Translation of the article from « Le Courrier Du Vietnam »
« Love at first sight »
When he thinks back to his first steps in Vietnam, Sébastien remembers that he didn’t dare to go out, that he really felt like he was on another planet. Discovering little by little this country through numerous trips on the beaches of Mui Né, in the alleys of Nha Trang, on the bridges of Hoî An, decorated with lanterns, at the edge of the lake of Dalat or in the imperial city of Hué, he quickly fell under the charm of its landscapes and the unique smile of its inhabitants.
Many visits
Sebastien spent a lot of time comforting many sick, poor or orphaned children in Ho Chi Minh City. His mission, along with his mother, was to make the link with these children and their godparents who remained in France but who were waiting for news of their little protégés on the other side of the world. One thing leading to another, Sébastien wanted to discover more about the local life and did not hesitate to immerse himself in very popular districts of the southern megalopolis. It was this first important immersion in August 2003 that changed Sebastien’s life.
Suddenly, he discovered another way of life, a new culture and especially a new language that he qualified as strange at first. It is true that he had never heard anything like it and it was time to start learning it. Sebastien also met a Vietnamese girl of his own age who he will not forget in a hurry. For the first time, he dared to speak in Vietnamese in a natural way and his « Em rat dep » (you are very beautiful) made her laugh a lot.
The girl from Da Lat
This young Dalat woman thus perceived the course of Sebastien. He had to come back regularly to Vietnam and especially to consolidate his knowledge of the Vietnamese language. This is why, back in Paris, he enrolled at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (Inalco). He was a studious student, making amazing progress in the language, making other students jealous. He learned that an exchange program existed to go to Vietnam as a student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City and so in October 2004 he returned to his adopted city. With a new solid foundation of Vietnamese, his new immersion allowed him to speak fluent Vietnamese this time. His immersion finally lasted almost five years.
His own learning method
Back in France, Sébastien methodically built a website where he will detail his personal approach of the Vietnamese language and the first steps to learn it. Coursdevietnamien.fr has thus become a method of learning this Asian language, the result of his multiple experiences.
Very quickly, the first students enroll and in turn gain confidence in themselves. The excellent teacher reassures, encourages and multiplies the good strategies to make well pronounce this language which interests the French youth. Without masculine and feminine, without conjugation as in the language of Molière, Vietnamese remains however a rather difficult language to learn and especially to pronounce but Sebastien Faudouas is patient and knows that he has a good methodological progression. Besides his website, he will take advantage of the development of social networks to popularize his adopted language. This is the case on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/apprendre.levietnamien.52 as well as on his Youtube channel « Thây Seb »:
https://m.lecourrier.vn/thay-seb-ce-parisien-qui-popularise-la-langue-vietnamienne/
Try it and we’ll hear from you.
Text: Hervé Fayet/CVN
Photos: Sébastien Faudouas/CVN