Memorable scholarship for female valedictorian of the world's most difficult language major

(Dan Tri) - Nguyen Thi Ngoc Quyen (born 2001) is the valedictorian of the Arabic language major - University of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi .

Ngoc Quyen graduated with a score of 3.87/4.0, the highest in Arabic language major - University of Foreign Languages ​​(Vietnam National University, Hanoi). The female student from Hanoi was honored to be one of the 100 valedictorians at the ceremony to honor the excellent valedictorians graduating from universities and academies in Hanoi in 2024.

"I'm not too surprised with this result because being valedictorian was my goal when I first entered the school. When I stood on the podium to receive this title, I felt happy that all my efforts and hard work during the 4 years of university had paid off," Ngoc Quyen shared.

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Quyen is the valedictorian of the Arabic language major, University of Languages ​​and International Studies - Vietnam National University, Hanoi (Photo: NVCC).

Love and affection for the Arab country and people

Thanks to her excellent academic achievements, Ngoc Quyen is one of four Vietnamese students to receive a full scholarship to study for one year in Qatar sponsored by Qatar University.

For Quyen, the opportunity to experience firsthand a country whose language and culture she has spent so much time studying is invaluable. Having never seen the country with her own eyes before, the opportunity to set foot there and explore it firsthand is something she has always looked forward to.

"During a year living in Arabia, I have discovered many special cultural features of theirs. The friendliness, kindness and hospitality of the people here, something that made me realize the deep similarities with the Vietnamese people.

The experiences of traditional festivals and rituals, along with the enthusiasm of my friends, helped me gradually understand more deeply about Arab culture. The traditional meals that my friends invited me to, the new knowledge that was shared, have fostered in me an increasingly deep love for this land and people," Quyen recalls.

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Quyen (wearing Ao Dai, far left) at the Graduation Ceremony of the Arabic Language Program for Non-Native Speakers at Qatar University (Photo: NVCC).

The female student said that what impressed her most was the time she participated in the Arab month of Ramadan. This is considered the holiest month of the year for Muslims around the world . During this month, they will perform a number of special religious rituals, including fasting, praying and practicing charity.

Ngoc Quyen was lucky to be able to study abroad at this particularly sacred time. Although the female student had learned and listened to lectures about their culture, when she witnessed it with her own eyes, she found it very magical.

"When the cannon sounds signal the end of the fast, people from all over flock to eateries and restaurants. This month, I also got to experience visiting and praying at their mosques," the female student shared.

A year studying abroad helped Ngoc Quyen learn more about the culture and people of the local area. These experiences helped the female student have a clearer view of the language she was learning. After returning from the exchange study abroad, Quyen said she was more confident in communicating and her listening and speaking skills had improved a lot.

In addition to receiving an exchange scholarship from the Qatar Embassy, ​​Ngoc Quyen also won second prize in the Arabic speech contest organized by the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Vietnam in collaboration with the University of Foreign Languages ​​(Vietnam National University, Hanoi), the world's largest Arabic speech contest Qatar Debate 2023 held in Oman...

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Quyen (3rd, from left to right) in the Qatar debate 2023 competition (Photo: NVCC).

Choose to learn one of the most difficult languages ​​in the world

In 2019, when starting the process of choosing a major, Ngoc Quyen accidentally read information about the Arabic language training program of the University of Foreign Languages. Because of curiosity about the phrase "one of the most difficult languages ​​in the world", the female student gradually became drawn into Arabic culture and people.

According to the US Foreign Service Institute (FSI), Arabic is one of the most difficult languages ​​to learn in the world, along with Japanese, Korean, Cantonese (Chinese), etc. Experts estimate that it will take an average learner 1.69 years (88 weeks) and 2,200 hours of study to become proficient.

In addition, Arabic is not a very popular language in our country. Therefore, if learners have the desire and need to learn the language, they must study by themselves or find some language teaching facilities.

Currently, in Vietnam, Arabic language or Arabic studies is being taught at only two universities: University of Foreign Languages ​​- Vietnam National University, Hanoi and University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City.

When she decided to study Arabic, Quyen said her parents supported her wholeheartedly: "My parents always supported and believed in me by encouraging me to pursue my own passion and choices. When they heard that I became valedictorian, my parents were the happiest and proudest people because I had succeeded in the way I wanted."

During her four years at university, Ngoc Quyen lost more than a year of online learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Learning only through a computer screen, without interaction between the learner and the teacher, made Quyen feel lost and "out of breath" in the beginning.

"Although the Arabic alphabet only has 28 letters, the position of each letter in a word greatly affects the spelling and shape of the word. That's why, when I first started learning Arabic, I had a lot of difficulty remembering the alphabet, spelling and meaning of the words," Quyen said.

Ngoc Quyen (2nd, from right to left) visits the ancient market of Souq Waqif, Qatar (Photo: NVCC).

Ngoc Quyen expressed that sometimes she also feels discouraged when learning Arabic. But Quyen thinks that the decisive factor for the success of language learners is their perseverance and determination: "Because there is no language that can be learned in one or two days. It is a whole process of reviewing, studying and honing that language."

To avoid losing her roots, Ngoc Quyen spends time every day reviewing vocabulary and grammar. Investing a lot of time and effort in learning a language is the secret to helping learners conquer it, even if it is the most difficult language in the world.

The female student said that the Arabic vocabulary is extremely large, with more than 12 million words: "For example, there are hundreds of words used to refer to and describe camels in Arabic. Therefore, I have a lot of difficulty remembering the meaning of words and grasping the correct usage context of these words."

But for Ngoc Quyen, the more she studied and delved into this language, the more interested she became. She spent a lot of time researching even though documents about this language were scarce in Vietnam. Thanks to that, the female student graduated with the highest score in her major.

Sharing about her future plans, Ngoc Quyen said she will continue to stick with this language. It is not only about the language, but also about the country, culture and people of Arabia.

"Hopefully in the future, Arabic will no longer be an unpopular language in Vietnam. I hope that people will accept and love Arabic like other languages ​​so that language lovers like me will have more opportunities to access it," Quyen confided.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/suat-hoc-bong-dang-nho-cua-nu-thu-khoa-nganh-ngon-ngu-kho-bac-nhat-the-gioi-20250115115702076.htm