"Hanoi University Admission Cutoff: Korean Language Department Higher Than Medical School"...Vietnam's Korean Wave

Increased Interest in Korean Language Due to Korean Company Employment and Hallyu Popularity
Yoon's Visits Receive Local Enthusiast Response Everywhere
"Did Not Expect It to Be This Much"

"According to what I heard, the department with the highest cutoff score at the National University of Hanoi in Vietnam is the Korean Language Department, followed by the Medical School."

Kim Tae-hyo, the First Deputy Director of the National Security Office, briefly introduced the enthusiasm for Korea and the Korean language in Vietnam during a briefing at the press center set up in Hanoi, Vietnam, on the 23rd (local time).

During the state visit to Vietnam, President Yoon and his aides were reportedly surprised by the welcoming greetings from Vietnamese students, saying, "We did not expect it to be this much." The YouTube Shorts released by the Presidential Office that day also showed Vietnamese students welcoming President Yoon by taking photos with their mobile phones as he appeared.

President Yoon and First Lady Kim Keon-hee attended the 'Dialogue with Vietnamese Korean Language Learners' held at the National University of Hanoi on the 22nd. About 70 Korean language learners attending the event welcomed them holding hand signs written in Korean, such as 'Let's be together in Korean' and 'Korean is fun.' When President Yoon greeted them with 'Xin ch?o (Hello),' all the students stood up and greeted him with applause.

During the conversation conducted in Korean without a separate interpreter with local students, President Yoon said, "I heard that Korean has been adopted as the first foreign language in Vietnam, and I felt that what I heard in Seoul is not different from reality," adding, "As someone who runs the government of the Republic of Korea, I feel a great responsibility to repay your enthusiasm."

President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee greet the Vietnamese audience at the Korea-Vietnam Cultural Exchange Night event held at the National Convention Center in Hanoi, Vietnam, on the 22nd (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]

With the expansion of Korean companies' investments in facilities in Vietnam, the importance of the Korean language locally has increased, leading the National University of Hanoi to establish a Korean Studies major in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences in 2020. Due to the popularity of major Korean companies' employment opportunities and the Korean Wave, students' preferences have risen, and consequently, the admission cutoff scores have also increased.

At the Korea-Vietnam Partnership Expo, when President Yoon entered, local industry officials cheered and gave a standing ovation. In fact, every time President Yoon toured the booths, Vietnamese visitors and industry officials were seen lining up to follow him.

At the Korea-Vietnam Cultural Exchange Night held at the Hanoi National Convention Center (NCC), about 2,500 K-pop fans cheered waving placards supporting Korean idol groups and light sticks as President Yoon and his wife entered, and the cheers grew louder when Park Hang-seo, former coach of the Vietnam national football team, appeared. A Presidential Office official said, "We were able to once again realize the popularity of the Republic of Korea in Vietnam."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.