Keeping Vietnamese alive for your children: where to start

Many Vietnamese parents in Australia want their children to keep the Vietnamese language — not only to talk with their grandparents, but because the mother tongue is an important part of identity. In practice, though, once children start school and live mostly in English, Vietnamese easily becomes a “language used only at home” and gradually narrows.

This article is not a perfect formula — it is a set of practical starting points.

Vietnamese needs a real place in everyday life

If Vietnamese only appears when parents remind their children to use it, the children will experience it as a duty, not a natural part of who they are. What helps children keep a language is when that language is tied to real things — family affection, happy memories, interesting conversations.

A few ways to make room for Vietnamese:

The family speaks Vietnamese at home. If parents switch to English when talking with their children, the children will have no reason to use Vietnamese. Consistently using Vietnamese in family life — even when your child replies in English — is the most important foundation.

Vietnamese books, films, and music. Comics, children’s books, cartoons, songs — age-appropriate Vietnamese content lets children meet the language in a fun, low-pressure context.

Contact with grandparents and relatives. If grandparents back home speak only Vietnamese, that is a real reason for the child to keep the language — not out of duty, but out of wanting to be able to talk with family.

Weekend Vietnamese classes

Many of Australia’s big cities have community-run Vietnamese classes on weekends. These are not only places to learn the language — they are also places where children meet friends in a similar situation, and the feeling of “there are friends who speak Vietnamese like me too” has a value of its own.

If you want to find a class, looking through your local Vietnamese community groups is the simplest way.

When your child no longer wants to speak Vietnamese

The stage when children start choosing English — usually from around school age — is the one many parents worry about most. This is common and almost impossible to avoid entirely: school, friends, and the world around them are all in English.

A few things worth knowing:

Forcing it doesn’t work. Children who are forced to speak Vietnamese often develop a negative attitude towards the language — and when they grow older, they move away from it entirely.

Keep speaking Vietnamese to your child even if they reply in English. Many parents do this — the child understands Vietnamese fully and answers in English. Their listening and comprehension are preserved, and this can become a bridge later, when they grow up and take more interest in their own identity.

Connect the language to identity, not to duty. Children keep Vietnamese best when the language is tied to pride, to good memories, to real connection — not to the feeling of “I have to do this so I don’t let my parents down.”

Two languages are not in competition

One common worry is that keeping Vietnamese will slow down a child’s English. Evidence from linguistic research says the opposite — bilingual children often develop stronger language-related cognitive skills over the long term. That said, in the early stage there may be times when a child mixes the two languages — this is normal and will pass.

If you have a specific concern about your child’s language development, a teacher or a children’s speech and language professional is the right person to ask.