25/02/2025
‘My name is Quang Dai Tuyen, and my Cham name is Isvan. My mother tongue is Cham, from the Cham ethnic community in Viet Nam. One of my favorite Cham proverbs is: "Aia hu haluw, kayuw hu agha," which means, "Water has a source, trees have roots." It embodies a profound philosophy about origins and cultural identity.
Speaking Cham is not just about communication; it is about preserving identity, history and indigenous knowledge. I have been actively involved in promoting the Cham language and cultural heritage since my university years. My efforts have spanned grassroots movements, media engagement, research, digitalization and education.
One of the most encouraging changes I have observed is the growing enthusiasm among young Cham people in language preservation efforts such as the development of Cham-Vietnamese-English dictionaries, Cham fonts and digital language resources.
Without language, many aspects of our intangible cultural heritage, such as poetry, storytelling, religious teachings and traditional wisdom, would be lost. For the Cham people, heritage preservation is an ongoing process of ensuring that our language and traditions remain relevant in modern society.’
— Quang Dai Tuyen (Isvan), Director, Doctoral Programme, Faculty of Tourism and Vietnamese Studies, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Viet Nam
This social media post is part of a series in celebration of International Mother Language Day 2025.
More on : https://www.unesco.org/en/days/mother-language
Learn more from the Bangkok Priorities for Action on First Language-based Multilingual Education: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000387958
UNESCO Office in Viet Nam | United Nations Myanmar | Asia-Pacific Multilingual Education Working Group
