HANOI, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Le Van Dai, a senior student in the capital Hanoi, celebrated Vietnam's Teachers' Day by offering a bouquet of sunflowers to his lecturer on Thursday morning, and later that afternoon, he also received flowers and small gifts from his students.
Vietnam Teachers' Day, celebrated annually on Nov. 20 to honor educators nationwide, was especially meaningful for Dai, a Chinese language teacher education student at the University of Languages and International Studies, who also works as a part-time Chinese-language tutor in his free time.
Amid the rising demand for learning Chinese, many Vietnamese students are taking on part-time tutoring while pursuing degrees in Chinese education, viewing it not only as a source of income but also as professional preparation.
"Over recent years, learning Chinese has become a growing trend among young Vietnamese and working professionals as well, driven by cultural exchange, closer bilateral relations, and expanding job opportunities between Vietnam and China," Dai noted.
Teaching Chinese two classes a week, including a beginner and an intermediate level class, helps Dai to cover his daily living expenses.
"I earn about 9 to 10 million Vietnamese dong (about 344 to 383 U.S. dollars) per month from tutoring, enough to pay for house, electricity, water, food, transportation and save a part for other expenses like shopping, appliances, clothes," Dai said.
The growing demand for Chinese learning is further reflected in testing statistics.
According to data from the Center for Language and Cooperation of China, nearly 10,000 candidates registered for the Chinese Proficiency Test, also known as HSK, at the Confucius Institute at Hanoi University in the first quarter of 2025, making Vietnam the country with the highest number of HSK test-takers worldwide during this period.
With the rising demand for Chinese learning, many Vietnamese entrepreneurs are now viewing Chinese-language education as a potential business opportunity, including Dang Nghia Hoa, director of a Chinese-teaching company in Hanoi.
Hoa, who majored in international relations, started her own enterprise after discovering a surge in demand for quality Chinese-language teaching during her years as a student.
Established in 2024, the company has attracted around 1,500 learners, covering from secondary students to working professionals, Hoa noted, emphasizing that learners study Chinese for several reasons.
"Secondary and high school students study Chinese to meet university admission requirements or apply for scholarships in China, while university students and working professionals learn it as a second language to expand job opportunities and pursue personal development," she added.
Popular online recruitment platforms in Vietnam, such as LinkedIn, TopCV, and VietnamWorks, list between 2,000 and 3,000 job postings using the keyword "Chinese-language," with monthly salaries ranging from about 500 to 2,000 dollars.
Meanwhile, a Facebook group in Vietnam named "Study Chinese Every Day" has reached about 1.3 million members, with users posting Chinese-language learning content daily.
Nguyen Thanh Huong, a 22-year-old teacher who is currently working at Hoa's company, views teaching Chinese as both a career and a way to create value, and plans to pursue further studies in China to strengthen her competitive edge before returning to Vietnam's Chinese language education market.
"Teaching is not just a job, but it's how we create social value and help others access new opportunities," Huong said, noting that competition for Chinese-language teaching scholarships in China has become increasingly intense as the field becomes popular. ■