The Chinese girl tells her story in Vietnamese.

Working at China Central Television, Ms. Ho Ha Vy simultaneously built a Vietnamese-language travel video channel, targeting Vietnamese audiences with stories about daily life and real-life experiences.

Ms. Ha Vy working on the "Red Journey" program for young Vietnamese delegates participating in a study tour in China in April 2026 - Photo: TR.NHAN

Ms. Ha Vy is currently working in the Vietnamese language department of China Central Television, where they produce content aimed at Vietnamese audiences.

Vietnamese has a very direct way of expressing things; you can understand the meaning just by looking at the words. In contrast, a single Chinese word can have many meanings and is often associated with many archaic elements, so it usually takes a long sentence to fully express it. For me, Vietnamese is easier to learn.

Ms. Ho Ha Vy

From the television studio to the video -making journey

The department where Vy works has 15 people, handling various aspects such as news broadcasts, specialized programs on culture, economics , tourism, and lifestyle on radio and social media channels. The station also collaborates with several television stations in Vietnam to co-produce programs, in which Vy serves as both a presenter and editor.

For example, the segment "China from a Perspective" broadcast on Vietnam Television and several short programs aired on Hai Phong newspapers, radio, and television also introduce the culture and life in China. Interestingly, besides her main job, Ms. Vy is also a travel blogger, introducing Chinese destinations and culture in Vietnamese to… Vietnamese audiences.

To date, her channel @HaVydulichTrungQuoc has nearly 37,000 followers, has uploaded over 330 videos, with some videos reaching over 100,000 views. Ha Vy started making travel videos in Vietnamese around 2020.

The first clip appeared during the COVID-19 pandemic, while a large agricultural market in Beijing was under lockdown. The video, which introduced the market, the pandemic situation, and market life, was very topical and received great attention from Vietnamese viewers, especially Vietnamese students studying in Beijing at the time.

After the lockdown period, the channel's content expanded to include travel and experiences. On average, she posts 2-4 videos per month, each about 10 minutes long. The travel destinations documented range from Beijing to Xinjiang, Guangzhou, Nanning, and many other areas across China.

"Most of my audience is Vietnamese. Many people watch and then ask, 'Oh, are you Chinese?' Honestly, I feel very happy when that happens because it means my Vietnamese is natural enough for people to understand and connect with," Vy shared.

Vietnamese must be studied every day.

Vy recounted that she began studying Vietnamese in 2006 at Guangxi Nationalities University in Nanning. Initially, she chose to major in Thai, but was later assigned to specialize in Vietnamese. She said that because she is of Zhuang ethnicity, and her language has many similarities to Vietnamese, learning Vietnamese was quite convenient for her.

However, she told herself she had to practice her pronunciation thoroughly. In the early years, she maintained a pronunciation practice routine every morning by the Tuong Tu Lake on campus, using audio recordings and radio programs to practice listening and reading along. From her second year, she was able to communicate at a basic level in Vietnamese.

By her third year, while participating in an exchange program at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi), Ha Vy's language skills improved significantly thanks to the frequent use of the language. After graduating, she returned to Vietnam from 2011 to 2013 to further study journalism at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi).

Since then, she has consistently studied Vietnamese every day, both in her work and personal life. She still watches the 7 PM news on Vietnam Television to practice listening and update her language skills. At the same time, she regularly follows content about Vietnamese life and tourism on social media to better understand how Vietnamese people tell stories and receive information.

"Learning a foreign language requires consistent effort over a long period, with a regular daily pace. Progress can be made in small steps, but learners need to maintain repetition and perseverance because if there are interruptions, the ability to memorize and use the language will significantly decline," Vy shared.

To become proficient in a foreign language, you must first master your mother tongue.

According to Vy, learning a foreign language is closely linked to one's mother tongue. It's essential to master the thinking process, sentence structure, and expression of ideas in one's native language, as this forms the basis for clearer understanding and use of the foreign language. When one understands sentence formation and idea development in their own language, transitioning to another language becomes much easier.

Based on her personal experience, she said that if one's native language foundation is weak, improving their foreign language skills will be more limited. Conversely, once learners have a clear linguistic mindset, they can progress step by step in learning a foreign language, maintaining consistency and developing their ability to use it over the long term.

Making videos is like reliving the trip.

When creating travel videos in Vietnamese, Vy puts herself in the viewer's shoes and asks herself what she would want to see, what places would be interesting, and what stories would be worth telling before the trip. Besides her personal experiences, she researches on Chinese and Vietnamese social media platforms to see which destinations are trending and which places have unique and appealing cultural aspects.

Making videos isn't just about documenting places you've been to; it's also about choosing a perspective that resonates with Vietnamese audiences. She often reads audience comments to see what they want to learn about China, where they want her to go, and what locations they want her to film, so she can schedule her next videos accordingly.

She said her favorite video was the one about He Shen's mansion in Beijing because she spent the entire night editing it after filming. She finished the video at 5 am the next morning. This video has 1.7 million views, the highest number ever, and received a lot of feedback from Vietnamese viewers.

"Making videos gives me a very special feeling. Watching each frame and arranging the story, I feel like I'm reliving the entire trip, like I'm on that journey again," Vy shared.

TRONG NHAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/co-gai-trung-quoc-ke-chuyen-bang-tieng-viet-20260503091944751.htm