“We’re going back home, not travelling to a foreign country”, Hoang Thanh Loan, an 18-year-old from Belarus who is on her first trip to Vietnam, said.

She is one of 150 students from 30 countries participating in a summer camp organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Communist Youth Union.

Though born and brought up outside Vietnam, Loan and the others try to communicate in Vietnamese.

Though there is no Vietnamese school in Belarus, she learnt the language from her parents, Vietnamese TV channels, and online Vietnamese newspapers.

“So though it is the first time I’m returning home, I don’t have the feeling that I am visiting a foreign country since many things here are so familiar to me,” she explained.

Nguyen Tran Duc Minh, a 17-year-old from France, also has a same story to tell.

“I learn Vietnamese at home and got to know about Vietnam through stories told by my grandparents and parents. So I have the feeling of returning home every time I am here,” he said.

Next year he will be busy with university and may not have much time to come to his “sweet home,” he added.

Pham Thi Minh Thu, 22, left Vietnam for the Czech Republic when she was five. She frequently interacts with other Vietnamese there and came to hear about the camp and said she decided to register immediately.

Minh Thu was chosen from among many candidates to visit Vietnam because of her outstanding community service and academic results. “I hope to learn more about Vietnamese history and discover the beauty of Vietnam’s landscapes,” she said.

Also wishing to learn more about the country, especially its economy, is 17-year-old Swiss Vo Trong Tin.

“Though I’ve been in Switzerland for a long time, I always keep in mind that I am a Vietnamese,” he said, adding he buys Vietnamese books and movies to brush up on his language.

Kaarina Suominen, a 17-year-old from Finland, learnt Vietnamese by listening to music. In Vietnam, she loves going to karaoke parlors with friends and family and sing her favorite Vietnamese songs.

Despite living in Finland since birth, Kaarina said she had no difficulties adapting to Vietnamese culture. “What I worry about is not having enough time to taste all the delicious dishes here,” she said.

Most of the young participants said they plan to stay back in Vietnam after the camp is over.
“I’ll learn Vietnamese and cooking Vietnamese dishes at my uncle’s house,” said Russian-Vietnamese Hai Yen, 17.

“I’ve been back several times but only this time have I made up my mind about working here after graduation and I believe it’s a good choice to work at home.”

Tin said: “I have dreamed of working in Vietnam since childhood and I want to become an eye doctor so that I can cure my people.”

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