Vietnamese-language bookshelves: A bridge to preserving the mother tongue for overseas Vietnamese communities
A delegation from the Vietnam Education Publishing House donates books to be displayed at the exhibition marking the 115th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh’s first visit to France
Each donated bookshelf serves as a learning space where the community can organize activities that contribute to fostering a regular use of the Vietnamese language among generations of Vietnamese people living abroad.
For overseas Vietnamese communities, the Vietnamese language is not only a means of communication but also a cultural root and a thread connecting each person to their homeland. For the more than 6 million Vietnamese living, studying and working in more than 130 countries and territories, preserving and passing on Vietnamese to younger generations has long been one of the community's top concerns, as well as a priority for the Vietnamese Party and State.
Over the years, efforts to preserve Vietnamese in overseas communities have taken many forms, including Vietnamese classes, teaching materials, Vietnamese Summer Camps, the Day for Honouring the Vietnamese Language, and cultural exchange activities. Alongside these, Vietnamese-language books are seen as one of the most important tools for helping children and families abroad access the nation's language, culture and history in a sustainable way.
Spreading Vietnamese, connecting communities worldwide
Responding to this practical need, the Vietnam Education Publishing House, in coordination with the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has launched the "Vietnamese-language bookshelf" programme to provide official learning materials suited to different age groups for Vietnamese communities abroad.
The programme also responds to the Government's project on the Day for Honouring the Vietnamese Language in overseas Vietnamese communities for the 2023-2030 period. The project identifies the preservation of Vietnamese as an important task in safeguarding national cultural identity, strengthening the great national unity bloc and reinforcing the bond between overseas Vietnamese communities and their homeland.
The Vietnam Education Publishing House's "Vietnamese-language bookshelf" programme carries long-term significance. Each donated bookshelf becomes a learning space where communities can organise reading activities, storytelling sessions and Vietnamese-language gatherings, helping create an environment in which Vietnamese is regularly used by generations of overseas Vietnamese.
In the context of digital transformation and globalisation, children of Vietnamese origin have many opportunities to use the language of their host countries, but they also face the risk of losing proficiency in Vietnamese. For that reason, Vietnamese books are not only study materials but also a "cultural bridge" that helps children better understand history, geography, literature, customs and national traditions.
The programme is designed not only for children but also for parents, teachers, associations and others interested in preserving Vietnamese. Book selection is based on the actual needs of each community while ensuring accurate content and suitability for different readers.
Early results show that the programme has received positive support from Vietnamese representative missions abroad, Vietnamese associations, Vietnamese language teachers and a wide range of overseas Vietnamese. Many localities have used the bookshelves as a foundation for reading clubs, weekend classes and cultural education activities for younger generations.
Associate Professor Dr Nguyen Van Tung, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Vietnam Education Publishing House, said the bookshelf helps preserve the identity and culture of the Vietnamese nation abroad. Photo: Huy Tien/VNA
Building a system of learning materials
From the outset, the Vietnam Education Publishing House defined the goal of the programme as more than simply donating books. It aims to build a relatively complete system of learning materials for teaching and learning Vietnamese in overseas communities. As a result, each bookshelf is designed with diverse content suitable for different ages, levels and needs.
According to the publisher, the selected titles are drawn from a range of publications widely used in Viet Nam's education system. The most important group is Vietnamese textbooks and the book sets used for the current general education curriculum. These official materials provide a consistent basis for teachers in overseas Vietnamese language classes and help students become familiar with the teaching methods and language standards used in Viet Nam.
In addition to textbooks, the bookshelves include supplementary books, workbooks, reading practice materials and Vietnamese language development resources. These are arranged by level, allowing learners to approach Vietnamese in a flexible way, especially children born and raised abroad who have fewer opportunities to use Vietnamese than children in Viet Nam.
The selection of titles is not fixed in a single model, but adjusted to suit each locality based on community needs, the capacity of educational institutions and the organisation of Vietnamese classes in each country. This ensures that the bookshelves are practical and useful rather than only symbolic.
Another significant group is children's books, including picture books, Vietnamese folk tales, fables, science discovery books, life-skills books, illustrated books and literary works for young readers.
According to the Vietnam Education Publishing House, these are the kinds of books that can spark reading interest and help children access Vietnamese through familiar, vivid stories rich in national cultural identity.
Many bookshelves also include literature, history, geography, Vietnamese culture, notable figures, customs, traditional festivals and publications introducing Viet Nam, its people and its way of life. These titles are aimed at teenagers, parents and teachers, helping deepen understanding of the homeland, its history and traditions.
The programme is implemented through coordination between the Vietnam Education Publishing House and the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Vietnamese representative missions abroad, Vietnamese associations, schools, Vietnamese language centres and community organisations. Under this model, the publishing house is responsible for selecting, editing and supplying the materials, while diplomatic missions and local associations receive, distribute and organise the use of the bookshelves at their facilities.
