HCM CITY (VNS) — Viet Nam slightly improved its English proficiency to rank 29th out of 70 nations and territories this year in comparison with 32nd last year in Education First's English Proficiency Index, the world's largest ranking of countries and territories by English skills. Viet Nam is ranked a medium-level country along with Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. A score of 53.81, an increase of 2.24 from last year, meant Viet Nam was slightly above the Asian level of 53.21. Ha Noi and HCM City, southeastern provinces and the Red River Delta were found to have better English proficiency than the others. The report identifies global and regional English language learning trends and analyses the relationship between countries' English proficiency and their economic competitiveness. This year's EF EPI report profiles all 70 ranked countries, using data from 910,000 adult English language learners, who were taking part in a free English test at the website … [Read more...] about Viet Nam English proficiency rises in global ranking
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‘Y-Viet’ to showcase Italian culture
A year-long celebration of Italian culture in Vietnam will get under way on Sunday, April 24. Organized by the Italian Embassy, "Y-Viet" will present 14 programs in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City that highlights the diversity in Italian culture and fosters the relationship between two countries. The program includes music festivals, art and architecture exhibitions, film shows, meeting with famous Italian writers, an Italian language week, and a Vespa show. "Y-Viet" will open with the performance of famous Italian pianist Ludovico Einaudi at the Hanoi Opera House. Einaudi has performed at major music venues around the world including the Lincoln Center of New York, Queen Elisabeth Hall, IRCAM in Paris an the UCLA Centre for Performing Arts. "Saper Fare, il Restauro" an exhibition, will be held at the Vietnam Museum of Fine Arts from May 6 to 11. The exhibition aims to illustrate the history, legislative framework, theories and the techniques employed in several restoration … [Read more...] about ‘Y-Viet’ to showcase Italian culture
Exposing children to English at a young age
Talk Around Town (11-06-2006) Exposing children to English at a young age by Kieu Van To be good at English is becoming an obvious head-start for everybody in the current era of globalisation. So most parents have come to expect their children will be equipped with a solid English foundation that will be advantageous for future job-hunting. However, in the mushroom growth of English teaching centres for children in cities, parents themselves are asking questions about when and where their children can start studying foreign languages. They are worried that early learning will be an additional burden for children overloaded with official education programmes at such a tender age. Some scientific researches have proved the profit of learning another language in the infant stage, and say that parents should not waste this potential for their children. According to researchers, the more a child has early access to a foreign language, the more cognitive ability is developed; therefore, … [Read more...] about Exposing children to English at a young age
Readers say that it’s never too early to start learning English
Your say (25-07-2008) Readers say that it's never too early to start learning English Last week: We asked whether it was important for children to learn English, or whether studying a foreign language at too early an age was putting too much pressure on them. The question has attracted a lot of interests from educators and English teachers in the country. Here are some of their replies. Lauralynn Goetz, Kindermusik Educator, HCM City Think about how young children learn a language. As babies, they hear language being spoken all around them. The whole process, the sequential development of four processes – listening, speaking, reading, and writing, in that order – begins at birth and continues until after they enter first grade. Unless such a process, which develops through both structured and unstructured informal guidance, occurs early in life, children will not be fully ready to profit from formal language instruction. Pre-schools should incorporate an English … [Read more...] about Readers say that it’s never too early to start learning English
Vietnamese contestants prefer English songs: hot or not?
Viewers of the ongoing Vietnamese version of the famed singing contest "The Voice" have been impressed by not only the stunning talent of contestants, but also the twist that many participants have chosen to sing English songs on the show., saw a lot of contestants picking English songs for their performances. The most outstanding contestant that night was a 17-year-old girl from Nghe An, Huong Tram, who forced three coaches, Thu Minh, Ho Ngoc Ha and Dam Vinh Hung, to turn their chairs to see her while she sang the first lines of the legendary Whitney Houston song "I Will Always Love You." The young girl also caused a "battle" between four coaches when the last judge, Tran Lap, turned his chair and convinced her to join his team. Some other contestants also conquered the coaches with their covers of world famous songs including Westlife’s "You Raised Me Up," Duffy’s "Warwick Avenue" and Celine Dion’s "I Surrender" and "All By Myself". While many audience members … [Read more...] about Vietnamese contestants prefer English songs: hot or not?