The first Vietnamese female student won the world's largest Chinese language competition

Nguyen Thanh Mai, a 12th grade Chinese major student at the Foreign Language High School (Hanoi National University) has just become the Asian champion and entered the world top 3 at the Chinese Bridge - the world's largest Chinese speaking contest, held annually for students. This is also the best achievement ever of a Vietnamese student in this contest.

To represent Vietnam in international competitions, students must win first prize in the national round. Thanh Mai was the only representative of Vietnam competing with more than 110 high school students from 96 countries and territories.

Nguyen Thanh Mai, a 12th grade student majoring in Chinese at the Foreign Language Specialized High School. *Photo: NVCC*

Mai has loved Chinese since she was little, influenced by her grandfather’s love of calligraphy. “When I was little, watching my grandfather write, I felt that Chinese characters were magical. My grandmother and mother also loved watching Chinese movies. I often watched them together and gradually developed a liking for the language,” Mai said.

In middle school, Mai decided to learn and pursue Chinese. However, it was not until the end of her senior year, when she met an inspirational teacher, that Mai was motivated to continue her journey.

During that process, Mai wanted to give up many times because the writing part was too difficult, but her teacher encouraged her: "If you have chosen, you must go all the way." She also closely studied vocabulary and grammar with Mai.

“She taught me how to learn more easily. Chinese characters are pictographic and have many strokes. She often connects them with related stories and their meanings so that I can get used to them and remember them longer,” Mai shared.

Mai also copied and re-copied the characters to memorize them. When she became proficient, Mai started writing essays. Gradually, she was no longer afraid of Chinese.

In addition, because she idolizes some Chinese artists and movies, Mai often watches movies and reads news for entertainment.

Thanh Mai performs in the talent competition. *Photo: NVCC*

After being admitted to the Chinese language class of the Foreign Language High School, Mai mainly studied on her own. The female student set specific goals and achieved them step by step, such as achieving the HSK 6/6 Chinese certificate, winning first prize in the Foreign Language Olympic competition at the High School level of Hanoi National University, and participating in the Chinese Bridge.

Journey to win continental championship

To become the representative of Vietnam to compete internationally in the Chinese Bridge contest, in the national round, Mai won the championship, first prize in eloquence, and first prize in talent.

To enter the world competition, the female students must go through 3 major rounds. Each round has 2-5 component rounds such as multiple choice questions, speeches, talent competitions...

Mai has been preparing for the International Chinese Bridge Competition since early August 2025. When the official announcement about the international round was made, the female student began practicing for her speech and talent show.

When she learned about the topic "Flying high with the dream of Chinese", Mai outlined her speech, choosing to tell the story of starting to learn Chinese from her grandfather.

I share my journey from the time I started wanting to learn Chinese when I saw my grandfather writing calligraphy, when I realized learning this language was not easy, until I was determined to pursue it and found Chinese to be very magical.

“It's like a door that leads me to the world - bigger and more open horizons,” Mai said.

For the talent competition, Mai chose to perform the song "Big Mountain" - a song about a girl in the middle of the mountains and forests, longing for love, praising the beautiful spring scenery in the area where the Chinese Yi ethnic group lives.

5 champions from 5 continents. *Photo: NVCC*

After more than a month of preparation with her teacher, on September 12, the two teachers and students flew to China to compete. They entered the top 30 (round 1) and top 15 (round 2), respectively, Mai became the first Vietnamese student to win the Asian championship.

The female student continued to compete with 4 champions from other continents in round 3 with the following sections: knowledge test, artistic talent, situational dialogue and eloquence on the topic "Future World" - which has many difficult concepts such as Science and Technology, AI, automation...

“This is the first time I have tested my limits with such intense competitions. When my name was announced as one of the top 3 in the world, I felt extremely proud because this is also the first time Vietnam has entered the final round,” Mai said.

Accompanying Mai since the beginning of high school, teacher Chu Minh Ngoc, Chinese teacher at the Foreign Language High School, said that since grade 10, Mai has shown the ability to pronounce "as well as a Chinese person", speak Chinese fluently, have quick language reflexes, communicate confidently and especially have the ability to master the stage.

“Getting into the final round with 5 excellent contestants from 5 continents is an honor but also a tough and challenging battle. With only 1.5 days to prepare for this round, Mai has proven her mettle, creativity and achieved proud results,” said Ms. Ngoc.

With this result, Mai received a 3-year scholarship from the Confucius Institute to study Chinese. However, the female student said she is still considering her future path. “If I have the opportunity, I want to study abroad at top universities in China,” Mai shared.

A class won 13 full scholarships from the Chinese Government . Most of the 12E students of the Foreign Language Specialized High School were admitted to prestigious universities, bringing home nearly 50 scholarships from China, the US, Australia, the Netherlands... Notably, the class had 13 students winning full scholarships from the Chinese Government.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nu-sinh-viet-nam-dau-tien-gianh-quan-quan-cuoc-thi-tieng-trung-lon-nhat-the-gioi-2449230.html