1.

Relationships
Talk about your family
My family has always been an integral part of my life. There are four people in our home, which are my mom,
my dad, my little sister and myself. We also own a pet cat in our household and my sister loves him so much
that she sometimes calls him our family’s fifth.
My Mom is a clerk at the bank while my Dad works as a police officer. It can be extremely busy working for the
law at times, so he isn’t always present at meal time with us. My sister just finished high school a month ago,
which is why she’s trying to get into the university of her dreams. I’m also a university student in junior year,
but my school is totally different from my sister’s choice.
My family is very close-knitted. I don’t know what it’s like for other families, but for me, it really feels that way.
We have this family tradition where my mom cooks a special meal for everyone on the weekend. Because dad
is less likely to be away at the job at that time, our household can bond around the dinner table and savor
something that we don’t get to enjoy every day. The fact that my mom’s signature dishes are delectable helps
too.
I think the importance of having a family can’t be stressed enough. I struggle to imagine what my life would be
like without my loved ones.

2.Places and buildings

Talk about the town or city where you grew up
Nghe An is my birthplace as well as where I grew up. Located in the middle of Vietnam, Nghe An in particular
and central provinces in general, every year, is under the influence of severity of climate namely floods,
droughts, hot and dry wind,…
Nevertheless, people in Nghe An are always try their best to overcome. Not only are Nghe An’s people
steadfast but they are also famous about traditional fondness for learning. In addition, honesty and hospitality
are two of the most outstanding virtues when talking about people in Nghe An. Besides, Nghe An has a lot of
tourist attraction and historical monuments. The more you discover my hometown, the more attracted you
are because of glorious and ancient scenes such as Cua Lo beach, Uncle Ho’s house, Cuong temple, Pu Mat
national park,… If anyone visit Nghe An, they will not forget to try some local specialities. People in Nghe An
often have a saying about Da pancake in Do Luong, soybean jam in Nam Dan,…. Besides, when going to Nghe
An, visitor also try Muot pie.
Although it is worthy to travel Nghe An, it is better if visitors avoid summer because in this season, Nghe An
becomes very hot. When it comes to Nghe An, in my heart, I always feel so proud. And I also feel thankful
when I was born as Nghe An’s person. No matter wherever I go, I will never forget it and try my best to help
my hometown to be better in the future.

Describe a place where you had a holiday that you enjoyed

A few months ago, I went to the South of Vietnam for a vacation with my family. It’s was to the lovely coastal
city of Nha Trang, which is also a very famous tourist destination. We decided to go there by plane since it is
nearly 1200 kilometres from my hometown, and would take a long time by car or train.
I was so excited for the trip that I prepared everything such as my clothes, camera and other accessories a
week in advance. It took about an hour to fly there, and luckily, the flight took off on time. The trip began with
an incredible view from the airplane window and I can still remember being quite overwhelmed by the beauty
of my city from above and the amazing sunset.
The time we spent in Nha Trang was a blast. We got to try out so many new things such as skydiving, surfing,
and diving to see the coral reef. This place has one of the most beautiful beaches in Vietnam with deep blue
water and pearly-white sand. Also, the food there was so unique and delicious. I think the most memorable
moment of that trip though was definitely when we bought fresh ingredients from a local market and grilled
them on the beach. Sitting there by the fire on a breezy night with the delicious smell freshly barbequed fish
was an amazing experience.
The trip to Nha Trang really was the holiday of a lifetime. We had a lot of fun and got to see a lot of
spectacular scenery. We definitely enjoyed it and we will definitely go there again if we have a chance.

