Organised by the Association for the Promotion and Exchange of Southeast Asian Languages in Japan, the annual event aims to promote Vietnamese language learning among the growing number of Japanese people with an interest in Vietnam.

First launched in 2017, the exam has built a strong reputation thanks to its rigorous and transparent evaluation standards. In 2024, only 52.6% of the 889 test-takers earned a certificate, with just 30.4% passing the highest level, K1.

Although Vietnamese is considered a difficult language, interest among Japanese learners continues to rise. The number of participants this year has nearly tripled that of the 2017 exam, and the average age of candidates is decreasing, dropping from over 40 last year to 38.4 this year that indicates increased enthusiasm among young Japanese people for learning Vietnamese.

“More and more Japanese are learning Vietnamese for a variety of reasons such as job requirements, company expectations, cultural interest, or a desire to simply communicate with Vietnamese friends. Even government officials, translators, and interpreters working in Vietnam-related fields are joining the exam to assess their skills,” said Masayoshi Fujino, chairman of the Association and a member of the organising committee.  

Many participants are also drawn to the language for personal reasons. Takenaka, a test-taker, who previously lived in Hanoi, said he married a Vietnamese woman, so he needs to speak Vietnamese with his wife.

“I also love Vietnamese culture and want to be able to communicate more with Vietnamese people,” he told VOV.

Now in its eighth consecutive year, the Vietnamese proficiency exam has gone beyond its original goal of spreading the Vietnamese language in Japan. It has become a symbol of the deepening cultural ties and mutual interest between the peoples of Vietnam and Japan.

Number of Japanese joining Vietnamese-language test makes record

A total of 815 Japanese candidates attended the fifth Vietnamese-language proficiency test held by the Japan College of Foreign Languages (JCFL) in Tokyo on June 19, the highest number to date.