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Vietnam is now home to Southeast Asia’s fastest growing middle-class. Do you think that Vietnamese is difficult? Probably yes. But, despite the common perception that Vietnamese is a difficult language, it is actually not hard to learn. First, the Vietnamese alphabet is based on the Latin alphabet, which makes it easier for English-speakers to read and write Vietnamese. Second, the grammar is simple - no verb conjugations, tenses are easy and often optional, no gender, virtually no plurals and no articles etc. Moreover, if you are proficient in Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai or Lao, you will have a remarkable advantage and it would be exciting to explore how much Vietnamese language is right at the intersection where Northeast and Southeast Asian languages meet. So despite the claim that Vietnamese is hard, in fact, everyone can learn Vietnamese!

Vietnamese is spoken by nearly 100 million people in Vietnam. Furthermore, Vietnamese is the native language of approximately 4 million Vietnamese residing overseas and is the 6th most spoken language in Australia. The language is the gateway into one of the world’s most dynamic and fastest growing economies and is essential in engaging with the country’s friendly people and exploring its rich and diverse culture. Understanding Vietnamese language and culture is also key to engaging with nearly 300 thousand people of Vietnamese heritage living in Australia and their vibrant communities across Australia.

Overview

Vietnamese at ANU focuses on practical communication and active language use, while helping students develop a deeper understanding of Vietnamese culture and society.

First-year courses build confidence in conversational Vietnamese, with particular attention to pronunciation and tones. Across the first two years, students explore topics relevant to everyday communication, including introducing themselves, making friends, shopping, travelling, telling stories and sharing personal experiences.

From the second year onwards, students continue to strengthen their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills while exploring the cultural ideas embedded in the language.

Study options

Vietnamese is delivered fully online, providing flexibility for ANU students, cross-institutional students and members of the public studying through Open Universities Australia.

Courses follow a flipped-classroom approach. Students review lessons, work through materials and complete assignments independently before attending two live 90-minute online sessions each week. These sessions give students plenty of opportunities to practise speaking and writing with their teacher and classmates.

Vietnamese can be studied as a major or minor, as electives within a degree or as individual courses. It can complement studies in medical science, public health, Asian studies, economics, development studies, political science, environmental studies, international relations, and other areas of the social sciences and humanities.

Undergraduate courses include Vietnamese 1, Vietnamese 2, Vietnamese 3, Vietnamese 4, Vietnamese 5 and Vietnamese 6.

Visit ANU Programs and Courses for study options, or Open Universities Australia to enrol in individual Vietnamese courses.

The School of Culture, History and Language places a unique emphasis on in-country experience. For more information on exchange programs and in-country language opportunities, visit the ANU global programs or enquire cap.student@anu.edu.au.

ANU Students:

Non-ANU Students: