KF뉴스레터-[KF Mailbox] Spending Time with Students in Da Nang, Viet Nam

[KF Mailbox] Spending Time with Students in Da Nang, Viet Nam

[KF Mailbox]Spending Time with Students in Da Nang, Viet Nam

“Thank you, sir. Good day!” My classroom used to resound with the sound of students bidding me farewell at the end of each class. Now, however, I can only hear my students, their singing voices as bright as the smiles on their faces, in my memories or online. They are the vivacious students of the Faculty of Korean Language and Culture at the University of Da Nang’s University of Foreign Language Studies (UFLS).

After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the school repeatedly closed and opened classes. In May 2021, online classes were resumed, and these days, the entire campus stands empty from sunup to sundown. I am looking forward to seeing the daily scenes of campus life again—brightly shining students all over campus; women students scurrying through the school gate together, holding a jacket high over their heads as if sharing a parasol to block out the burning sun; students sitting at the old desks in the corridor; those with bánh mì sandwiches in their hands and their never-ending chatter; bursts of laughter; barefooted student dancers practicing on the lawn between the Main Building and the Class Building, K-pop catching the ears of passersby; and students in blue uniforms practicing Vovinam, Viet Nam’s traditional form of martial arts, late at night under the fluorescent light of the Main Building lobby. I cannot wait to see motorcycles packing the campus and the smiles that always accompanied greetings of “Good morning, sir” again.

Da Nang lies in the center of the narrow, vertically situated Central Viet Nam. Beautiful beaches lie to the east, and the city’s resort area can be reached in less than 10 minutes by car from Da Nang International Airport. The Han River (Sông Hàn in Vietnamese) runs up through the heart of Da Nang to join the sea.

Korean language education in Da Nang took root over a decade later than it did in Hanoi to the north and Ho Chi Minh City to the south, and UFLS was the catalyst. In 2005, its Korean Division was established as part of the UFLS Faculty of Chinese-Japanese. In 2007, Korean language became one of the three pillars of the UFLS Faculty of Japanese-Korean-Thai. And in October 2021, the Faculty of Korean Language and Culture was finally established. The KF began sending visiting professors to the institution in 2016. Every year, first-year students from around Viet Nam enroll in classes, most of them newcomers to the study of the Korean language. However, by the second semester of their senior year, these students become capable of undergoing an eight-week-long “on-the-job” training program at Korean companies in Viet Nam, carrying out interpretation and translation assignments to qualify for graduation. Some students from outside Da Nang do face difficulties in communicating when they first settle in the city, learning a totally foreign language in an unfamiliar environment and missing their beloved families and hometowns.

Conversing with students in Korean gives me enormous pleasure. Sometimes, when I sit in front of my computer monitor and call on a student, the powerful crow of an unseen rooster pierces my ears before I hear my student’s voice. At other times, the voice I long to hear becomes distant before coming back. Online classes proceed like this, often accompanied by beautiful birdsong. I feel truly thankful to the students who study Korean at home using their mobile phones, many of them living outside Da Nang. From time to time, classes are disrupted by rain, typhoons, and other bad weather conditions. I frequently have to ask my students, “Can you hear me well?” Despite how hard it is to interact with them, I try to get close to them by conversing as if we were in a classroom. Sometimes on the street I hear someone call, “Sir!” from behind me, and when I turn around, I find one of my students wearing a shy yet bright smile. I met Nhung when she was coming out of a dental clinic, saw Lê in a beauty shop, came across Ty in front of a hospital elevator, and spotted Nhân on the street on his motorcycle. I was so glad to see them. It is amazing to be recognized and greeted by them; I feel very grateful. When I part with them after a brief conversation, I always say, “See you again!” and they respond, “Goodbye, sir!” These exchanges warm my heart and reassure me. I eagerly await the day when we will be able to continue talking in the classroom. I hope it comes as soon as possible.