About
Vietnamese language classes began at Brown in Fall 2021, following student advocacy and support from the campus community.
What is Tiếng Việt at Brown?
Brown offers beginner and intermediate Vietnamese for students learning from scratch and those who grew up with the language.
Classes combine conversation, reading, and writing with Vietnamese culture. Language tables and community events give students more time to practice together.
Explore the language courses
How the program began
Southeast Asian Studies at Brown has seen fluctuations in course offerings and key faculty departures since the 1960s. In spring 2017, students founded the Southeast Asian Studies Initiative (SEASI) to advocate for the field at Brown.
Through symposia, book clubs, and exhibitions, SEASI helped make space for Southeast Asian Studies on campus. Its efforts, together with support from the Brown-RISD Vietnamese Students Association and other community members, led to the introduction of Vietnamese language classes in Fall 2021.
Visiting Lecturer Trang Tran teaches Beginner and Intermediate Vietnamese. The program brings students together around the language and culture, in class and through shared activities.
SEASI’s vision extends beyond the Vietnamese program: a Department of Southeast Asian Studies at Brown, with more opportunities to study Southeast Asian languages and cultures.
View team →
Why learn Vietnamese?
Some students want to speak more Vietnamese with family. Others are learning it for the first time. Both are welcome.
See what students have made in class, or come to a community event.
