Vietnamese students about their ideas about studying and working.
Life dreams: speak English and work for a German company
Vietnam's youth are considered hardworking and disciplined. Even farming families try to have at least one of their children study and not work in the fields. Because education, as the majority of the population has long recognized, is the gateway to a better life. The parents pay for the studies out of their own pockets. The fact that students work part-time to support themselves is more the exception than the rule.
Studying, especially at a renowned university in Vietnam or even abroad, is a guarantee of a well-paid job in the socialist country - and the successful search for a spouse. Anyone who wants to develop their career with a foreign investor needs English as a business language. German, on the other hand, only plays a subordinate role, although 100,000 Vietnamese speak German - most of whom completed training or studied in the GDR.
UNIGLOBALE interviewed four young people who are learning German or have already mastered it very well in Vietnam's business city Saigon, also called Ho Chi Minh City.
What are you studying and why?
Khai (19)
Like my other two classmates Quynh and Nguyen, I am studying finance and accounting at the German-Vietnamese University (VGU) in Ho Chi Minh City. I believe that economic development in Vietnam is progressing and our country has a lot of catching up to do in this area. That's why the chance of finding a good job with a degree in this field is very high at the moment.
Quynh (19)
Business is an industry that offers many opportunities, especially in Vietnam. I think the VGU with its German-Vietnamese profile and practical orientation is very good. For me, I see a wide field of activity.
Nguyen (20)
First and foremost, the quality of the university was important to me. The VGU completely met my expectations, also because the lessons are held in English. That appealed to me.
Thao (27)
I've already finished my studies. I studied German as a foreign language at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City. During my school days, I was inspired by my mathematics teacher, who worked as a lecturer at universities in Europe for a long time, about the country and the language. Since then I have loved this language and I even tried to learn German through self-study using a thin manual. Afterwards at university I continued to study German, or more precisely, studied it again. Back then, I didn't know how big the job market was for German speakers in Vietnam, and I didn't think much about the future either. I simply followed my wish and luckily I never regretted my decision at the time.
Are you learning German with the goal of working for a German company one day?
Khai
I'm learning German because it's on the curriculum. Most students who come to Germany also speak perfect English. That's why I think German isn't that important, even if it's a German company I'm going to work for.
Quynh
For me, German is a normal subject like other subjects. I think a job in a German company is a worthwhile goal. I can imagine that very well.
Nguyen
I mean, the more languages you speak, the better it is for your career. But in most companies, including German companies, English is spoken.
Thao
I would like to work for a German company in Vietnam. What I associate with Germany are castles like those in fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, poems by Goethe, music by Beethoven, meat-based food, Oktoberfest, beautiful, stable architecture.
What is difficult for you about the German language?
Khai
Well, the grammar is really not easy, I have to practice a lot.
Quynh
Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to learn German anywhere in elementary school. For this reason, it is not so easy for me to study in German. The articles – the, the, the – are particularly difficult to remember.
Nguyen
The grammar in the German language is very complicated.
Thao
I can speak properly, but sometimes I forget the second part of a separable verb because the middle of the sentence is so long. An example: I really enjoy taking part in art events... (a second to discover that something is still missing)...
How do you imagine your future?
Khai
I have a clear goal: I want to do my doctorate after my studies and work scientifically.
Quynh
I would like to start postgraduate studies in Germany and perhaps later pursue a career in a German company.
Nguyen
I will strive to get a good degree and then try to gain practical experience. Then I will try to continue studying abroad.
Thao
I can well imagine that I will deepen my knowledge of German studies or German literature at a German university in the next few years. After completing my postgraduate studies, I would like to give German lessons. Whether in Germany or Vietnam, one thing is certain: I will always be interested in German culture and language.
Interested in studying in Vietnam? Here you can find information about scholarships etc.:
DAAD
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Vietnamese students about their ideas about studying and working. Life dreams: speak English and work for a German company. Vietnam's youth are considered hard-working and disciplined. Even farming families try to have at least one of their children study and not work in the fields. Because education, as the majority of the population has long recognized, is the gateway
