Competition for students of German
International Olympics of the German Language

​Every two years the best German learners between 14 and 19 years meet up for the world’s biggest competition of the German language, the International Olympics of the German Language (IDO). In the following we introduce the two participants from Vietnam.

Interview with Nguyen Ngoc My

© Goethe-Institut Hanoi

Nguyen Ngoc My is 17 years old, lives in HCMC and studies German at Nang Khieu High School.  - The interview was conducted by Pham Hai Trang -

1)Why and how long are you studying German?
 
I am learning German for 2 years now, because I would like to study in Germany.
 
2) Do you have any advice for learning German?
 
I can give many useful advices. For example I recommend to watch German films or listen to German music every day.
 
3) What was your best experience with the German language, people or the country itself?
 
My best experience was during my stay in Germany. Last year, I visited Dresden, Leipzig, Berlin and Meißen for three weeks.
 
4) What are you looking forward to do in Germany?
 
I am looking forward to get to know new friends from different countries and to improve my German skills.
 
5) New in Vietnam – what to see / to do / to eat?
 
In Vietnam, you absolutely need to taste Pho and Bun Cha – the typical food in Vietnam. Of course you should visit Hoi An and HCMC because these cities are very beautiful and interesting.

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Interview with Pham Hai Trang

Foto: Kristin Kropidlowski © Goethe-Institut Hanoi

Pham Hai Trang is 17 years old, lives in Hanoi and studies German at the High School for Foreign Languages. - The interview was conducted by Nguyen Ngoc My -

1) Why and how long are you studying German?
 
I am learning German because I am very interested in German culture and arts. I am learning German for 6 years now.
 
2) Do you have any advice for learning German?
 
My advice? I would say to learn the vocabularies. The more words you know the better you can express yourself.
 
3) What was your best experience with the German language, people or the country itself?
 
I already had my best experience with my German teacher Kathrin Bothe. She is very nice, helpful and neat.
 
4) What are you looking forward to do in Germany?
 
I am looking forward to get to know people from all around the world and obviously to improve my German.
 
5) New in Vietnam – what to see / to do / to eat?
 
You can visit a lot of nice cities and places. For people travelling to Vietnam I recommend to go to Sapa. Furthermore it is a good idea to listen to traditional music if foreigners would like to experience Vietnamese culture.

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International Olympics of the German Language 

The Olympics have the purpose to inspire young people abroad for the German language and to open the doors to German science, culture and economy for them. The German learners are accompanied by their teachers from their countries of origin. They have the opportunity to share their experiences in education of young people and to integrate their gained new knowledge into pedagogical work. In 2016 125 young German learners from 64 countries will be brought together by the IDO in Berlin for two weeks. The young people from all around the world compete for the award of the best German learner in three language levels. The Olympics is supported by representatives from education, politics and economy. The initiators of the IDO are the International association of German teachers and the Goethe-Institut.