SELECTING VIETNAMESE CULTURAL CONTENT FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENT TRAINING: A UNESCO FRAMEWORK APPROACH (2024)

Abstract

This study examines Vietnamese cultural education content across three international student programs: the Vietnamese Language and Culture majors at Ho Chi Minh City University of Education (HCMUE) and Hanoi National University of Education (HNUE), and the Vietnamese Studies major at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH VNUHCM). Using document analysis, the research maps cultural modules against the cultural components framework, then evaluates them through three UNESCO Framework (2024) principles: contextual learning, the principle of co-creation, and the appreciation of identity diversity alongside cultural critical competence.

Findings reveal that current curricula follow an accumulative logic, concentrating on traditional topics within the culture of life organization (individual). This leaves substantial gaps in cognitive culture and the culture of responding to the social environment. Against the UNESCO framework, HCMUE and HNUE demonstrate contextual learning, and HNUE incorporates the principle of co-creation via fieldwork. However, no program explicitly designs for cultural critical competence.

The study recommends integrating missing cultural components with localized content, expanding field-based models, contrasting source and target cultures, and embedding cultural critical objectives into syllabi. These steps provide a practical foundation for refining Vietnamese language curricula. A limitation is the reliance on public documents rather than observed teaching practices, which future research should address.

 Keywords: Cross-cultural education; International students; Teaching Vietnamese as a foreign language; UNESCO Framework for Culture and Arts Education (2024); Vietnamese culture education