April 30 - It was a Friday afternoon, the sun shining brilliantly and the air a little stuffy even on the playground. As Pham Minh Duc approached us, we would never have guessed that he was not Chinese. In fact Min Duc (Fan Mingde in Chinese) is from Vietnam and now at GDUFS. Pham greeted us in fluent Chinese, and we merrily started our conversation.
Fan Mingde
Our first question was about his fluency in Chinese. Pham Minh Duc first came to China to study in 2006. Although he had learned a little Chinese in Vietnam, his formal Chinese studies began only after arriving in China. To our surprise, Pham Minh Duc attained his Chinese proficiency in only eight months. By the end of his second semester, he could speak fluent Chinese.
"Of course, the process of learning a new language is not easy. You should completely immerse yourself into the language and its related culture, and then you will begin to acquire a basic sense of that language," Pham explained.
"Listening, speaking, writing, and reading are the fundamentals you need to pick up, but in addition to that, what I think matters most," and Pham paused a moment, "is that you've got to stay relaxed during the whole process - watching TV programs with captions, making friends with Chinese people, enjoying a completely new life in a new country. Everything is so new. You just have to relax and enjoy all the new things. Attitude is important. You need not only consider the complexity of Chinese characters, grammar, structure, and whatever. Keep it more natural and don't be too rigid. That's the key." Pham smiled and scratched his head.
Now majoring in English Language and Culture, Pham Minh Duc said he enjoys the colorful life at GDUFS. "Because Vietnamese culture is quiet similar to Cantonese culture, I find it very comfortable living here in Guangzhou and with all my friends at GDUFS. They're really nice and friendly. Guangzhou is such a large metropolis that you can always find something new to explore," he added.
Tidbits on Vietnamese Culture
One ideal in Vietnamese culture is filial duty. Education and self-improvement are also highly valued. Historically, passing the imperial examination was the only means for Vietnamese people to socially advance themselves.
The most conspicuous traditional Vietnamese garment is the " Dai", often worn for special occasions such as weddings or festivals. White Dai is the required uniform for girls in many high schools throughout Vietnam. Dai was once worn by both genders but today it is worn mainly by females, except for certain important traditional occasions when some men also wear it.
Vietnamese cuisine uses many vegetables and very little oil. The main dishes are often based on rice, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Its characteristic flavors are sweet (sugar), spicy (serrano peppers), sour (lime), nuoc mam (fish sauce), and flavored by a variety of mint and basil.
Photos provided by Pham Minh Duc
