VSL Pen and Vietnam Letter 2018: Echoes of beautiful emotions

Award Ceremony of “VSL Pen and Vietnamese Letter 2018” at the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language

"VSL Pen and Vietnamese Letter 2018" is an annual writing contest organized by CMC for Vietnamese and foreign students inside and outside the school. The contest aims to exploit and honor the beauty of the Vietnamese language through writing and sharing stories, memories, emotions... that each person has experienced. This year, with 69 articles from Vietnamese and foreign authors, the contest brought many articles of good quality, interesting ideas and especially brought very beautiful emotions to readers.

Vietnam Letter: There is such a Vietnam!

The "Vietnam Letters 2018" contest with the theme "Vietnam in my eyes" has received positive and enthusiastic responses from international students. 25 authors come from 6 countries: China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Russia and Poland. The articles are presented in many diverse forms: writing letters to mothers, writing to friends, recording experiences and giving many interesting and unique comments about the time living and studying in Hanoi. In particular, some foreign students also write poems.

All the articles show the serious and respectful attitude of the writers towards the contest. The 25 articles are 25 heartfelt confessions and feelings about life in Vietnam, especially in Hanoi. The articles shared very honestly about the difficulties that foreigners experience such as: weather, traffic, differences in customs, lifestyle, thinking, language barriers... But these difficulties did not discourage the students. Trying to overcome and integrate into the new life in Vietnam, the students gradually discovered the hidden beauty in the Vietnamese lifestyle. Many articles have interesting discoveries about cuisine and traffic in Vietnam - quite subtle discoveries that we Vietnamese, sometimes because we are too familiar with it, cannot see. For example, one student saw the similarity between filter coffee and Vietnamese people. The faint aroma of filter coffee is like "the smile of Vietnamese people"...

Russian students had just attended an event at the Russian Cultural Center and returned in time to prepare for the cultural program with the song Ka chiu sa.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thien Nam(Head of the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language) shared: The contest is held every year, but every time I read the articles of foreign students, I am moved. First of all, they write very honestly, writing about both the good and bad aspects of experiencing culture and lifestyle in Vietnam. Next, there are students whose Vietnamese language ability was only at the beginning level when they first started studying, but through the contest, they have shown remarkable progress in using Vietnamese. And therefore, I am very happy to see the results of the training process at the Department demonstrated through this contest.

Assoc.Prof.Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan (Vice Principal of University of Social Sciences and Humanities)

At the award ceremony,Assoc.Prof.Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan(Vice Principal of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities) shared: he was impressed with the First Prize winning article by author Naoko (Japan) when he accidentally read this article on the school's website. The article attracts readers by its gentleness, clarity and the writer's subtle feelings: "Reading the title of the article, you can immediately tell that it is written by a foreign student, but a foreigner who uses Vietnamese is even better than a Vietnamese person!".

Naoko Kobayashi, the female student who won first prize in the "Vietnamese Letter" contest, is reading a passage from her letter, talking about the "forgiveness" quality of Vietnamese people.

Of course, there are still some clumsy expressions, grammatical and spelling mistakes, but above all, the articles show sincere feelings for the country and people of Vietnam. One author shared: the most precious thing in Vietnam is humanity. Another author also shared the same thought: "There are so many things to say about this beautiful country. But if I could only choose one word to describe Vietnam, I would choose "emotion". Another foreign friend wrote: "The space of Vietnam, in addition to the beauty of nature, also contains the beauty of humanity"... Or there are sentences that make readers moved: "I have witnessed the most wonderful time of my youth, thank you Vietnam for giving me beautiful memories that I will never forget".

The articles contribute to spreading the message: Come to Vietnam, learn and experience life like the people here to know: In this world, there is a Vietnam like that!

VSL pen: pure and intense youthful emotions

Associate Professor, Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan and representatives of Dao Minh Quang Foundation awarded the First Prize "Vietnam Letter 2018" and the First Prize "VSL Pen"

If “Thu Viet Nam” awakens readers to the values ​​of Vietnamese culture, the articles of “VSL Pen” are full of youthful spirit and aspirations. The 44 entries not only come from the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language but also from other faculties such as: Literature, Linguistics, History, Oriental Studies, Management Science, Tourism Studies, Sociology... The contest has inspired creativity and love for Vietnamese beyond the space of VSL house.

Dr. Dang Hoang Giang- The contest's secretary said: "The appeal of the contest is proof of our hearts and hopes for a humane and liberal education of the future that begins with the life stories of young people, with the creative inspiration and aspirations of youth, with the ability to use to the point of proficiency, even mastery, a Vietnamese language that is honest and beautiful, pure and full of trust".

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thien Nam awarded the most favorite article to 2 authors.

