Focus on vocabulary and grammar is root cause of failure to pick up a language

"Vietnam is a country full of English learners, but nobody speaks it. Adult English classes largely involve people sitting around, talking about English, in Vietnamese. And the total focus on vocabulary and grammar is the root cause of their failure to pick up the language."
d8sconz

"I think learning any language, not just English, is not just textbook learning but also immersing yourself in their culture to properly understand how each expression is used in what situation. For example, you could learn Vietnamese through textbooks, but the Vietnamese we speak in Hanoi is different from Hue, Vinh, and HCMC. You could be an otaku who learns Japanese through manga and anime but will be shocked to realize that people in Tokyo don't speak like anime characters. It's about cultural immersion along with classroom learning."
davidhoang0123

"English learning in Vietnam is multifaceted, with a mix of practical and cultural motivations. Despite the widespread study of English, there is criticism of the focus on rote learning and test preparation. If the goal is solely to achieve high scores or obtain degrees, it can lead to a superficial understanding of the language. So there is a growing awareness that language should be lived and experienced, not just learned from textbooks. This has led to an increasing emphasis on communicative competence, real-world usage, and cultural understanding in language education."
ducchienhoang114

"I loved to learn English in the streets rather than in the classroom so that I can use it on the daily basis. It works way better than classroom English. Why pay money for learning English?"
West Largo Key

"From my observation Vietnamese people who get English don't study more than the average people, they use the language more frequently. Full disclosure I am one such example. Using the language is different from studying it. The primary focus is something else: learning a topic, talking to a friend, etc, never the language itself. It creates a natural motivation to get everyday contact with the language and utilizes the brain's miraculous ability to make connections."
pckhoi

"The difference between Vietnamese pronunciation and English pronunciation has and will always be a problem. Every word with the L is pronounced with the letter N. Panadol becomes panadon. You teach students to say Panadol and I always say to them, when you go to the chemist, you have to ask for Panadon because the chemist does not know what Panadol is."
Phil

"Parents naturally want the best for their children, and this has led to a strong emphasis on results from schools and centers. As a result, there's often a focus on grammar tests as a quick way to show progress. However, it's also important to consider the value of listening, pronunciation, and communication skills, which play a crucial role in language learning. By balancing these areas, we can better support children."
rossconnors