Huu said if only when he was in college, he would have respected and worked hard to learn English, now he wouldn’t have to spend so much money and time going to school.

Studying Preventive Medicine at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy – Thai Nguyen University for 6 years, Huu studied English in the first two years with three basic English modules and one specialized module.

It sounds simple, but every year students fail like crazy because they only study Math, Chemistry, and Biology.

Huu used to consider English like other subjects, you can pass the exam.

After three months of working, Huu realized how detrimental it was to be poor at English.

Photo: Shutterstock

Trang (25 years old), a former student of a communications university in Hanoi, also regrets not investing in learning English.

Although exempted from studying, Trang still has to take the exam.

Passing the subject made Trang look down on English and think passing was enough.

Being exempted from studying made Trang think that English was not important in her field, thereby losing her motivation to study.

`Now that I think back, I’m not satisfied with the school’s exemption from learning English, but I feel more blameworthy for not being properly aware of the importance of foreign languages,` Trang said.

Having completed four English courses in the university program with two basic and two advanced courses (each part is 8 weeks, 2-3 sessions per week), Linh (21 years old, senior student at the Academy of Finance

The way she teaches at school also makes Linh even more `unmotivated`.

In Linh’s class, the teacher often sets a topic and lets students make their own slides, write essays, and then give presentations.

Because it was not required, many people in the class chose not to do it, including Linh.

In addition to the topic-based speaking part, Linh’s class still has to complete the lessons in the textbook using the `self-study` method.

With specialized English, the learning content is much more difficult.

`We not only learn English but also many other subjects, while translating a 2-3 page specialized reading is not easy. Furthermore, in addition to the photocopies, there are also solution books according to the lecturer’s requirements, which are long.

Knowing that the goal is for students to self-study and research, according to Linh, the teachers’ approach does not arouse students’ interest.

Acknowledging that most of the fault was her own, the female student also pointed out that part of the reason came from the curriculum and teaching methods at school.

According to a survey from the Institute of Economic Information and Development with 600 students from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Vinh University, nearly 91% had to find ways to supplement English outside of school.

At the seminar `Linking training and research with business needs taking place on the afternoon of October 12 at Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Mr. Ta Son Tung, was honored by Forbes Vietnam magazine in the top 30 people under 30

Associate Professor Ta Hai Tung, Director of the Institute of Information and Communications Technology (Hanoi University of Science and Technology), believes that good students graduating with a graduation score above 3.2/4.0 but IELTS 5.0 cannot find high-paying jobs or work.

*Character names have been changed.