English

In the 2021 examination held July 7-9, over 871,000 students sat for seven foreign language exams: English, Russian, French, China, German, Korean and Japanese. Almost 99 percent of the students chose English and recorded an average score of 5.84 out of 10. While this year's average English score was 1.26 marks higher than last year, the score spectrum showed an anomaly with high numbers of students scoring between 4-5 and 8-9 marks. Normally a score spectrum would only have a single peak in a particular score range, not two. Foreign language teachers with the Hoc Mai online tutoring service speculate that those scoring in the 8-9 range represent students who benefited from strong investments in teaching English, mostly residents of urban areas where more affluent families can afford sending their children to good schools as well as good English-teaching institutions. Meanwhile, those scoring in the 4-5 range represent a "commoners' peak" for the rest of the students. Do Van …

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“Tuoi Doi Menh Mong” (The Immense Life) is the first song within a project called “Vie-EN Trinh”, in which English teacher Nguyet Ca and translators Chung Vu and Hong Dinh convert songs from famous late composer Trinh Cong Son into English. The song is being reimagined in an acoustic version and performed by Nguyet Ca herself. Translating Trinh Cong Son ’s songs, according to the English teacher and her partners, is a meticulous task as the original lyrics are sophisticated and poetic. Besides being the first song of the “Vie-EN Trinh” project, “Tuoi Doi Menh Mong” is also the fifth song of Nguyet Ca’s Bilingual Songs for Kids project. She chose the song as it is one of only a few Trinh Cong Son wrote for teenagers, which makes it fit perfectly with her first project. Bilingual Songs for Kids features four songs: “Cho con” (For you), “Canh en tuoi tho” (Swallows for Children), “Chi co mot tren doi” (Mom, You’re the only one for me), and “Trai dat nay la cua …

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The history books in English do not only teach children a basic knowledge of Vietnamese history but also inspire them with patriotism and national pride. Publishers in Vietnam are embracing the creative teaching of history to children. Books with inspiring stories, stunning presentations, and accurate, easy-to-understand English will be useful for both children in Vietnam and those with Vietnamese child expatriates. The historical book of A Brief History of Vietnam in Pictures by Kim Dong Publishing House. Photo: Fahasa.com Kim Dong Publishing House has just launched an impressive bilingual Vietnamese - English book titled Luoc su nuoc Viet Bang Tranh or Vietnam - A Brief History of Vietnam in Pictures. Encapsulating the nation’s history in 89 pages, the book is presented in picture format with fine illustration displayed in the panorama. The publication summarizes the most important milestones in Vietnam's history, from the dawn of the nation's history …

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Lê Hương Among dozens of songs featuring the pandemic and its consequences, Sài Gòn Tôi Sẽ (My Sài Gòn Will…) by English teacher Nguyễn Thái Dương has won the hearts of millions of people throughout the country and even people abroad. “My home city is so quiet, Junctions without people, She is tired of the pain, Big and small streets are out of breath…” The touching lyrics backed by a gentle waltz have been listened to and shared repeatedly online in the past week. It has also spread belief in a better future. Screenshot from Dương's MV Sài Gòn Tôi Sẽ. — VNS Photo Lê Hương The first version launched on Youtube on July 6 gathered more than 180,000 views while the latest version, launched on July 13, gathered over 96,000. That is not to mention one edited version, launched on July 10, that gathered over 53,000 views. “When HCM City was locked down to stop the virus spreading following Directive 15 on May 31, the once-bustling city was suddenly so quiet,” Dương told …

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The welcome ceremony for UK Defence Secretary Robert Ben Lobban Wallace. VNA/VNS Photo Trọng Đức HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s Minister of National Defence General Phan Văn Giang chaired a welcome ceremony and held talks with UK Secretary of State for Defence Robert Ben Lobban Wallace in Hà Nội on Thursday. They agreed that in recent years, bilateral cooperation had been lifted, with many achievements in politics, economy, trade, culture and education. Despite the impact of the pandemic, the two sides have basically completed agreed cooperation aims, such as maintaining policy dialogue, stepping up delegation exchanges, training in English language for Vietnamese officers, and sharing experience in UN peacekeeping missions, thus contributing to the two countries’ strategic partnership. They agreed to continue to promote defence ties with a focus on the exchange of delegations, implementation of existing cooperation such as the Defence Policy Dialogue at the deputy ministerial level and …

