Vietnam's first certificate test for local Chinese teachers held in Hanoi

Vietnam's first test for the local version of the Certificate for Teachers of Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (CTCSOL) was held Saturday in the capital Hanoi.

A total of 23 Chinese teachers from across Vietnam took part in the written exam, which was hosted by the Confucius Institute at Hanoi University, the only site for the test in Vietnam.

Those who pass the written exam will undergo the interview part scheduled for the end of the year, which will ultimately decide who can receive the certificate.

Luo Jun, a principal of the Confucius Institute at Hanoi University, told Xinhua that the growing economic, trade and cultural exchanges between China and Vietnam, as well as Vietnamese people's growing interest in the Chinese language, have led to further demand for local Chinese teachers of higher quality.

The CTCSOL test could help improve the quality of local Chinese teachers, and would encourage Vietnamese people interested in Chinese to take part in teaching Chinese, so as to nurture more qualified teachers and meet the urgent demands of local Chinese learners, said Luo.

Do Thanh Van, the other head of the Confucius Institute, said the teachers and students at the institute have well prepared for the test, adding that the test would help boost the development of Vietnam-China friendship in the long term.

The CTCSOL test is sponsored by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation under China's Ministry of Education.