Good at English for effective working
English is the key to opening the door to the outside world, as it is the most popular language in the world. Learning and being good at English is a challenge and an opportunity for Vietnamese young people as a whole and young civil servants, employees in particular amid the context of extensive international integration. Reality proves that young officials proficient in English will do their jobs well and have many other opportunities.
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Delegates inspect contestants of a competition in response to the 6th English Olympic Competition for young officials in 2024. |
Teacher Nhu Dinh Ngoc Anh, a senior lecturer at VinUni University, initially learned to be able to fully understand the thinking of speakers. With his passion for English and great efforts, Ngoc Anh has become a famous person in English learners’ community; received a full scholarship from the Australian Government; won a prize with a trip to Europe to meet Swedish startup legends; worked as a Goodwill Ambassador and spokesperson representing Vietnam on the Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Program, to name but a few. Attentively, he is also the co-founder of “8IELTS" (IELTS Face Off), an educational television program broadcast on the VTV7 channel of Vietnam Television.
Another example is the English Club of the Military Technical Academy (MTA). The club is held once a month and has become an interesting playground for cadets inside and outside the academy.
These are two of thousands of stories that show the necessity of learning English in the work and daily life of young officials nowadays. Secretary of the HCYU Central Committee Nguyen Tuong Lam affirmed that improving foreign language and international integration skills of Vietnamese youth and young officials should be paid more attention to in order to contribute to raising the country’s position and power in the international arena and boosting national synergy in the cause of building and protecting the Fatherland in the new situation.
Arousing spirit of learning foreign language among young officials
Recognizing the significance of English, since 2019, the HCYU Central Committee has organized the English Olympic Competition for young officials within the framework of the project on improving English skills for Vietnamese youth in the 2018-2022 period and the program on supporting to enhance foreign language and international integration skills for Vietnamese youth in the 2022-2030 period. Over the past five years, the contest has attracted nearly 300,000 contestants with more than 3 million entries.
This year’s contest at the MTA drew the participation of more than 16,000 contestants. The contest was livestreamed by the organizing panel and received messages from viewers across the country, from Si Ma Cai (Lao Cai), Na Hang (Tuyen Quang) to Gia Lai, Ben Tre, Vinh Long, Can Tho provinces, among others.
Contestant Doan Khue Anh Trang from the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) shared that the event offered her an opportunity to make more friends.
According to Pham Viet Cuong from Viettel Solutions, champion of the contest, the English Olympic Contest helped him show his English skills and receive trust and appreciation from leaders and colleagues, thereby he would have more chances to participate in important projects, especially foreign ones, and join international training courses to raise his expertise in science and technology.
From another perspective, Captain Cong Ngoc Huyen Duyen, an instructor of the MTA, shared that as an instructor of Russian, she is also keen on English. In recent years, the English Olympic Contest has attracted the attention of both instructors and other officials, especially Youth Union officials at the academy. The contest is a reminder for them to practice foreign languages to engage in the integration process if they do not want to be left behind.
Nguyen Tuong Lam expressed his hope that the contest would continue to be an environment to arouse the spirit of learning English and support international integration skills for young officials.
Translated by Quynh Oanh