational facilities. (Photo: VOV)

Pursuant to MoUs signed with northern Laos provinces, since 1969 Son La has trained thousands of Lao officials and students at its educational facilities.

Since 2015 more than 3,600 Laotian students and officials have studied in Son La. 2,700 of them have completed training programs and returned to Laos to work.

Nguyen Van Chien, Director of the provincial Department of Foreign Affairs, said many Laotian students studying in Vietnam are being prepared for leadership and management positions in Laos.

This demonstrates the trust Lao provinces have in Son La’s education and training programs and in bilateral comprehensive cooperation.

According to Chien, “Son La has paid special attention to training students from northern Lao provinces. The number of Laotian students to studying here increases every year. In the 2022-2023 academic year, We plan to enroll 405 students from northern Lao provinces.”

Generations of Lao students have completed training programs in Vietnam, improved their abilities, and mastered professional skills so they can return to Laos a qualified human resource and contribute to the future development of Laos.

This has tightened the special friendship, solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos, and particularly between Son La and the northern Lao provinces.