3.Education and employment

Describe a job you would like to have

I am a fan of numbers and calculations. Therefore, my dream is to become a good accountant in the future.
This is a really fascinating profession. To do this job you need to have many skills such as teamwork skill,
communication skill,… Accounting work requires performing different tasks, such as: tax strategy, financial
reporting, mapping out plans, calculating costs, measuring financial performance, …
Every day I am find out details about this specialization by reading the knowledge material, asking questions
from previous siblings to gain experience. I also try my best to improve some soft skills that a accountant need
to have. My parents always support me because they know that this is my dream. They always turn up to help
me whenever I need information about my dream job.
I have been thinking about my dream career for a long time, so I will devote all my determination not to
betray my family and become an excellent accountant

Describe a time when you learnt sth new

So, I gotta say that studying language is kinda the norm among the younger generation in Vietnam nowadays,
giving its importance. In fact, many students take learning a second language seriously at a very young age and
I’m no exception. I mean, I tried my best to study English every day and during that journey, I did take many
classes. And one of the times that left such indelible impressions on me was when I decided to study at Ocean.
As far as I remember it was probably around when I was in high school. Back then, my English was terrible,
most of what the teachers taught me was just went over my head. Every single English lessons were like an
uphill battle for me. I really fell behind with my study. And as the final exam is right around the corner, I
figured out I need to do something to deal with the situation. And luckily, one of my friends recommended I
register for a course at Ocean.
It was a no-brainer for me to decide to give it a shot because the centre has acquired its reputation for its
innovative teaching methods. Initially, I have to admit that it was really tough from the pronunciation to the
grammar, and even the vocabulary. But thanks to the patience of the teachers, I was slowly getting the hang of
the general ideas. The teacher was so good and so kind as she broke down all the grammar structures and
walked me through that step by step. I did a test in the end and I was overjoyed about that.

4.Food and drink

Describe your favourite food
My favourite food is fried rice with vegetable and chicken curry with salad. This is, in fact, the most popular
menu in our country.
The rice is first boiled in water and then the boiled rice is fried with some chicken and vegetables and oil. The
chicken curry is prepared separately using some spices and chicken and finally, the salad is prepared using
different vegetables and fruits and then those are cut into pieces and mixed together with mustard. Then
these three items are served together.
I eat this menu approximately 3-4 times in a week. This menu is prepared at home mostly and sometimes I eat
it in a restaurant. There are some variations in the way this food is prepared and the ingredients using which
this food is made. Different restaurants have their own speciality in preparing and serving this menu.
This is my favourite food for many reasons: firstly it is very delicious and healthy. This menu meets the
demand for different food values our body needs. It is available in most of the part in our country. Thirdly, I
like it as it offers the variations of tastes. Moreover, it is not that much expensive to prepare and does not
require o much effort to prepare. For all these reasons it is my favourite food.

Describe a popular meal from your country that you like to eat

When it comes to specialities in my country, there are so many dishes that are worth mentioning, but l’m
gonna talk about ‘hủ tiếu”, a type of rice noodles in Vietnamese.
You know, this particular type of rice noodles is one of the most popular dishes that local people here in the
south of Vietnam consume for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner, or probably at any time of the day. When
you order this dish, you will be brought a bowl of this type of noodles together with its gravy, which could be
separated or served in the same bowl. The color of ‘hủ tiếu” noodles is white, or opaque white to be exact,
whereas its gravy is kinda yellowish or brownish, cuz the gravy is actually some soup stewed with pork bones
for quite some time, normally many hours.
I myself eat ‘hủ tiểu’ nearly every day, or at least once a week, and what I find really tasty about this dish is the
addition of pork and/or a wide range of fish or seafood, like shrimp, squid, whatever. A portion of ‘hủ tiểu’ is
normally served with vegetables, especially bean sprouts. Prices, however, vary. One bowl could be as cheap
as VND 20,000, or it could cost more or less than VND 100,000, depending on where you eat or what kind of
‘hủ tiểu’ you order. Of course, many people cook it at home, and costs can be significantly reduced.

Describe a special occasion when you had a really enjoyable meal

I can remember having a really enjoyable meal one New Year’s Eve when I was in the first year of highschool .
It was on New Year’s Eve and my whole family was there including my parents, my elder brother and a couple
of friends. We met up with some old school friends, it was like a reunion. Also, my mother’s best friend and
her son joined us. It was a highly enjoyable occasion as most people knew each other.
Also, the food was great. Everybody came to our house and brought different dishes. We ate barbecued
chicken, green salad, fried and baked potatoes. For dessert, we had plum pudding. We also had a delicious
chocolate cake that was made by the son of my mother’s friend who is a chef.
Wow! The party was a blast! There were lots of excited whoops and cheers until late at night. We had a wild
time; everyone talked and there was so much laughter that sometimes we had tears corning out of our eyes. It
was a really great day with terrific food. Everybody had a wonderful time.

