(VOVworld) – French is the mother tongue or the second language of 181 million people in 56 countries and territories. Vietnam joined the French speaking community in 1970.  With President Tran Dai Quang attending the Francophone Summit in Madagascar this weekend, VOV’s Bui Hang looks at the teaching of French in Vietnam.

There are 470,000 French speakers in Vietnam, 0.55% of the 90-million people population. This number include 150,000 people who use French regularly, 200,000 who use French occasionally, and 120,000 who are currently studying French. French has the second largest number of learners in Vietnam after English.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training’s reform plan, French will continue to be taught as a first or second foreign language in school curriculums. Students are encouraged to continue their study of French at a university, college, or a French speaking country abroad.

The popularity of French in Vietnam is largely due to France’s encouragement. France provides scholarships for French language courses, especially courses leading to a DELF/DALF or TCF certificate. 4,000 Vietnamese take the DELF/DALF exam and 1,200 take the TCF exam each year. Specialized and advanced French language courses are also widely available.