Generally, learning a foreign language can be a long, grueling process. For Vietnamese students and adults learning the English language, it’s even worse. Most Vietnamese learners find it extremely difficult to learn English because of several disparities between this language and their mother tongue.
As such, any student nursing an ambition as an essay writer may have to spend several years learning and perfecting their command of the English language. So far, English education in Vietnam has not been very successful for several reasons.
Here are some of them:
Too Many Students and Few Qualified Teachers
Vietnam lacks expertise in teaching and learning English due to the unavailability of well-trained academics. Language learning requires personal interaction and communication between the teacher and students. Unfortunately, this is nearly unachievable and impossible for successful outcomes in a class of about fifty students with only one teacher.
In the same vein, a lot of English teachers in Vietnam struggle severely with their command of the language. They often mispronounce words and make avoidable grammatical errors. As such, students imitate them and pick up bad grammar habits.
Disparities Between the Two Languages
Vietnamese and English languages are very different in terms of intonation and syllabic structures. Vietnamese is a purely tonal language, so students may find it hard to speak English with the correct rhythm, intonation, and stress. They may pause between words or partition sentences into unnecessary segments when speaking. As such, the end result turns out to be a rhythmless, monosyllabic speech with a heavy Vietnamese accent.
Mode of Education
Vietnam’s English education system hasn’t received sufficient investment in facilities and strategy. Despite the strong focus on learning grammar and writing, conversational practice and communication is lagging. As such, most Vietnamese students can ace English tests and write impeccable essays, but few can communicate effectively and confidently.
There are Several Variants of English
As one of the most popular languages globally, English is spoken as a first or second language in many countries. As a result, each country has its peculiarities regarding accents, pronunciation, and figures of speech. The main dialects of English taught in Vietnam are British English and American English, but there is hardly a clear distinction between the two for learners. As such, this can cause some confusion for Vietnamese learners of English.
Opportunities in Teaching and Learning English in Vietnam
Although teaching and learning English in Vietnam is a tad problematic, there are a few opportunities that both teachers and students can explore. Some of these are:
Altering the Educational System
As stated earlier, the English education system in Vietnam challenges language learning. Since it uses a stiff approach, students may find it difficult to converse in real time with native speakers. Instead of just focusing on teaching a student how to become a better essay writer, more efforts have been made to improve the results, such as employing more native English teachers and creating more opportunities for students to practice more regularly.
Providing More Qualified Teachers
Currently, Vietnam lacks enough qualified teachers to achieve language targets. As such, school administrators and systems have to consider two options.
First, teachers must undertake several English proficiency tests, such as IELTS or TOEFL, and other teaching certificates, such as TESOL, to ensure the teaching qualities.
Secondly, more efforts and resources should be poured into the training and hiring of English teachers. This way, the ratio of teacher to student will increase, making the learning process easier.
Read more on the Education System in Vietnam
Final Thoughts on Teaching and Learning English in Vietnam
In summary, learning the English language is no walk in the park for Vietnamese students. Thanks to their mother tongue interference and the lack of qualified teachers, they may struggle to fully grasp this language. However, with the opportunities listed above, these hurdles can be addressed and removed to create a better student learning system.