During implementation, the Vietnam Education Publishing House also pays close attention to updating new titles in line with the current education curriculum, while listening to feedback from teachers and overseas Vietnamese communities to adjust the bookshelf structure in future donation rounds. According to the publisher, the aim is to build a source of learning materials that is both officially reliable and responsive to practical needs in each locality.
A journey to preserve Vietnamese identity abroad
From 2023 to 2024, the project donated "Vietnamese-language bookshelves" to overseas Vietnamese communities in many countries and territories, including Fukuoka (Japan), Budapest (Hungary), Taiwan (China), Paris (France), New Caledonia (France), Prague and Brno (Czech Republic), Melbourne (Australia), Vientiane (Laos), Minsk (Belarus) and Khanh An school (Thailand).
During the 2025-2026 period, the programme continues to be implemented in countries with large Vietnamese communities, in coordination with the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, Vietnamese embassies and Vietnamese associations in host countries.
On 18 May 2025, teachers and students at Khanh An Primary Vietnamese Language School in Udon Thani Province, Thailand, happily received a Vietnamese-language bookshelf for the community, containing more than 600 publications, coinciding with the 135th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh. The event was organised by the Vietnamese Consulate General in Khon Kaen, the Vietnam Education Publishing House and the Vietnamese Association in Udon Thani Province.
For the Udon Thani bookshelf, titled the Vietnamese-language bookshelf for the community, the Vietnam Education Publishing House carefully selected more than 600 publications with rich and diverse content suitable for different ages and levels. The collection ranges from colourful picture books for young children who are just beginning to learn their mother tongue to textbooks and reference books for students studying Vietnamese in Thailand.
On 18 September 2025, a delegation from the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs presented a Vietnamese-language bookshelf to the Lao-Viet Friendship School in Champasak Province, Laos. The collection was selected by the Vietnam Education Publishing House, which has nearly 70 years of experience in educational publishing. It includes a variety of genres suitable for school students: comic books, folk tales, general science books, moral education and life-skills books, as well as materials supporting Vietnamese language learning. These books help children approach Vietnamese in a natural and lively way while nurturing national pride and love for Vietnamese culture.
In May 2026, during "Vietnam Week" in St Petersburg, the Vietnam Education Publishing House organised a ceremony to donate a Vietnamese-language bookshelf to the Russia-Viet Nam Cultural Centre under Herzen State Pedagogical University. More than a simple book donation, the event affirmed the pioneering role of the Vietnam Education Publishing House in bringing Vietnamese knowledge and culture to the world.
The selected titles included Vietnamese-language books, books on Vietnamese culture, tradition, history and geography, and children's books. The publisher also introduced Russian students to a textbook series in Russian from grades 3 to 12 that it had compiled.
The handover ceremony for the Vietnamese-language bookshelf donated by the Vietnam Education Publishing House. Source: Herzen State Pedagogical University
At the ceremony, Dr Pham Vinh Thai, Editor-in-Chief of the Vietnam Education Publishing House, said: "As Viet Nam's leading educational publisher, the Vietnam Education Publishing House not only provides textbooks at home but also carries the mission of connecting Vietnamese knowledge with international friends. Building a 'Vietnamese-language bookshelf' at a prestigious cultural centre such as Herzen State Pedagogical University is clear evidence of our commitment to raising the profile of Viet Nam's education and publishing sector on the world map."
The Vietnam Education Publishing House is stepping up strategic cooperation with the Russia-Viet Nam Cultural Centre, not stopping at book displays but aiming to organise seminars, discussions on educational innovation, student exchanges and the promotion of Vietnamese literature to Russian readers.
After the donation, the Vietnamese-language bookshelf sponsored by the Vietnam Education Publishing House will be used to serve students, lecturers and researchers studying Viet Nam in the Russian Federation. Students at universities such as Herzen State Pedagogical University, the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) and the Higher School of Economics (HSE) will have access to these high-quality books.
With these cooperation agreements and the strong start provided by the Vietnamese-language bookshelf programme, the Vietnam Education Publishing House is gradually affirming its position not only as an extension of the domestic education sector, but also as a true cultural and educational ambassador on the global stage.
During a recent visit and working trip to the Viet Nam Cultural Centre in France, coinciding with the 115th anniversary of the first time President Ho Chi Minh set foot in France (1911-2026), a delegation of the Vietnam Education Publishing House led by Deputy General Director Nguyen Chi Binh presented books to the Vietnamese-language bookshelf at the Viet Nam Cultural Centre in France on 15 June 2026 in Paris. The activity was a practical contribution to supporting the learning and exploration of Vietnamese language and culture among overseas Vietnamese communities.
