According to the 2020 U.S. Census, over two million Vietnamese Americans live in the United States. Approximately 308,000 of them reside in Texas, and around 20,000 live in Central Texas alone. Vietnamese is the third most spoken language in Texas, behind English and Spanish, yet UT doesn’t offer a single Vietnamese class.
The University needs to reintegrate Vietnamese into its curriculum.
Incorporating Vietnamese into the classrooms will bolster the campus message of diversity. With 36 languages offered and a variety of cultural organizations, UT prides itself in fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive community. Teaching Vietnamese provides cultural opportunities beyond extracurriculars while supporting the student population’s growing diversity.
The University offered the class from 2006 to 2010 until the Asian Studies department faced a 30% cut for the following school year. Vietnamese was the only language completely eliminated.
“The Vietnamese population has been here for a little over 50 years, but the current generation (is) losing a lot of the language, a lot of the culture because we’re adapting to the American culture,” UT alumnus Minh Dang said. “We’ll never completely lose it, but we can see that it’s a lot less than what it used to be. So if we have the language itself, the main part of preserving the culture, that will benefit a big population.”
Campus organizations like the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) have tried to promote and teach the language.
Jason Hoang, an international relations and global studies sophomore and VSA’s vice president external, explains the “Vietnamese words of the day” activity during general meetings. However, these efforts are not enough. It’s nearly impossible for one student organization to spread the culture to a campus of 50,000 students.
“(My Spanish teacher in high school) always (said) you cannot split language from culture … so yes, we have our part with culture, but we need that language part here (too),” Hoang said.
There has been demonstrated interest throughout the years ever since Spring 2010 when the class was last offered. Members of the VSA and its allies created petitions in 2010, 2018 and 2020. These actions generated thousands of signees, showcasing that this issue has plagued the student population for over a decade.
“A lot of my non-Vietnamese friends want to learn Vietnamese,” Dang said. “(They) want to be able to go out and enjoy Vietnamese culture and use the language. Simple things like ordering food or just communicating, having a conversation.”
However, current budgetary constraints limit the feasibility of implementing a new language program. According to The Austin Chronicle, cutting the program saves the department $50,000 a year and the University administration $10,000. With the implications of the 2020 pandemic, the monetary restrictions have only grown.
Donald Davis, the Department of Asian Studies chair, responded in an email regarding financial struggles surrounding a new program.
“Opening a new program in Vietnamese, therefore, would require a big intellectual and financial commitment well beyond language courses,” Davis said. “We do not think it advisable to create a partial or incomplete program related to Vietnam. Furthermore, we do not want to undermine established programs about other parts of Asia.”
Because of this, it may not be economically practical to establish a new Vietnamese program. Instead, UT could offer Vietnamese by incorporating it into existing programs in East Asian and South Asian studies, history and international relations. These cross-disciplinary connections may reduce costs while expanding academic breadth. The University must gauge student feedback and see if it’s necessary to expand the program.
Opening these opportunities supports students academically and culturally. UT needs to integrate Vietnamese into its classrooms again.
Lam is a computer science freshman from Mansfield, Texas.
