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Six courses, one small close-knit program: from your first "xin chào" to advanced seminars in Vietnamese history and culture — taught by faculty who study how language learning changes who you become.
Spring 2027 enrollment is open. VIET 204: Intermediate Vietnamese II — Community and Diaspora, and VIET 305: Advanced Vietnamese — Arts, Cinema, and Creative Expression, the program's first-ever advanced offering.
Register on ConnectCarolina →Vietnamese is the language of over 100 million people worldwide — and of more than 20,000 of your neighbors right here in North Carolina.
Whether you're drawn by family heritage, career goals, a love of Vietnamese culture, or simply the challenge of a new language, UNC Chapel Hill offers a supportive, research-informed path to real proficiency.
Vietnamese is written in Quốc Ngữ — a Romanized alphabet where diacritical marks indicate both tone and vowel quality. While tones take practice, Vietnamese grammar is elegantly streamlined: words never change form for tense, person, or case. Its vocabulary reflects a layered history — Austroasiatic roots, centuries of Chinese literary influence, and a modern lexicon shaped by French colonialism and global contact.
We equip learners with the communicative tools to navigate authentic situations with confidence — engaging in meaningful tasks and real-world projects from day one.
Learning Vietnamese is a transformative journey beyond vocabulary and grammar — cultivating critical thinking, cultural humility, and intercultural agility.
Language is a bridge to community. We welcome heritage learners, non-heritage students, the local diaspora, and global partners alike.
Not sure where to start? New students with no background can enroll directly in VIET 101 each fall. Everyone else takes a placement test.
Placement & Credit →All six courses are approved and listed in the catalog, taught in person by Dr. Huy Phung, open to students at every level. Placement determines your starting point.
VIET 101–204 are sequential. VIET 305 and 306 are theme-based advanced courses that may be taken in any order, or independently once 204 is complete. Placement may allow you to enter at 102, 203, or higher. Take the placement test →
VIET 204 and VIET 305 both count toward the Southeast Asian Studies minor. Coming soon: VIET/ASIA 324 — Vietnamese Foodways: History, Identity & Globalization (scheduling pending). Planned: VIET/ASIA 224 — Vietnamese Pop Culture. Any course taken after VIET 203 will also count toward a planned minor in Vietnamese, currently under development.
Term dates: August 17 – December 11, 2026 · All courses 3 credit hours · In person on campus
| Course | Title | Sec | CRN | Days & Time | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIET 101 | Elementary Vietnamese I | 1 | 9052 | MWF · 10:10–11:00 AM | Full |
| VIET 101 | Elementary Vietnamese I | 2 | 1109 | MWF · 1:25–2:15 PM | Seats available |
| VIET 203 | Intermediate Vietnamese I | 1 | 9689 | MWF · 12:20–1:10 PM | Waitlist only |
Register through ConnectCarolina. If your section is full, contact us about the waitlist.
Register on ConnectCarolina →Term dates: January 6 – May 6, 2027 · All courses 3 credit hours · In person on campus
| Course | Title | Sec | Days & Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIET 102 | Elementary Vietnamese II | 001 | 9:05–9:55 AM | — |
| VIET 102 | Elementary Vietnamese II | 002 | 10:10–11:00 AM | — |
| VIET 204 | Intermediate Vietnamese II | — | 12:20–1:10 PM | Counts toward SEAS minor |
| VIET 305 | Advanced Vietnamese I | — | 1:25–2:15 PM | First-ever offering · SEAS minor |
An informal weekly conversation hour open to students, community members, and anyone interested in Vietnamese language and culture — no enrollment required.
Meet with your instructors, ask questions, receive individualized support, and discuss coursework or language learning. Plus FLTA-led stories, crafts, and cultural activities.
Descriptions for VIET 102, 204, 305, and 306 will be added when they're next offered (Spring 2027 and beyond).
