Mentions of Ukraine in Vietnamese online media before the full-scale invasion

Abstract

Foreign media discourses are a crucial factor in successfully developing bilateral relations between states. The image of Ukraine in foreign media has been a subject of interest for Ukrainian researchers for quite some time. However, the dynamics of changes in Ukraine's image in contemporary Vietnamese electronic media remains insufficiently studied, and therefore this article is a consistent step towards filling this gap. This scientific research aims to identify key lexical features and the most frequent words in the headlines of news related to Ukraine in a specific Vietnamese-language electronic media outlet for a defined period: from the beginning of 2021 to February 23, 2022. To achieve this goal, a comprehensive study was conducted combining quantitative and qualitative analysis methods. The research covered a total of 180 news headlines over the specified period. Regarding the dynamics of news releases, there was a short-term, small surge in the number of news items in April, followed by an information lull for the next six months and a gradual increase in the number of publications about Ukraine in late 2021 and early 2022. Through qualitative analysis, 23 news items from April were analyzed. The key lexical features of the news in that period were emotionally charged words, verbs reflecting the tension in relations between the countries, and some military vocabulary. Quantitative (frequency) analysis was conducted using the "AntConc" program, which allowed for identifying the most frequent word combinations, words, or morphemes. Among the entire mini-corpus of 180 headlines, the most frequent words and clusters with the word "Ukraine" were identified. The practical significance of this research lies in the possibility of applying its results in the educational process, particularly in Vietnamese-Ukrainian written translation classes. The obtained data will contribute to a deeper understanding of current trends in shaping Ukraine's image in the Vietnamese information space. The scientific novelty of the work lies in a comprehensive approach to studying the image of Ukraine. The combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis, as well as the analysis of data in a new, previously unexplored context, allows for a more complete and detailed picture of the formation of Ukraine's image in Vietnamese society.