Kwon Jayoung, 27 years old, is the first foreign student to win the scholarship to encourage learning from the Faculty of International Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi.
Kwon Jayoung graduated with honors in International Studies, Faculty of International Studies, with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.32/4, receiving her degree on August 5.
"I was surprised by the results because I struggled with my studies. I thought I was lucky to graduate," Jayoung said.
Before coming to Vietnam, Jayoung was a student of English Language and Literature in Daejeon City, South Korea. English is a global language, so to increase her job opportunities, Jayoung thought she needed to learn another foreign language or other specialized field. She saw that Vietnam had a fast growth rate, and more and more large Korean corporations and companies were investing here, so she thought that learning Vietnamese could bring many advantages.
"I decided to study abroad in Vietnam," Jayoung said.
Kwon Jayoung greets VnExpress readers. Video : Character provided
Hearing Jayoung say she wanted to study abroad in Vietnam, Jayoung's mother, Park Haekyong, was "a bit surprised" that her daughter had chosen a language that few Koreans pursue. But she and her husband did some research together, saw Vietnam's future development, and agreed to let their daughter go.
"I have faith in my daughter. Jayoung has been independent and strong since she was young," said Haekyong, 52.
Kwon Jayoung at her university graduation ceremony on August 5 in Vietnam. Photo: Character provided
Despite their support, Jayoung's parents still wanted her to go to Vietnam to learn more. In 2018, Jayoung traveled to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. After a week of experiencing life in the two cities, Jayoung chose to study at university in Hanoi.
To attend school, Jayoung needed a B2 Vietnamese certificate. After about a year of studying Vietnamese at the center at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, she enrolled in the school's International Studies major. In 2019, Jayoung was the only foreign student in her class, taking most of her courses in Vietnamese.
With the B2 certificate, Jayoung thought she could understand 50% of the lectures in class. But when she actually studied, she understood nothing.
"The hardest subjects are Marxism-Leninism, Philosophy and Statistics," Jayoung shared.
Jayoung recorded the lecturer's speech in class, listened to it until she memorized it, then copied it into her notebook, using Google Translate. She also patiently looked up new words from Vietnamese to Korean to understand the content.
"I cry every time I come across Vietnamese abbreviations," Jayoung said.
Although she had studied some subjects in high school before coming to Vietnam, Jayoung still found it difficult to understand in Vietnamese. She once received a zero on a midterm in an introductory course because she got the assignment wrong.
"I called my mother, cried for two hours and asked to go home. She advised me to think carefully and be responsible for my choice," Jayoung recalled. If she returned to Korea, Jayoung would have to start over from scratch, while in Vietnam, as long as she could overcome the language barrier, the problem would be solved. In the end, she chose to stay, deciding that the only way to study well was to work hard. In addition to class time, Jayoung studied at home, usually staying up until 3-4am.
"She works very hard and stays up late to study. In class, we often fall asleep and are lazy to take notes, but she is always attentive and diligent in taking notes," Nguyen Thi Thao, Jayoung's classmate, shared.
Thao was one of Jayoung's close friends who supported her at first when they both studied the same subjects. Not being able to speak Korean, Thao explained to Jayoung in both English and Vietnamese and guided him through the exercises. After Jayoung finished, Thao would check and give him feedback.
Jayoung (right cover) and her supervisor, Master Nguyen Trong Chinh, on the day of her graduation thesis defense. Photo: Provided by the character
"Jayoung will do the homework in English or Korean first, then translate it into Vietnamese," Thao said.
With Jayoung, Thao not only accompanies her in studying but also in life.
"Thao always told me 'it's okay, don't worry'. Seeing me crying because I failed the exam, she didn't say anything, just played a Korean song with encouraging content for me to listen to. I felt very comforted," Jayoung said.
In addition to Thao, Jayoung also received help from many other classmates and teachers. Her classmates proactively invited her to join them in group assignments. Every time they did a group assignment, Jayoung was responsible for searching for documents, synthesizing information and data for the other classmates to present.
Jayoung feels lucky to have good friends. They give her reference for her lessons and guide her to follow the rules. Whenever she needs to handle administrative procedures, her friends go with her to the faculty office to support her.
It took Jayoung 6 months to gradually adapt to studying. When things were gradually stabilizing, the Covid-19 pandemic appeared, forcing her to switch to online learning. However, this form of learning had a positive effect on Jayoung as she could review lectures and save documents to review for exams. The fact that teachers assigned assignments through teaching software also helped her grasp the requirements of the topics more easily than listening to lectures directly.
Dr. Nguyen Van Dap, Jayoung’s class leader, highly appreciated his student’s determination and ability to integrate well into the learning environment in Vietnam. According to Mr. Dap, Jayoung received the school’s scholarship for two semesters and is the first foreign student in more than 25 years since the faculty was established to achieve this achievement.
"I am impressed with Jayoung's determination. I think it is partly because Jayoung has set a very clear goal of studying in Vietnam," said Mr. Dap.
The advantage of English helps Jayoung learn specialized subjects from the third year onwards more easily. Under the guidance of Master Nguyen Trong Chinh, lecturer of the Faculty of International Studies, Jayoung completed her graduation thesis in English with the topic "Labor migration from Vietnam to Korea". Jayoung's thesis is considered to be timely, both scientific and practical. The list of references is rich, with many languages.
"The thesis was graded excellently and was highly appreciated," said Master Chinh.
Mr. Chinh taught Jayoung two subjects in English. He commented that Jayoung must have a high level of self-study ability to follow the program and achieve a good grade.
On the day Jayoung graduated, her family and boyfriend also came from Korea to attend. Seeing her daughter in her graduation gown, Mrs. Haekyong was very emotional.
"I am proud of my daughter. I gave her a round of applause for her efforts during the 5 years of studying abroad," Ms. Haekyong shared, not forgetting to thank the teachers who helped Jayoung.
After graduating, Jayoung also accepted the proposal of her boyfriend, who has been waiting and supporting her all these years. Currently, Jayoung continues to tutor English for Korean students in Vietnam and works for a Korean company. Early next year, she will return to Korea and hopes to have the opportunity to work in Vietnam.
"I love Vietnam and want to come back here to live and work," Jayoung said.
A group of close classmates organized a birthday party for Jayoung. Photo: Provided by the character
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