▲ Sisterhood relationship was signed between Jeju Jeil Middle school and Van Phu Manduk Middle school. Photo courtesy Jeju Office of Education

On Aug. 8, 2013, people from many countries visited the Folklore and Natural History Museum, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. Among them, the most important people were from Van Phu Mandeok Middle school in Vietnam. The Vietnamese students came and visited many places in Jeju.

It was their last day to stay in Jeju and the Folklore and Natural History Museum was the last place to visit before going back to their own country.

Mai, a 14-year-old Vietnamese girl, said, "I had heard about Jeju before I was invited. My most favorite place is Mt. Halla. I think Jeju is very clean and great. I learned about the language like “Annyeong Haseyo,” “Hello” in Korean. I had a very interesting time in Jeju.”

Oh Seong hyun, a representative of Jeju Jeil Middle schcool, which participated in the visit, said "I enjoyed this program because I'm a student representative. First, I met Vietnamese students. I thought that they were poor people, but they are so friendly and great. So, I changed my mind. My Vietnamese friends are so nice and cool! Ah! There were some cultural difficulties. We had some trouble with traffic law, but it was okay."

Lan, principal of Van Phu Manduk Middle school, said, "I visited Korea once before, but it was my first time to travel to Jeju. I think Jeju people are so kind and Jeju's environment is so fresh! I'm so happy because our children can have a good time in Jeju. I want to come here again."

A Jeju Jeil Middle School teacher said, " We made this program because we wanted to have good international relations. Vietnamese students had homestays in Jeju. They learned about Jeju's culture and language while they stayed at local homes. At first I was worried about students having a hard time in Jeju, such as with Jeju's food, culture, and language. But Vietnamese students didn't have any troubles. We had a very good time."

It was a good step for building an even better relationship between Vietnam and Jeju.