When Vietnamese children focus too much on English proficiency they forget their mother tongue

This growing trend has sparked a debate about the impact on cultural identity and language preservation.

Reader Blknemesis shared: "My nephew was born and raised in Vietnam and attends an international school. Now, he mostly speaks English wherever he goes. Many children like him speak English as if it were their mother tongue but feel shy or unable to speak Vietnamese fluently. When speaking to me in Vietnamese, he admits he is not good at it. The real issue is that he does not want to or like to speak Vietnamese. This often stems from the parents’ attitudes toward raising bilingual children.

"I myself was educated abroad but maintained strong Vietnamese language skills at home as my parents were very strict about it. Losing Vietnamese roots while living in Vietnam is regrettable and should not happen. Being proficient in English does not mean losing your mother tongue."

This view reflects a wider concern about young Vietnamese increasingly prioritizing English from an early age, sometimes neglecting their native language. One common mistake is not allowing children to communicate in Vietnamese at home, instead encouraging nearly exclusive use of English for all activities and studies, leading to gradual loss of the mother tongue.

Students at a primary school in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Huu Khoa

Reader Nguyenhuuhieuhs expressed similar worries: "What's the point of studying well but being unable to speak Vietnamese despite being born and raised in Vietnam? Many well-off families send their children to international schools, and they act like foreigners, only communicating in English and forgetting Vietnamese. They are proud when their children excel in English, but why neglect the mother tongue?"

Nguyenhuuhieuhs also questioned whether fluency in English alone is sufficient. "Living, studying, and working in Vietnam, shouldn't children also be proficient in Vietnamese? Being good at foreign languages is important for integration, but are these children better than native speakers? I wonder if focusing only on English is truly an advantage when they cannot speak Vietnamese."

Another reader, Nguyet, living abroad, shared concerns about language loss in the diaspora: "My nieces and nephews go to English-language schools and have little contact with Vietnamese. Adults in the family do not speak Vietnamese either, so how can they keep their roots? I feel ashamed when I see children living in Vietnam who don't speak Vietnamese because their parents sent them to international schools."

The reader also commented on the common practice of parents with limited English skills communicating with their children in a foreign language, then boasting about how well their children speak English. "Parents should speak and teach their mother tongue first, since it’s the language they know best."

Reflecting on the broader implications, Nguyet emphasized the value of bilingualism: "As Vietnam develops, proficiency in both Vietnamese and English is an advantage in the job market. If you were an employer, would you prefer someone born and raised in Vietnam but not fluent in Vietnamese, or someone skilled in both languages? If you grow up in a place but don't know the local language, what does that say about you?"