The seminar provided domestic and foreign experts a forum to share and compare experiences in using IT as a tool for foreign language study.

Participants examined issues including language policy and IT application in Vietnam, strengthening cooperation via social media, computers and their relation to language theory, and promoting language learning environments supported by IT.

Experts said applying IT is an international foreign language learning and teaching trend. Methods range from learning foreign languages through writing blogs, to online games and animations, to social media interactions on Facebook and Twitter.

Vietnam’s internet usage rate is the seventh highest in Asia, an advantage foreign language teacher can exploit to save time and improve fluency.

The national foreign language learning plan asserts most students are fluent in a foreign language after graduating colleges or universities. The Government has adjusted the national English curriculum, set national foreign language standards for teachers and pupils, established a national foreign language teaching centre, and increased investment in IT resources for foreign language study.