Faculty of Asian Studies, The Australian National University

In studying Vietnamese, students are learning the language of one of Asia’s oldest civilisations. In the modern context, Vietnamese is the national language of a country of growing political and economic significance.

Furthermore, it is the language of a vibrant community of over 150,000 Vietnamese who have come to settle in Australia.

The aim of the Vietnamese Program is to provide students with the opportunity to develop conversational, reading and writing skills. To equip students with the linguistic and cultural competence needed to function effectively in Vietnam, and the education to enable them to understand this country in depth.

Degree Programs

The Southeast Asia Centre in the Faculty of Asian Studies offers the three-year Bachelor of Asian Studies degree and a specialist four-year degree, Bachelor of Asian Studies (Vietnamese) which includes the Year in Asia program. Qualified students may switch between the three-year and the four-year degree, normally after the first two years, which are academically the same.

In year three, Bachelor of Asian Studies students complete their degree, while the Bachelor of Asian Studies (Specialist) students spend the year in universities or equivalent institutions in Vietnam doing advanced language work and studying in their field of specialisation (under the Year-in-Asia program). Year four of the Bachelor of Asian Studies (Specialist) is spent back at the ANU taking advanced units in disciplinary, language and area studies.

The three and four year degrees in Asian Studies may be combined with degrees in arts, commerce, economics, engineering, law, science and visual arts.

The Southeast Asia Centre courses are open to students taking Asian Studies degrees as well as to students enrolled in other Faculties.

The language

Vietnamese language, like many of the languages of mainland Southeast Asia, is a tonal language and it is monosyllabic: each syllable can have different meanings according to the tonal pronunciation. Vietnamese has a Roman alphabet, which makes it easy for English speaking people to learn, and its syntax is simple.

Language and Vietnam-related courses

In the first year of study the focus is on communicative competence using correct grammatical structures. The second year focuses on Spoken Vietnamese with its idiomatic expressions. In the third year students complete a reading program and engage in debate on current affairs and social and cultural issues.

Students enrolled in the four-year Bachelor of Asian Studies (Vietnamese) degree spend one year studying an intensive language course at a Vietnamese university or equivalent institution as part of the Year-in-Vietnam program.

Asian Studies degree students are free to complement a Vietnamese language sequence with courses relating to both Southeast Asia and China.

The Undergraduate Handbook provides a comprehensive list of courses offered by the Faculty of Asian Studies.

Other Vietnam-related courses

The Centre for Asian Societies and Histories in the Faculty teaches non-language courses in Asian history, religion and society. Courses in Asian politics, economics and law are available in other Faculties. Graduate studies in Vietnamese

Vietnamese studies may be undertaken for the Graduate Diploma, Master of Asian Studies, Master of Arts (Asian Studies), the MPhil and PhD.

Graduate programs at the ANU are administered by the Graduate School. Please refer to the Faculty Graduate Programs page for more information about the specialised graduate programs in Asian Studies.