Language Competence and Usage among the Hoa Community in Dong Nai Province, Vietnam
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35516/Hum.2026.10012Keywords:
language competence, language choice, communication domains, Hoa people, Dong Nai province.Abstract
Objectives: This article reports the results of a study on language competence and usage among the Hoa people community in Dong Nai province, Southeast Vietnam. Specifically, it examines their proficiency in Vietnamese, their mother tongue (Chinese dialect), and Mandarin Chinese. Additionally, the study explores the contexts in which the Hoa people use these languages—Vietnamese, their mother tongue, and Mandarin—and the extent to which these languages are used in their daily communication.
Methods: This study was conducted primarily through a field survey using a questionnaire, supplemented by observation and in-depth interviews, with the participation of 236 Hoa people in Dong Nai province, Vietnam.
Results: The findings reveal that 83.9% of the respondents are fluent in Vietnamese, largely due to their long-term residence in Vietnam. As a result, a significant portion of the Hoa community now self-identifies Vietnamese as their mother tongue, indicating a language shift from Chinese dialects to Vietnamese. Additionally, Vietnamese is the dominant language which is used in many different communication domains including: families, public and social settings, written communication, media consumption, and cultural activities.
Conclusions: The Hoa community in Dong Nai is experiencing a shift from bilingualism to Vietnamese dominance. As proficiency in Vietnamese grows, the use of Chinese dialects declines, resulting in fewer bilinguals and an increase in Vietnamese monolinguals.
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