An introduction to modern standard Vietnamese. Students develop foundational skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing, with an emphasis on everyday vocabulary and basic grammatical structures. Task-based activities ground learning in real communicative situations from the first week.
Third semester of Vietnamese instruction. Students build on foundational structures, develop more complex grammar, and practice extended reading, writing, and conversation. Authentic texts and media introduced at this level.
Who needs placement? If you have any prior knowledge of Vietnamese — home use, high school study, self-study, or exchange — you must take the departmental placement test before enrolling. Students with no background whatsoever may enroll directly in VIET 101 each fall.
Not sure where to start? Try our self-access Vietnamese placement test — background survey, listening, reading, and speaking, about 15–20 minutes. It gives you a preliminary recommendation; a short follow-up conversation with the instructor confirms your final placement.
Take the Self-Placement Test →Ready to find your level? The placement test takes approximately 30–45 minutes and is completed online.
Take the Placement Test →Grew up speaking Vietnamese at home? You belong here. Heritage and background speakers are a valued part of UNC's Vietnamese program. You may arrive with strong listening and speaking skills alongside a desire to strengthen reading, writing, spelling, tones, and formal registers — and our curriculum is designed with exactly that progression in mind.
Take the placement test — we will recommend the right entry point based on your actual proficiency, not assumptions about what you "should" know. Heritage speakers commonly place into VIET 102, 203, or higher.
"The task was very interesting since I am learning more about my culture through my mom… I learned about my culture and my mom's childhood. It improved my speaking and listening. It's a great way to bond with your family."
— VIET 203 student reflectionUnsure where you fit? Contact Dr. Phung before enrolling — he will help you find the course that matches your background and goals.
Contact Dr. Phung →
Dr. Huy Phung directs the Vietnamese Language Program, teaching the full course sequence with a task-based, student-centered pedagogy. His scholarship focuses on task-based language teaching and heritage language education.
Co-teaching this fall and teaching one section of VIET 102 in spring, Hiền-Thanh also leads FLTA stories, crafts, and cultural activities during weekly Office Hours (Drop-in Café).
Trained as a theoretical linguist specializing in the phonetics and phonology of mainland Southeast Asian languages, with current research on oral histories among North Carolina's Southeast Asian diaspora communities. Dr. Butler coordinated the 2020–21 pilot that brought Vietnamese instruction back to UNC and co-wrote the Henry Luce Foundation grant that helped establish the program.
A geographer and scholar of Vietnam's political and territorial history, author of Contested Territory: Điện Biên Phủ and the Making of Northwest Vietnam. Dr. Lentz backed the 2019 student petition that launched the push for Vietnamese at UNC and serves as Principal Investigator on the $900,000 Henry Luce Foundation grant that helped establish the program.
The Vietnamese program at UNC extends well beyond the classroom — a vibrant network of student organizations, cultural events, and language practice opportunities.
Our closest student-org partner, co-hosting community events, GBMs, and VietNite. @uncvsa
The Southeast Asian Student Association — our regional counterpart to VSA. @uncseasa
Performs energetic lion dances at various events. @bluecrescentld
Our student-run Vietnamese club, hosting the weekly Language Table and other cultural activities.
Student music ensemble; brings live musical and cultural performances to program gatherings. @uncbluehaven
Fall semester celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival — lanterns, mooncakes, and community gathering.
VIET 101 and VIET 203 students showcase their course projects, alongside music and dance performances.
Students and community members come together to play traditional Vietnamese games like ô ăn quan (mancala), bầu cua, and more — a fun cultural immersion open to all.
Spring semester's annual Lunar New Year celebration featuring bánh tét making, folk games (bầu cua), lì xì decorating, fortune telling with Kiều, and more. Hosted in collaboration with VSA. Read about Tết 2026 →
Spring event bringing together students of many different identities through language and culture. tinyurl.com/vietcc26 →
Follow @uncviet and @uncvsa for the latest event updates.
