Vietnamese students dream of being bridges between Vietnam and China

A competitor performs during the 15th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition for foreign college students in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, May 25, 2016. 15 Chinese language majored students participated in the competition on May 25. [Photo/Xinhua]

"I will try to study the Chinese language well so I can become a bridge linking the peoples of Vietnam and China together," said Vu Thi Bao Nguyet, the top prize winner of the 15th Chinese Bridge, the annual Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students in northern Vietnam on May 25.

As many as 15 students who are studying a Chinese language major at 11 universities in northern Vietnam were selected to take part in the competition in Vietnam's capital Hanoi on Wednesday. The competition was held under the theme "Dreams Enlighten the Future".

"I loved studying Chinese when I was a kid. At that time, I was fond of Chinese movies and TV series, as well as Chinese music," Nguyet told Xinhua after winning the first prize of the competition.

"After watching the Beijing Olympics on television, I decided to study the Chinese language so that I could visit China," Nguyet said.

"I want to become a Chinese language teacher or work in the tourism sector," Nguyet told Xinhua of her dream job.

"Studying Chinese is very interesting, as Chinese characters are different from Latin characters. It is quite difficult at first, but the more I study, the more I love the Chinese language,"said the second-year student from Hanoi University.

"Chinese Bridge competition is a stage for students who study Chinese language and culture to show their Chinese skill, as well as their understanding about the Chinese culture," said Nguyen Thi Cuc Phuong, vice principal of Hanoi University and president of Hanoi University's Confucius Institute.

"Chinese Bridge competition serves as a platform for exchanges among those who study the Chinese language in Vietnam," Phuong said.

Pham Hoai Giang, a student from the Chinese Faculty at the People's Security Academy told Xinhua that "In the future I will join the police force. I will use the Chinese language to connect the people of Vietnam and those of China following the 16-word motto of 'friendly neighborliness, comprehensive cooperation, long-term stability and looking towards the future'."

Chinese Bridge competition has been organized in Vietnam since 2002. So far, Vietnamese students have shown their outstanding competitiveness as 20 Vietnamese students have earned prizes in the competition's final round held in China.