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Due to the impact of the pandemic, most children are at home this summer and socially distanced from the world, and, as a result, parents are being more considerate when it comes to their entertainment and educational needs. HCM City has extended its social distancing period due to the latest COVID-19 outbreak until further notice. Parents can teach them learning English via smart devices. Photo Hoang Nhu The summer break thus has become more "quiet" for children as they have been affected by physical distancing, quarantines and nationwide school closures. Family trips and outings have had to be postponed. Ngoc Anh, 38, resident of Binh Thanh District, told Việt Nam News that she had no choice but to allow her daughter to use a smart tablet more frequently. “It is inconvenient now to call for a helper, so my husband and I have decided to do everything ourselves. We initially thought that working from home would make it easier to look after our kids. However, busy …

[Read more...] about HCM City children enjoy ‘quiet’ summer, indoor activities amid pandemic

It is the start of a virtual lockdown in Hà Nội, and it is hoped it will get us to where we want to be: a number of coronavirus cases within our capacity to handle. Food options can feel more limited than ever, despite the fact we are able to browse our phones to click on whatever our heart desires. We need to be prepared for the harder times that are surely not too far ahead. It is with this in mind that we want to give readers a look at a few of the delivery options available for food that, shall we say, is good for the soul. Last week, when Hồ Chí Minh City saw coronavirus cases soar by nearly 5,000 in one single day, people were panic-buying food for their families. You hear on national media that city authorities will never let anyone go hungry, that no one shall be left without basic necessities, but no matter how hard they work trying to provide enough groceries, there are people still struggling to find food. Now many who pick up rescue meal boxes are well-dressed not …

[Read more...] about Delivery offers food for the soul in era of Covid

A street in the Old Quarter was empty on Saturday, the first day Hà Nội implemented Directive 16. — VNS Photo Bảo Hoa Vân Nguyễn As Hà Nội enters the first days of the social distancing to fight COVID-19, many of its residents say although the lockdown might make life uncomfortable, it is an effective measure to halt the spread of the virus. Nguyễn Thị Tưởng, who is at her 70s and lives on her owns in Hoàng Mai District, found her neighbourhood eerily quiet on Saturday. Learning about the new order from neighbours in the morning, she went to the market to buy groceries for a few days to limit the time she needs to spend outdoors. Her daughter who lives with her own family a few kilometres away, dropped by to give Tưởng some extra food. Her two other children are living in Hồ Chí Minh City and call her regularly to learn about the current the situation. “For me, there’s nothing to concern about," said Tưởng, who gave up her street food stand more than a year …

[Read more...] about Hanoians adapt to life in lockdown as COVID-19 goes on

Quý Dương Locals in Vĩnh Phúc Province’s Thượng Trưng District are very proud of their rau rút or nhút , known as water mimosa in English, a green, reed-like vegetable that grows in freshwater ponds or lakes. The vegetable has become a speciality for not only locals but also visitors to the province. They say they can see the beauty and soul of the countryside in the vegetable pond and a plate of boiled rau rút said 72-year-old Nguyễn Thị Hòa who owns several rau rút ponds. Rút or nhút vegetables are the specialities of Vĩnh Phúc's Thượng Trưng District. Photo dienmayxanh.com There are areas in the province where they sow rau rút (locally known as thả ) but the tastiest and most fragrant of the vegetable is sown by the households in the districts of Thạch Ngõa and Phú Hạnh villages. Hòa said she did not know when the rút veggie came into being but it has been growing in her family’s pond since she was a little girl. “My grandmother told me that it should …

[Read more...] about Rau rút – a special veggie of Vĩnh Phúc locals

Volunteers teach maths, languages and soft skills to students in Krông Klang Town, Đakrông District, in central Quảng Trị Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Thủy QUẢNG TRỊ — Hồ Thị Bảo Trân, a primary student in a mountainous area in central Quảng Trị Province, experienced a totally different summer holiday this year. Apart from usual activities such as working with her parents in the fields and chores at home, she has joined a class to study soft skills for primary students at a community house near her home in Krông Klang Town in Đakrông District. The class runs from 7.30am to 9.30am Monday to Thursday. During the two-hour session, Trân studies maths, languages and soft skills, which the second grader had never learnt before. “I like going to the class as I have been guided to read, write and do maths, especially playing physical games, and been given fresh milk during the break,” she said. The class is among one of several projects organised by a youth union group …

[Read more...] about Young volunteers help teach Quảng Trị students