HANOI, June 14 (Xinhua) -- "My life has changed a lot since I studied Chinese," Mai Thao Nguyen, winner of the final round of the 11th Chinese Bridge Contest for students from northern Vietnam, told Xinhua in Hanoi on Thursday.

"I find myself grew up, my viewpoint of life also have changed. I learnt a lot about Chinese culture and also became more patient, especially when studying Chinese writing," Mai Thao Nguyen said.

The 11th contest was held in Vietnam's capital Hanoi on Thursday, with the participation of 10 finalists out of more than 1,000 contestants from five universities in the northern region of the country.

Mai Thao Nguyen, a third-year student from the Hanoi University, has beaten other nine contestants to win the first prize.

"When I was a kid, I was impressed by the beautiful scenes of China on television. I saw the vast grassland in Inner Mongolia for the first time and since then I knew the beauty of the grassland, which was also the meaning of my name in Chinese."

"After graduated from university, I hope that I can have a chance to visit China's beautiful scenic spots, especially the vast grassland in Inner Mongolia. I will try to get the scholarship for studying in China to become a reporter and then come back to contribute to the development of Vietnam," she said.

"I hope the Chinese Bridge contest can become a link between students of Vietnam and China," she added.

Vietnam and China, with a long traditional relationship, have boosted culture exchange, language teaching and study over recent years. The number of Vietnamese learning the Chinese language like Mai Thao Nguyen has been increasing.

Do Tuan Minh, vice rector of the Foreign Languages University under the Hanoi National University, host of this year contest, said that the annual Chinese Bridge contest is an opportunity for Vietnamese students to show off their talent in studying Chinese and learn more about China and its people, which will help them in their career in the future.

Liu Sanzhen, cultural counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam, said the embassy helps supply teaching equipment and scholarships for Vietnamese universities every year.

"In Vietnam, there are about 30 colleges and universities offering Chinese language classes. With great progress in learning Chinese, Vietnamese students have won high prizes in Chinese Bridge competitions held in universities worldwide in recent years, " Liu said.

Nguyen Thanh Huyen, a teacher from the Chinese Faculty of Hanoi University, said Vietnamese universities paid great attention to Chinese language teaching and studying. In Hanoi University's Chinese Faculty, there are more than 400 students studying the Chinese language.

Every year, Hanoi University holds a lot of activities to help students know more about China while building confidence in learning Chinese, including the Chinese Cultural week, Chinese calligraphy contests and karaoke competitions.

Hanoi University also invites Chinese experts and teachers to work in Vietnam and carries out cooperation programs with Chinese universities such as student exchange programs.