Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Nguyen Thanh Son emphasized the importance of Vietnamese language teaching and learning to the overseas Vietnamese community, at the September 26 opening ceremony for an OV teacher training course in Hanoi. Teaching Vietnamese in Slovakia The new Vietnamese language pedagogy course, conducted by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs and the Ministry of Education and Training, will train 14 teachers currently running Vietnamese lessons in the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Laos, Thailand, and Taiwan. Son said with more than four million Vietnamese people living in over 100 countries and territories around the world, Vietnamese language instruction is increasingly significant in both cultural and long-term strategic terms. The training will help participants hone skills in teaching Vietnamese in a variety of contexts and update methodologies using modern course materials. Trainees will also observe and participate in some classes at local schools and join a press seminar on improving Vietnamese learning and teaching in OV communities. They are scheduled to tour select Vietnamese education research centres and enjoy the natural and human vistas of Hanoi, Ha Long, Ninh Binh, and Sapa. In addition to its immediate professional relevancy, the course will also educate trainees about Vietnamese history, traditions, and cultural identity, introduce the developments of the Doi Moi (Renewal) process, and situate the Vietnamese language in the context of the nation’s industrialisation, modernisation, and international integration. VOV