This year marks the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, which have achieved substantial growth since the two nations normalized relations in 1992. The status of the bilateral relationship has been upgraded to a “strategic partnership,” from a “comprehensive cooperative partnership,” on the occasion of Korean President Lee Myung-bak’s state visit to Vietnam in 2009. The two-way trade volume, which amounted to some US$500 million in 1992, has jumped 37-fold to $18.6 billion in 2011. Korean investment in Vietnam has also surged remarkably. As of November 2011, Korea is ranked a leading investor in Vietnam, with its foreign direct investment (FDI) totaling $240 billion for some 3,000 projects.

A fast-rising number of young Vietnamese are learning the Korean language either for academic purposes or employment in Korea. Vietnamese residents in Korea now amounts to some 115,000, and the Korean nationals residing in Vietnam are estimated at some 135,000. During a relatively brief period of 20 years, relations between the two nations have developed faster than those of any other countries in many areas.

Background of Korean Studies in Vietnam

This fast-growing bilateral relationship can also be seen in the rapid expansion of Vietnam’s demand for education in the Korean language and studies. In 1993, a Korean language minor program was offered for the first time by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University-Hanoi, marking the historic emergence of Korean Studies at Vietnamese universities. Today, 13 universities and colleges have Korean Studies programs, with more than 2,500 students majoring in various Korea-related areas. They include eight universities and colleges in southern regions of Vietnam, two in central regions, and three in northern regions. Six Korean Studies major programs opened in the 1990s, and the rest since the 2000s. Universities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City took the lead in opening Korean Studies programs, followed by those in other cities, and Da Nang and Hue in central regions.

The number of Korean Studies freshmen at universities and colleges in the northern and central regions has increased noticeably, while that in southern regions has shown little change in recent years. This suggests that the demand for manpower with Korean language ability is increasing significantly in northern and central regions, owing to active investment projects being undertaken by Korean businesses in Hanoi, Bac Ninh, and Da Nang.

As for the relationship between hallyu pop culture and the steep increase in the interest in Korea-related education, I do not necessarily agree with the general perception that the Korean Wave has been the key factor behind the recent growth in demand for Korean language instruction and Korean Studies courses. This expanded demand should rather be attributed to the steady increase of Korea’s business investments in Vietnam. Indeed, Korean Studies students are essentially guaranteed an employment opportunity upon graduation to earn a salary that is often double the amount for graduates with other majors. It can be said that the overseas craze for Korean pop culture has contributed significantly to the local market share of Korean products, thereby attracting additional Korean investment into Vietnam and creating further demand for manpower resources with Korean language competency.

However, a closer examination of the situation will reveal that a great majority of the large-scale Korean investment projects have been focused mainly on the construction sector, as well as the production of textile, footwear, heavy equipment, and electronic appliances, benefiting from low-cost unskilled labor for exports to third countries, rather than the processing trade for the local market. Therefore, it is difficult to say that the Korean investments in these industries are directly related to the Korean Wave and are thus its primary beneficiaries. However, there is no doubt the Korean Wave is encouraging Vietnam’s younger generation, and especially students, to accept Korean culture and to embrace its influences. In this way, Korean pop culture has generated a broad interest among Vietnamese students in learning the Korean language or majoring in Korean Studies at the university level.

Demand for Korean Studies

The growing demand for Korean Studies education in Vietnam may be ascribable to the interests of the following five groups:

• Those who aspire to become Korea-related specialists or university professors;
• Graduates with Korean language competency seeking employment with Korean enterprises doing business in Vietnam or Vietnamese government organizations engaged in Korea-related affairs;
• Applicants for the Test of Proficiency in the Korean Language (TOPIK), who seek employment in Korea under the Employment Permit System (EPS);
• Potential immigrant spouses who hope to resettle in Korea; and
• Korean learners inspired by the Korean Wave.

According to a 2007 study by the National Institute of Korean Language, there were about 53,700 Korean language learners in Vietnam. However, considering that the number of applicants for the TOPIC-EPS held in December 2011 totaled some 65,000, the number of Korean language students has obviously increased much faster than expected. Advanced-level Korean language speakers are educated at the 13 university departments with Korean language and/or Korean Studies programs, while beginner- and intermediate-level programs are provided by university-affiliated language centers, Sejong Institutes, and private language academies. In addition, a KF-funded Korean language program titled “Xin Chao Hankuko,” being aired by VTV2, a national broadcast center, is helping to expand Korean language learning among Vietnamese people.

Accelerating Development of Korean Studies

To assure the continued development of Korean Studies in Vietnam, a priority should be placed on upgrading the research activities and instructional ability of university faculties. For example, less than 10% percent of Korean Studies professors and lecturers in Vietnam today possess doctoral degrees, while there is no Korean Studies department chair who has both Korean language competency and a doctoral degree.

It has been just some 15 years since the first classes of Korean Studies majors graduated. While the university administrators have installed and operated Korean Studies departments in response to the fast-growing demand from the market over the years, they have not been able to pay enough attention to improving the general quality of Korean Studies education. As a result, a large number of Korean Studies instructors are master’s degree holders who are taking doctoral courses at local universities, such as the Vietnam National University-Hanoi, Vietnam National University-HCMC, and Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.

This situation is attributed in part to Vietnam’s rather unique system for nurturing university professors. In Vietnam, top-rated graduates are usually offered teaching jobs right upon receiving undergraduate degrees and sometime afterward with opportunities for graduate studies abroad after which they return to continue their teaching careers. Due to such a system, outsiders have difficulty overcoming the entry barrier, even when they have better qualifications. Moreover, low pay and lack of benefits deter qualified manpower from accepting faculty positions at universities. The lack of qualified doctoral-level researchers and professors has led to insufficient research and eventually the paucity of Korean Studies reference materials and textbooks in the vernacular language, which in turn resulted in the backwardness in Korean Studies education at the institutions of higher learning.

Support for Korean Studies

Korean Studies in Vietnam finds itself at a critical juncture with Korea-Vietnam cooperation ever expanding into new areas and stimulating steady increases in productive activities as well as demand for Korea specialists. At this important time, it is heartening to know that within the next five years or so, Korean Studies departments at leading universities will have a far greater number of professors holding doctoral degrees. Under the influence of the Korean Wave, subjects of research will become more diversified, ranging from the traditional fields of history and language to pop culture and society and culture in general, contributing to a more balanced development of Korean Studies content.

In April 2011, the Korean Research Association of Vietnam (KRAV) was inaugurated with approval from the Vietnamese Communist Party and five relevant government agencies. Supported by the Korea Foundation, KRAV is Vietnam’s first state-level organization dedicated to international studies. Recently, the Graduate School of Social Sciences (GASS), affiliated with the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, has been preparing to offer Korean Studies courses as a major program. All these developments may be seen as positive signs of forward progress for Korean Studies in Vietnam.

For Korean Studies education to take firm root in Vietnam, Korean Studies lecturers should earn doctoral degrees so that they can undertake more meaningful research, in particular regard to the development of textbooks and reference materials for local students. The supporters of Korean Studies, such as the Korea Foundation, need to serve as a catalyst to help accelerate Vietnam’s process of building positive momentum through the implementation of its own academic support programs. Over the short term, it is necessary to diversify the Korean Studies courses through the dispatch of experienced professors, and to provide additional Korean language training fellowships and field research fellowships in Korea for the next generation of Vietnam’s Korean Studies lecturers and professors. When its supply and demand attains stability over a five-year transition period, Korean Studies in Vietnam will eventually be able support itself with a virtuous circle in place.

Jee Chang-sung Director, KF Hanoi Office