Ms. Lo Mai Cuong teaches the Thai language at a community school in Chau village, Chieng Coi ward.

To preserve the spoken and written language of the ethnic group, Son La city has implemented many classes to teach the Thai script, serving diverse groups, from officials to the general public, through Thai ethnic cultural clubs. In Chau village, Chieng Coi ward, Ms. Lo Mai Cuong is an expert in researching and teaching the Thai script. Undeterred by difficulties, she opens free classes for students. Ms. Cuong shared: "The classes have no age limit, and they take place every Saturday and Sunday for about three months. Besides teaching the script, I also tell stories about the history of the Thai ethnic group and incorporate Thai songs into the lessons, helping students gain a deeper understanding of Thai culture."

Ms. Tong Thi Hoa, a student who recently completed a Thai language course at the Chau village community center at the end of 2024, excitedly said: "Before, I only knew how to speak but not how to read or write. Thanks to participating in the class, I can now write Thai fluently. 100% of the students know how to read and write Thai. This makes us very happy."

Closing ceremony of the Thai language class in Chau village, Chieng Coi ward.

Thai language classes in Son La city are organized flexibly to suit the time constraints of each group of students. For working people, classes are held in the evenings to avoid interfering with daytime work. For students, classes are organized in sessions, mainly during the summer to give them the best learning time.

Ms. Lo Chiem, Deputy Head of Lau village, Chieng Le ward, and a former student of the Thai language class, shared: "Learning the Thai script has helped me in managing the village and mobilizing young people to learn the script to preserve our cultural identity and strengthen unity in the community."

Learning the Thai script is not easy; it requires perseverance and passion. Unlike standard Vietnamese, the Thai script has its own unique pronunciation and syllable structure. Without a firm grasp of the alphabet, learners will face many difficulties in syllable formation and reading fluently. Thai script is written without spaces, without periods or commas, and without capitalization. A single consonant can combine with three vowels to create three different words.

Thai language class at Son La College.

Students participating in the class will learn 19 pairs of Thai characters, consisting of 19 "to" consonants and 19 "may" vowels; practice reading, syllable blending, understanding word and sentence meanings, and practicing writing poetry and verses in Thai characters. The teaching is conducted by instructors who are knowledgeable in the language and have extensive experience.

Son La College is one of the pioneering institutions in teaching the Thai language. In 2024, the college organized 8 Thai language classes, mainly for officials, civil servants, and employees, with each class having 50-70 students.

Ms. Khanh Huyen from the Provincial Center for Disease Control shared: "I am of Kinh ethnicity, and before attending the class, I worried I wouldn't be able to learn. But after participating in the class, I found the Thai script beautiful and meaningful. Now, I can write fluently and read well, which helps me communicate more easily with Thai patients at work."

The ethnic script faces the risk of extinction if not preserved in time. The classes in Chau village, Lau village, Son La College, etc., are bright spots in the effort to preserve and promote the cultural identity of the Thai ethnic group and need to be promoted and replicated.

Source: Son La Newspaper