IPACS RANEPA student about her impressions of studying in Vietnam

A student at the Institute of Public Administration and Civil Service of the Presidential Academy, Tatyana Usakova, told a special correspondent of the IPACS RANEPA International Cooperation Department about her impressions of studying as part of academic mobility at Hanoi National University (Hanoi, Vietnam). At IPACS RANEPA, Tatyana is studying in the program “Sports Journalism”, and at Hanoi National University she is undergoing a language internship.

– Why did you decide to take part in the internship and study Vietnamese?

I applied during the internship selection period because I am very interested in Asian culture and philosophy. Vietnam probably has everything for tourism and life. Here you can see snowy mountains, a warm sea, and unique cities. I was interested not only in learning the Vietnamese language, but also in learning about the life of the Vietnamese people and their philosophy. Therefore, I decided to take advantage of the opportunities that the Academy provides us and go on an internship. Moreover, now, during the period of the “national turn to the east,” it is very important to study Russian-Asian relations, at least in the future.

– How was the selection process for the program?

After receiving the newsletter about the start of selection for the internship, I filled out the application form that I had to submit to apply. It asked both about the applicant’s academic achievements and extracurricular activities. I wrote down all my achievements during my studies at the university. I sent it and forgot about it, 5 months later I received a notification about the next stage of selection (a shortlist of the strongest applicants was drawn up, and I was in it). The next step was an interview with the acting director of IPACS Ruslan Nikolaevich Korchagin. There, each applicant had to talk about their motivation for the internship (this was an exciting moment for me). We just talked and went our separate ways. And a few hours later I received an email that my application had been approved. Well, then the paperwork related to traveling abroad began.

– What is the most difficult thing about learning Vietnamese?

It’s probably phonetics, pronunciation. The fact is that Vietnamese is a tonal language. There are 6 tones in it with which you can pronounce the same syllable, and at the same time the meaning of what is said will change. I think all Vietnamists will agree with me. But the tones, fortunately, were not a surprise to me, because I had already studied Chinese before (there are 4 tones).

– What features and new methods of language learning at Hanoi National University can you note?

My internship has just begun, so I have not yet fully understood the Vietnamese education system, and most importantly, the assessment system. But I would really like to note the friendly nature of the relationship. The teachers themselves are very friendly and are interested in learning something about the students themselves.

In one day, the teacher was able to integrate us into the company of students who had already begun their studies (all arrived at different times and immediately began their studies), so there were no problems with communications. I study in a group with a beginner level of the language, so the teachers often have to use English to explain the material, but they are persistently trying to move away from this so that we conduct conversations only in Vietnamese.

– What is the most memorable thing about Vietnamese culture?

A very flexible culture in which you can find something crazy or, on the contrary, close to you. The way of life and thinking of the Vietnamese people fall in love with both complexity and simplicity. Vietnam has historically gone through many difficulties and has not broken the spirit of the local population: they are always open to guests and each other.

– Why should students try their hand and take part in this program?

Because this is a unique program (at least in our Institute), which provides the opportunity to study for a year at the best university in the country, get a competitive salary, study the language and culture of the country, have the opportunity to travel in your free time due to the developed logistics system between significant cities and tourist sites.

This is a unique chance to turn your student life into an unforgettable period, and to make your resume different from hundreds of others by knowing a rare but increasingly popular language!