Studying Chinese, the world's most spoken language, has helped enrich knowledge and brighten the career paths of more and more Vietnamese people, local experts, lecturers and students told Xinhua.

"I'm keen on becoming a highly-qualified lecturer of Chinese to help my students better understand the language and the country, as well as acquire the most suitable jobs," said Nguyen Le Cam Tu, the top prize winner of the 16th "Chinese Bridge", the Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students which was held in northern Vietnam on Thursday.

At the competition themed "Dreams Enlighten the Future," held by the Confucius Institute Headquarters and the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam, Tu, a third-year student at the Hanoi University, outperformed 11 other finalists from nine universities in terms of her language, presentation and comedy acting skills, and knowledge of Chinese economics, politics, society and culture.

"After graduating, I want to pursue higher education at the Beijing Normal University," the graceful looking girl from Hanoi said, adding that she is keen as mustard to explore the diversified beauty of China's age-old culture, including literature, martial arts and feature films.

Despite spending a lot of time studying Chinese since she was a high school student, Tu manages to find time for many hobbies. "I like Chinese wuxia (martial heroes) novels and movies. So I want to visit (Southwest China's) Sichuan province to see Emei Mountain with my own eyes, to have better understanding of the Emei Sect. I am also interested in Wudang Kungfu," she said, breaking into a warm smile.

One of her fans, an audience member in the university's meeting hall which was packed like sardines, Nguyen Van Trong, a third-year student of Chinese, said he is also fond of reading wuxia novels by Jin Yong and adapted to TV series programs like "The Return of the Condor Heroes" with the main characters played by Liu Yifei and Huang Xiaoming.

"Having a good command of Chinese helps widen my eyes to see the bigger pictures of cinema, literature, calligraphy and martial arts," Trong said, adding that at his university there are extra classes teaching Chinese martial arts, including Yong Chun and Taiji.

Nguyen Vinh Quang, one of the competition's judges, shared a similar view, saying that the Chinese language in general, the competition in particular, is a bridge to friendship which helps promote understanding between two peoples and long-term training of youths, which contributes to Vietnam-China relations.

"There are increasingly larger numbers of Vietnamese people studying Chinese, especially since the two countries normalized their ties. Now, some 13,000 Vietnamese students are studying in China," stated Quang, vice chairman of the Vietnam-China Friendship Association.

Meanwhile, China has sent more and more students to Vietnam to study Vietnamese, creating more chances for lecturers and learners from the two countries to make friends with one another and beef up cultural exchanges, he said.

Nguyen Thi Cuc Phuong, vice rector of the Hanoi University and president of the university's Confucius Institute, echoed Quang's statements. Studying Chinese in general and attending relevant competitions in particular offer lecturers and students opportunities to exchange experiences and make connections after the events, she said, noting that human resources prioritizing those who have a good command of Chinese is on the rise in Vietnam.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen, lecturer at the Hanoi University's Chinese Department, said many agencies and firms have asked for her help in finding potential employees for them, not only graduates but also four-year students. "I am a voluntary recruiter now," the young lecturer smiled.

According to Huyen, the Chinese Department currently has more than 30 lecturers, with two-thirds of them being doctorate degree holders, the highest rate among faculties of the Hanoi University, and trains some 800 students.

"In the future, our department will expand its training scope to new fields such as trade and tourism. Investment and trade ties between Vietnam and China are becoming closer and closer, so manpower demand for those who master Chinese is increasing," the lecturer said, adding that people-to-people exchanges between the two nations are also a huge positive.