From Korean to Chinese: Vietnam's language learners follow the jobs

HANOI — “Chinese is definitely the trend now.” At a Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK) testing center at Hanoi University, 23-year-old Vu Thi Thao had just finished the Level 6 exam, the highest level. She had left her job at a Chinese railway company and is now preparing to become a Chinese-language instructor. Vu Thi Thao explained that Chinese companies expanding into Vietnam have created a significant demand for Chinese speakers.

The Chinese language boom is spreading throughout Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries. This trend differs from the Korean language learning surge that occurred during the Korean wave. Now, Chinese has become a crucial foreign language for employment opportunities. This shift in language preference is driven by Chinese companies hiring numerous Chinese speakers as they relocate their production bases in Southeast Asia to evade U.S. trade restrictions.

The growing popularity of Chinese in Southeast Asia is evident in the statistics. According to data from Chinese Testing International, Vietnam had 146,000 HSK test takers last year, the highest number in the region.