An Increasingly Connected World: Vietnamese Courses at Harvard

Hoa Le, Senior Preceptor in Vietnamese and Vietnamese Language Program Director, began teaching at Harvard in 2022. Last year her popular courses included Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Low sections of Vietnamese; these courses will all be on offer again this fall in addition to a new Advanced High level course. Le also offers independent reading and research courses on a variety of topics to those students interested in a one-on-one immersive language experience for thesis or other research.  
 
According to Le, her courses are designed to be “enjoyable and engaging, ensuring that the students have a positive learning experience.” She noted that while non-speakers of Vietnamese were initially somewhat intimidated by heritage speakers in the Beginning class, the diversity of abilities helped to create a supportive and connected learning community, as students worked frequently in pairs and small groups. By the end of the first semester, the students started feeling much more comfortable and advanced quickly in the second semester.  
 
KaitIyn Vu ’27, who took Vietnamese BA and BB last year, benefitted from this tight-knit community, sharing that “from day one, the program offers a welcoming environment where all students – regardless of previous experience – can learn how to speak, write, and read in Vietnamese. I found the variety of hands-on and multimedia lessons extremely enriching: they made learning Vietnamese fun and built a culture where everyone helped each other learn. Personally, taking classes with the Vietnamese Language Program allowed me to connect on a deeper level with my family and understand more about my cultural heritage. I can confidently say that the classes helped me to embrace my identity as a Vietnamese heritage learner and served as a wonderful introduction to the Vietnamese community at Harvard.” 
 
Real-world applications of course content are also crucial to Le, who emphasizes task-based language teaching across all levels, enabling students to use Vietnamese for practical tasks. Community-building and real-world language application took place during creative activities such as a field trip to the Mather School in Dorchester, home of Massachusetts’ only Vietnamese bilingual program, where Harvard Vietnamese language students read stories in Vietnamese to first and second graders and were immersed in Mather’s Vietnamese language community. Students also participated in a poetry illustration workshop with artist Basia Tran, using new language skills to explore Vietnamese poetry. Both highly popular activities will be offered in courses again in the coming year, along with a senior thesis roundtable, where seniors can share their Vietnam-related theses with peers and fun (food and crafts!) Vietnamese language tables. 
 
While many students in Le’s courses are heritage learners, Le emphasizes that there are so many more connections to be gained from studying a Southeast Asian language beyond connection with family. “In a globalized world, learning an additional language, whether for personal interest or professional development, studying Southeast Asian languages like Vietnamese fosters empathy and understanding of diverse cultures, Le says. “It also allows an individual to appreciate the rich history and cultural heritage of the region. Southeast Asia is a vibrant and rapidly developing area with significant global importance, and understanding these languages and cultures creates opportunities for deeper connections and better mutual understanding in an increasingly connected world.”   

The Vietnamese Language Program welcomes people to check out our Instagram page for synopsis about the extracurricular activities available in conjunction with courses