Compared to last year, this year’s contest has more profound confessions and more refined, more imbued perspectives on life and current events. Each article is a lovely confession about the pure love of youth, memories full of thoughts such as: “be braver, to walk in youth”, “youth is for missing out”, “who is not confused about youth”, “not goodbye but see you again”… There are also stories about the passionate and passionate days at university, where each student experiences so much joy and dedication to the community under the color of volunteering.

An author tells readers about a rich youth: “My youth is searching for and empathizing with the youth of others, through each page of a book”. Youth also leaves its mark in the sincere dream of teaching, literature and side stories that awaken humane emotions. Youth also takes the form of “memories of yesterday” with an infinite stream of truthful confidences. Youth is also imprinted in a fictional space full of emotions through the image of “The Feet” with a sentimental story like a contemporary lyrical reportage.

Two Second Prizes of "VSL Pen" and "Vietnam Letter 2018"

“To my friend named “Youth”. You are the second stage of life. Like a field of wild green grass and full of vitality. Be sharp, thick, be weak and strong, those are the most innocent and beautiful features of youth. As long as you become a true youth, giving me enough provisions to be ready to step into the summer of life full of sunshine and storms…”. These lines come from a student at the first threshold of university, enough for us to believe in a unique and profound way of thinking of the young generation of the School of Humanities.

Readers are also surprised by these sentiments: “I am still young, before I get old, I will do everything I want, regardless of right or wrong, even though I know there will be times when I will regret it. Thank you for giving me the courage to do things I never thought I could do. Thank you for helping me grow up, pulling me out of the shell of old ideas. Thank you for helping me experience the most interesting things. Thank you for giving me faith in the future. You can visit Hanoi's Youth many times, but the youth of life only comes to you once, once only.”

Two Third Prizes of "VSL Pen 2018" and "Vietnam Letter 2018"

But we will be even more moved when reading another name for youth in the article “My youth is called mother”: “That’s it, mother uses all her youth, all her life just for her children. My youth is beautiful when I have my mother and it is only complete when I have my mother. I just want to say that you should not worry about where to find your youth, but start with the smallest things. Don’t waste your youth, but realize the true value and meaning of the youth you need to find and live fully with it, cherish it and give it your all. Youth is beautiful. Don’t let it pass by so quickly and meaninglessly… My youth is my mother and my youthful days begin from my mother’s youth…”.

Authors awarded Encouragement Prize

As always, the contest "VSL Pen and Vietnamese Letter 2018" has ended but still leaves beautiful emotional echoes in the hearts of many people. Going beyond a contest to honor the Vietnamese language, the articles have touched the love, creating beautiful moments of silence in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. And as Master. Dao Van Hung (Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and Language) shared with the contestants: We are not the ones who bring you awards. It is you who make us feel worthy of being rewarded as a place to open all greetings and hopes. Congratulations to the contest, congratulations to you and congratulations to us - the teachers and students of VSL for a successful contest season - a season of love, a season of thoughts and messages".

Results of the contest "Vietnam Letter 2018"

• First Prize: Naoko Kobayashi (Japan):Vietnam in my eyes.
• Second Prize: Kim Ya Hoon (Korea):Vietnam in me is…
• Third Prize: Elizarova Sofya (Russia).
• Encouragement Prize:

Diana Tszya (Russia):Why I decided to travel to Vietnam.

Hanae (Japan):Dear friends in Hanoi.

Jee Hyn Ha (Korea):Vietnam in my eyes.

Seth (Thailand):Memories of Hanoi that year.

Spirit Era (China):Vietnam in my eyesi (Poetry).

• Most Liked Article: Seth (Thailand):Memories of Hanoi that year.

Results of the contest "VSL Pen 2018"

• First Prize: Vu Thi Tam (K61 Vietnamese Studies):My youth is called "Mom" for short.
• Second Prize: Le My Nhan (K61 Journalism and Communication):Because I'm young.
• Third Prize: Tran Van Dao (K62 Vietnam Studies):Youth – sharp, thick, weak, soft, intense.
• Encouragement Prize:

Pham Thi Dieu Thuy (K60 Linguistics):Memories of yesterday.

Bui Thi Diep Anh (K60 Oriental Studies):Youth.

Nguyen Thi Lan Anh (K61 Literature Pedagogy):Feet.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Nga (K61 Literature):What is your dream?

Hoang Thi Thuy (K60 Vietnamese Studies):Youth buried in piles of books.

• Most favorite article: Pham Thi Linh Linh (K61 Vietnamese Studies):My youth is…

http://www.ussh.vnu.edu.vn/d6/vi-VN/news/Viet-Nam-qua-doi-mat-cua-mot-nguoi-Nhat-1-702-17097

http://www.ussh.vnu.edu.vn/d6/vi-VN/news/Vi-minh-con-tre-1-702-17096

http://www.ussh.vnu.edu.vn/d6/vi-VN/news/Thanh-xuan-cua-toi-got-tat-la-Me-1-702-17106