Vietnamese Language (Advanced course)

Bachelor 2025/2026

Type: Elective course (HSE University and Kyung Hee University Double Degree Programme in Economics and Politics in Asia)

Where: Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs

When: 3 year, 1-4 module

Open to: students of one campus

Language: English

Full Syllabus Ask Question

Abstract

This intermediate-level Vietnamese course (Basic Course III) is designed for non-native learners of Vietnamese who have taken approximately two years of regularly paced college-level Vietnamese. It aims to further improve the four basic language skills —— listening, speaking, reading, and writing —— while at the same time introducing students to the complex fabric that makes up modern Vietnamese. Through all things considered, students learn the vocabulary needed to discuss the modern societies of Russia and Vietnamese and the issues that face people in those societies today, as presented in the official Vietnamese media. The overall goal of this course is to bring students’ Vietnamese proficiency to a more advanced level and help them develop an active command of authentic reading materials. At the end of the course, students will achieve B2 level according to the CEFR.

Learning Objectives

to develop students’ intermediate communication skills in Vietnamese language through intensive formal instruction and cultural involvement;
to provide a grammatical foundation and facilitate language use, with special emphasis on pronunciation, correct syntax, and verbal expression;
to develop an intermediate level of proficiency in reading and writing formal Vietnamese;
to examine extra-linguistic and paralinguistic features of language use;
to gain concrete knowledge of Vietnamese customs and manners, geography, and major holidays in Vietnam;
Having excellent strategy for future study.

Expected Learning Outcomes

In terms of speaking, students will be able to communicate on practical and social topics; hold conversations on common topics such as those related to culture, food, local arts, etc.; narrate and describe in all major time frames (past, present, and future); present rough ideas, opinions, arguments, and hypotheses in paragraph-length discourse that is generally understood by native speakers unaccustomed to non-natives
In terms of writing, students can write routine informal correspondence; narrate and describe in all major time frames and in the connected discourse of paragraph; express meaning that is comprehensible to those unaccustomed to the writing of non-natives, primarily through basic vocabulary, with good control of the most frequently used structures.
In terms of listening, students will be able to understand sustained speech on practical and social topics related to culture, food, local arts, Vietnamese customs and manners, geography, major holidays, understand the main facts and many supporting details.
In terms of reading, students will be able to understand quasi-authentic materials (i.e., those that are slightly revised for language learners) on practical and social topics related to culture, food, local arts Vietnamese customs and manners, geography, major holidays in Vietnam, etc.

Course Contents

Family
Minorities and Local Customs
Cuisine and Culture
Tea and Culture
Language and Culture
Transport
Sports
Television, Movies, and Theaters
Foreigners

Assessment Elements

Participation
Classwork for Listening and Speaking
Classwork for Listening and Speaking consists of various assessment activities conducted in class or given as homework during the course of semester, which include oral summary of a news video clip, listening comprehension and interpretation tasks and speeches on the topics studied during the course.
Classwork for Reading and Writing
Classwork for Reading and Writing consists of various assessment activities conducted in class during the course of module: vocabulary quizzes, written and oral text translations, writing tasks, etc.
Attendance
Examination in 2nd module
Examination in 2nd module is a written examination, which is held for all students of the group during the exam session. It comprises of 2 tasks: 1) translation of a news article from Vietnamese to Russian without using a dictionary (60%); 2) translation of a news article or a business letter from Russian to Vietnamese without using a dictionary (40%).
Examination in 4th module
Examination in 3rd module consists of 2 parts: final written assignment (50%) and an oral examination (50 %)

Interim Assessment

2025/2026 2nd module
0.25 * Classwork for Listening and Speaking + 0.25 * Classwork for Reading and Writing + 0.25 * Examination in 2nd module + 0.25 * Participation
2025/2026 4th module
0.25 * Classwork for Listening and Speaking + 0.25 * Classwork for Reading and Writing + 0.25 * Examination in 4th module + 0.25 * Participation

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Tri C. Tran, & Tram Le. (2017). Vietnamese Stories for Language Learners : Traditional Folktales in Vietnamese and English Text (MP3 Downloadable Audio Included). [N.p.]: Tuttle Publishing. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1650207

Recommended Additional Bibliography

Nguyẽ̂n, Đ. H. (1997). Vietnamese : Tié̂ng Việt Không Son Ph ́ân. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=380455

Course Syllabus