Language is the soul of a nation. The Vietnamese language carries within it the very spirit of Viet Nam. Through Vietnamese, all people—wherever they may live and whoever they may be—can understand the history, culture and identity of Viet Nam.

The 2026 Vietnamese Language Oratory Contest, with the theme “Vietnamese in the Hearts of Those Far from Home”, was hosted by the Vietnamese Association in Saitama under the patronage of the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, the Institute for Social Studies, and the Association for Liaison with Overseas Vietnamese.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Minh Tam, on February 8, in Vientiane, authorised by the Minister of Education and Training of Viet Nam, presented the Minister’s Certificates of Merit to five members of the Vietnamese teacher delegation currently teaching the Vietnamese language in Laos.