As part of the same mission, on 18 June 2026, the delegation visited and worked with the Vietnamese Embassy in the Republic of Italy. There, it donated a community bookshelf containing many valuable titles on the history, culture, land and people of Viet Nam.
The donated publications will help supplement learning materials for the Vietnamese community in Italy, especially younger generations, in their study and practice of Vietnamese, their exploration of national culture and their understanding of their homeland.
Early results and future direction
From the activities announced so far, the Vietnamese-language bookshelf programme has shown clear effectiveness in supplementing official learning materials for Vietnamese classes abroad. For many overseas communities, especially where access to Vietnamese books remains difficult, the bookshelves have become a shared resource for teachers, students and parents alike.
The programme goes beyond book donation and also seeks to create Vietnamese reading spaces within communities. After receiving the bookshelves, many units have organised reading festivals, weekend reading sessions, Vietnamese clubs, storytelling through books and cultural activities for children. In this way, books become a means of maintaining a regular Vietnamese-language environment rather than merely being stored as reference materials.
The Vietnamese-language bookshelf donated to students in Champasak, Laos. Photo: Vietnam+
For teachers, the learning materials from the Vietnam Education Publishing House help ensure consistency in teaching, stay updated with the current education curriculum and reduce the difficulty of independently sourcing materials. This also provides a basis for overseas Vietnamese language classes to gradually improve their professional quality.
From a cultural perspective, the programme contributes to the implementation of the project on the Day for Honouring the Vietnamese Language in overseas Vietnamese communities for the 2023-2030 period, encouraging the preservation of the mother tongue alongside the safeguarding of national cultural identity. Through books, younger generations not only learn the language but also gain a deeper understanding of Viet Nam's history, culture, geography, traditions and people.
Looking ahead, according to directions announced by relevant agencies, the development of learning materials for overseas Vietnamese will continue to receive attention. In addition to printed books, the application of digital resources, e-learning materials and online support is expected to broaden access for communities in many countries while strengthening connections among Vietnamese language classes worldwide.
Extending community-focused activities
Over nearly 70 years of formation and development, the Vietnam Education Publishing House has consistently prioritised community-oriented programmes that deliver practical benefits to society. Its publications have accompanied generations of students and, through many difficulties, have become trusted companions for learners, teachers and readers across all regions of the country.
Beyond that, the publishing house has proactively compiled Vietnamese teaching materials for overseas Vietnamese communities; collaborated with VTV4, the external broadcasting division of Viet Nam Television, to produce TV programmes teaching Vietnamese to overseas Vietnamese children; and worked on training, teacher support and the supply of Vietnamese teaching materials to communities in many parts of the world.
In addition to textbooks, the Vietnam Education Publishing House has compiled and published many works serving the study of Vietnamese culture, geography, history and traditions, as well as supporting the learning, research and teaching of Vietnamese for overseas Vietnamese communities.
The publisher has also proactively carried out training, professional support, and provided books and teaching equipment for Vietnamese students and Vietnamese language education facilities abroad.
It has developed an e-book platform and guided communities on how to use it, enabling overseas Vietnamese to access free digital versions of textbooks under the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training's general education curriculum, as well as television programmes teaching Vietnamese to overseas Vietnamese children.
The publishing house is also continuing the next levels of the "Hello Vietnamese" (Chao tieng Viet) series to ensure sufficient teaching materials across the six proficiency levels set out by the Ministry of Education and Training. It is studying several Vietnamese language teaching approaches for Vietnamese students and foreign learners who wish to study Vietnamese in specific localities, while developing an ecosystem of products that can support Vietnamese teaching and learning abroad.
Regarding future directions, Dr Pham Vinh Thai said the Vietnam Education Publishing House will continue to strengthen coordination with the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs to expand the scale and improve the quality of the "Vietnamese-language bookshelf" initiative and related activities.
According to the plan, from now until 2030, the Vietnam Education Publishing House will continue donating Vietnamese-language bookshelves to overseas Vietnamese communities, aiming to provide at least three bookshelves each year.
"We will strive to diversify the content of the books, adding new titles on Vietnamese language, literature, history, culture and socio-economic issues. Building on what has already been achieved, the Vietnam Education Publishing House will accelerate digital transformation, introduce and guide the use of its digital product ecosystem during the bookshelf programme, and make it easier for overseas Vietnamese to access our materials," Dr Pham Vinh Thai said.
With the results achieved so far, the "Vietnamese-language bookshelf" has proven to be a useful initiative, helping preserve and develop Vietnamese in communities around the world.
Mr. Nguyen Chi Binh, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam Education Publishing House, presents a community bookshelf to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Nguyen Phuong Anh. (Photo: Vietnam Education Publishing House)
