Background and Vision
■ The Trigger to Start Learning Vietnamese
Hello. I’m Nakashima, the representative of Loan’s Vietnamese Lesson.
I started dating my Vietnamese girlfriend, Loan, on May 3, 2019 (I’ll omit the details leading up to our relationship).Loan had been studying Japanese for over six years, so she was fluent not only in standard Japanese but also in Kansai and Hakata dialects.Since she was proficient in Japanese, there were no particular language issues when we started our relationship.
Time passed and at one point, I went to visit her family home in Bac Ninh province, Vietnam, all by myself.
At that time, I couldn’t speak any Vietnamese at all, and I was really worried about whether her parents would accept “such a Japanese person” until I met them.However, my worries were short-lived as her parents and siblings really welcomed me warmly (I was so relieved!).Most of our communication was through gestures or Google Translate, but I still felt the warmth of family.I thought, “Loan’s family are all good people♫,” but at the same time, I felt a bit miserable thinking, “If only I could communicate more with Loan’s family and friends, it would be fun and I could learn a lot…”
And the final straw was a single comment from her father who happened to pass by while I was video calling Loan in Japan.
(Note: This is a representative image)
“I won’t allow my daughter to marry you until you can speak Vietnamese!”
With that single comment, I thought in cold sweat, “This is serious… I really need to buckle down and study Vietnamese for the future…” I was simply stunned by the father’s dignified figure.
■I’ve experienced multiple failures when I started learning Vietnamese.
After returning to Japan, I randomly bought a Vietnamese reference book from a bookstore and thought, “Let’s do our best from now on!” But that was short-lived, and I ended up giving up on learning Vietnamese.
The reasons are as follows.
・ “The grammar explanations are difficult to understand!”
・ “I could only listen to the audio on a CD disk…”
・ “Mysterious words that suddenly appear are not explained…”
・ “The explanations in the reference book and the Vietnamese itself are wrong…”
・ “I can’t enjoy learning alone…”
At the time, Loan and I were in a long-distance relationship, so I couldn’t rely on her much. One of the reasons I gave up was that I was in a situation where I couldn’t ask her immediately when I didn’t understand something.
As time passed and our long-distance relationship ended, I was able to have Loan teach me Vietnamese, and I gradually began to understand the language. But it would have been impossible for me alone to continue studying Vietnamese.
■What I realized while running the Vietnamese language course.
About a year and a half into our relationship, we started sharing information about Vietnam on YouTube under the channel name “Kakeru & Loan”.When we started recruiting students for a course to learn the basics of Vietnamese over a year, we received applications from about 15 people.
When we asked, “Why did you decide to take the course?” we received the following answers.
・ “I wanted to study Vietnamese, but there were no good online courses…”
・ “There has never been a course that teaches the basics of Vietnamese from scratch…”
・ “Because it seemed like I could create connections with other students!”
Similarly, I heard similar comments from many YouTube viewers and acquaintances.At this time, I thought, “Isn’t there a demand for an online course where you can learn the basics of Vietnamese from scratch and value connections?”
Half a year later, when I recruited second-term students in the same way, I immediately received inquiries from more than 15 people, so I believe my speculation was correct.
■On the other hand, there were also problems unique to group settings…
We started a “multi-person Vietnamese course” with just Loan and I as instructors for about 10 students for the first and second terms.Then, several problems became apparent.
For instance:
・ “The number of times each person can speak decreases…”
・ “Individual differences in Vietnamese learning speed become apparent, making it impossible to tailor the course to each individual…”
・ “A certain number of people simply don’t fit into multi-person courses…”
We’re trying our best to solve these issues, but we can’t completely eliminate them.
However, it’s true that there are many benefits to multiple students taking a course together, such as creating unity among the students and learning from other people’s presentations.
■Through these experiences.
After actually operating a Vietnamese course for multiple people, I began to have the desire to operate a one-on-one course where each individual could learn Vietnamese better, while maintaining the good aspects of group learning.This isn’t a shallow desire to make money, but a wish to be useful to people who, like me, want to take on the challenge of studying Vietnamese. At the same time, I was driven by a sense of mission that “I must do this!”
So, why did I decide to offer a one-on-one conversation service? There are three reasons:
① Students can fully converse in Vietnamese within a limited time!
② Courses can be tailored to the student’s proficiency level!
③ As it’s one-on-one with the instructor, students can focus on the course without worrying about others!
Have you noticed anything from these reasons?That’s right, it solves all the problems of group learning.
■The goal of Loan’s Vietnamese Lesson.
My goal through Loan’s Vietnamese Lesson is to provide full support for mastering the Vietnamese language and enriching the lives of my students.
For instance,
– “Thanks to being able to speak Vietnamese, I found a wonderful Vietnamese partner!”
– “Now that I can communicate in Vietnamese, I have become closer to my Vietnamese friends!”
– “Being able to speak Vietnamese is rare for a Japanese person, so I was able to change jobs and increase my annual income, allowing me to purchase my dream house!”
I pledge, through the cooperation of our management and teaching teams, to make every effort to provide the best possible service to achieve this goal and positively impact the lives of our students. We are truly excited to embark on this journey with you, exploring wonderful encounters and learning experiences through Vietnamese.
Sincerely, Nakashima (Representative)