Asean book fair inspires eager Lao students
Universities gear up for the regional economic community by fostering language learning, writes Anucha Charoenpo in Vientiane
Khamphout Phongphath, a freshman at the National University of Laos’ (NUOL) faculty of liberal arts, is busy trying to choose books from the books exhibition space for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) at an annual university book fair in Vientiane.
Mr Khamphout wants to buy books about the histories, cultures, economies, languages and geography of the 10 countries in Asean to prepare himself for the upcoming Asean Community (AC) that will be officially launched on Dec 31 this year.
“I must prepare myself for that. At least I will understand other nations in the region, and learn how Laos, one of the 10 Asean member countries, is going to benefit from it,” Mr Khamphout said.
An English major, Mr Khamphout said he enjoys reading books in English. He also knows that when Asean becomes a single community by the end of this year, English will be the standard language for communication between the 600 million people in the 10 Asean member countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam).
Students with a strong command of English and more fluent English-speaking abilities will have a greater chance of getting a job with an international organisation after graduation, he said.
“I really want to work in a regional or international organisation, like the Asean Secretariat. Now I can speak three languages — Lao, Thai and English — and I want to learn Mandarin Chinese because it is widely spoken by millions of people across the world. “I still have three and a half years to improve my English abilities and take extra Chinese-language courses to fulfil my dream,” he said.
The annual book fair, which is held by the Thammasat University Book Centre, has proven popular with NUOL students and teachers and students from nearby colleges, attracting hundreds of visitors.
Thammasat University has hosted the event for five years in a row. This year it was held between Monday and yesterday at the indoor stadium of the university.
The fair’s opening ceremony on Monday was officiated by Somkid Lertpaitoon, rector of Thammasat University, and Saykhong Saynasine, vice president of NUOL.
Mr Somkid said it was a good opportunity for the university to organise the book fair to promote learning among Lao students and lecturers.
Reading books helps increase their potential of keeping abreast of the world today, he said.
“They have no difficulties reading Thai books as they have watched Thai dramas on television and listened to Thai songs since they were children,” he said.
More than 40,000 books were transported by lorry from the book centre in Bangkok via Nong Khai, crossing the first Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge to NUOL in Vientiane.
All the books had to pass an audit by the Laos Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure none of the contents of the books would pose a threat to the national security of Laos.
A staff member from the Thammasat University Book Centre said out of 40,000 books, at least 3,000 are about Asean, the English language, linguistics and other foreign languages.
Sounthorn Bounduangcharoen, a thirdyear student at NUOL’s faculty of education, says he is interested in business and investment in Asean member countries and wants to buy related books written in both Thai and English. “The book fair not only boosts relations between Thailand and Laos, but it also stimulates curiosity and helps Lao students to learn about what they are interested in.
“I need to learn more about investment and the economy in some countries, such as Singapore and Malaysia, because they are economically advanced,” he said. I want to learn why they are more developed than other countries in the same region,” added Mr Sounthorn, who has never been outside of Laos.
Khong Phomsavat, a first-year student at NUOL’s faculty of education, said he chose to major in political science and is looking for books about the politics in each Asean member country. Every Asean country has its own political system which influences people’s thoughts and way of life, he said.
“I came to this book fair for the first time and I’m so excited to see thousands of books displayed in one place.
“I want the book fair to be held again at my university so NUOL students have many more chances to select and buy their favourite books on their chosen subjects,” he said, adding that the first Asean country he wants to visit is Vietnam.
The Lao government recently launched a campaign to encourage all Lao children to finish secondary school by 2030, according to Mr Saykhong.
“If the book fair is held constantly in Vientiane, it will encourage Lao children to read books and that will of course help to fulfil the campaign promise before the deadline,” he said.