From a two-course pilot in 2020 to a full six-course sequence today — how the program's growth has been covered, on campus and beyond.
Recap of the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration during ASIA Week — trivia, games, a shared feast, and a lion dance performance drawing about 40 attendees.
Coverage of Vietnamese Culture Connect — student research presentations, VIET 102 skits, and a Blue Haven performance drawing students across language backgrounds.
Recap of the Tết 2026 celebration co-hosted with VSA — bánh tét making, folk games, and community gathering.
Announcing Vietnamese instruction's return to UNC as permanent DAMES courses, tracing the program's history back to Prof. Eric Henry.
A profile of student Valerie Nguyen and the pilot Vietnamese program, in its first semester of instruction.
Announcing the partnership that launched the original Vietnamese pilot program, delivered virtually with SOAS.
The department announcement that started it all — applications open for the first Vietnamese pilot course at Carolina.
More program news and event recaps.
DAMES News & Events →The question I keep asking is not only what students can do in Vietnamese, but also who students can become through Vietnamese.
— Dr. Huy Phung, Program Coordinator"I felt that I was really able to connect to parts of my Vietnamese heritage through language and being able to use that newfound knowledge to explore the culture. It made me appreciate the language and its complexities a lot more than I had before."
— VIET 102 student"I get a lot of practice in the language, and because the class is small, I'm able to foster good relationships with my classmates, which also helps me to learn the language."
— VIET 102 student"He was a very good professor so he opened us to different traditions, both old and new, and also allowed us to come out of our comfort zone in regards to speaking Vietnamese."
— VIET 102 student"What I appreciated most about Vietnamese Culture Connect is how it brought together students with many different identities — Vietnamese language learners, Vietnamese American students, international students from Vietnam, and other students who were simply interested in the event. It was a great example of how Vietnamese language and culture can bring people together to learn from one another."
— Dr. Becky Butler, on Vietnamese Culture Connect 2026"When I was invited to the Vietnamese Culture Connect event, I expected it to be a social event for students and faculty to know each other. I was surprised by the ingenious integration of academic and social together. Students from different language levels presented their project in Vietnamese — that inspired students in the audience with many questions. I was so happy to see so many musically talented students spontaneously jam and sing together. This event successfully connected all the students and faculty together. This can serve as a model for other language programs."
— Dr. Li-Ling Hsiao, Chair, Dept. of AMESLearn. Enroll in VIET courses and content courses (taught in English). Attend. Join us at Vietnamese Language Circle, Tết Celebrations, Vietnamese Culture Connect, and other cultural events. Share. Follow @uncviet, tag a friend, spread the word.
Con trâu — the water buffalo — is the icon of @uncviet. Like Rameses on the same campus, ours is horned, grounded, and unmistakably itself. Diligent, patient, and communal — the buffalo carries the same qualities as Doing, Becoming, and Belonging, the mission this program lives by.
Since the Hùng Kings, the trâu has plowed Vietnam's rice paddies — the living engine behind Vietnam's wet-rice civilization.
In the Vietnamese zodiac, Sửu (the buffalo) is hardworking, dependable, and calm under pressure — the same qualities it takes to learn a language.
Trâu Sen, a child riding a buffalo through a lotus pond, is an iconic Vietnamese folk-art image.
Laozi rode a thanh ngưu (blue ox) toward wisdom; in Zen, the ox is the mind itself.
Mùa Len Trâu (2004), Vietnam's Oscar submission, follows the water buffalo through Mekong Delta floods.
Fold a jackfruit or banyan leaf into a buffalo, thread a blade of grass through the "neck," and pull — the head nods and calls out nghé ọ. No cost, no instructions — passed down for generations.
The water buffalo is the foundation of all prosperity — a well-known Vietnamese proverb. Patient, grounded, and quietly determined: the spirit behind everything we build at @uncviet.
Useful starting points for Vietnamese language learning, cultural research, and program information.