5.Consumerism
Describe a place where you like going shopping/ Describe a shop that you enjoy going to

I enjoy going to different shopping malls whenever I have the opportunity unless they are too busy and too
pricey for my tastes. Today, I’d like to discuss one such shopping center that I frequently visit. The shopping
mall that I enjoy visiting is in a commercial area of my hometown.
This shopping center basically offers every type of store selling such as clothing, footwear, home décor,
beauty,.. . It is home to many well-known brand stores from across the world, also boasts a large food court
where customers can purchase a variety of foods.
The shopping center has a drinking fountain on each floor and a huge playground for children of all ages. This
place has an appealing design and an oval shape, it has plenty of empty space surrounding it to ensure enough
parking facilities. This shopping mall, built with gorgeous glass windows and a fantastic lighting system, might
easily be one of the most popular in my hometown, especially at night. However, as much as I enjoy this
shopping center, I am unable to attend it more than once or twice a month due to my schedule.
Anyway, I go to this shopping center since it allows me to make a rapid price comparison by traveling to
several businesses before purchasing anything. I appreciate going to this shop since they have a wide variety
of things under one roof. Finally, I visit this shopping center so that I can share some delicious meal with my
friends at its food court

6.Leisure time
Talk about a new sport or hobby you would like to take up

If I get the chance, I would like to start playing basketball soon. This is a sport that fascinates me a lot and after
I finish my first year of college, I will start playing this sport on a regular basis. In fact, some of my neighbours
already play this game everyday in a nearby basketball playground .
They are very close to me and they’ll definitely welcome me to join their team. I will need to buy a pair of
sports trousers and shoes and spend some money to start playing it. Actually, the expense is very low and
that wouldn’t be a problem for me to start off this activity.
Though I often watched this game on television or in our local playground, I never played it myself. Maybe I
was a bit concern about the performance or skill of mine in this game and that’s why I have not started it yet. I
planned to start playing it when I was in grade 9, but because my family wanted me to focus on my studies , I
could not start it.
This is a sport that fascinates me and since I often watch it on TV , I have a great passion for it. I need to shape
my body and I found basketball would be a great activity to do so. That’s the most important reason I want to
start it as soon as possible.

7.Fame and the media

Describe a famous person who you like or admire

Today I would like to tell you about one of the most famous people in my country. His real name is Nguyen
Thanh Tung, and also known professionally as Son Tung M-TP, the 28 year-old man has been working in the
music industry as a singer, song-writer and producer.
With regard to how I know this person, I need to say that I am a big fan of music so I usually listen to pop
songs to let off steam after long working day . About 3 years ago, I stumbled upon him in an MV on Youtube
and my first impression of him was that he was a medium-built man with short black hair and a charming
smile. And his fashionable costumes was what really caught my attention. It’s no wonder that he is highly-
acclaimed as a fashion icon among the younger generation.
Moving on to why he became famous, it all started with his biggest hit “Em cua ngay hom qua”, which quickly
went viral on all music streaming platforms, creating a trend on the Internet. The catchy tunes and happy-
sounding lyrics were lingering in everyone’s mind for the following months, reminding them of a new-born
music talent. After the success of this single, this man kept on his singing career with many more albums about
love and life.
I also have to underline the fact that he was from a poverty-stricken family, but he has always tried his best to
follow his dreams despite many hardships. His ambition and perseverance really inspire me to study and work
harder. In spite of all the fame and money he has earned now, Son Tung is a warm-hearted person who
constantly takes part in various charity campaigns to help the unlucky, just like how he used to be.

Describe a famous person you would like to meet

Today I would like to tell you about one of the most famous people in my country. His real name is Nguyễn
Thanh Tùng, and also known professionally as Son Tung M-TP, the 28 year-old man has been working in the
music industry as a singer, song-writer and producer.
Moving on to why he became famous, it all started with his biggest hit “Em cua ngay hom qua”, which quickly
went viral on all music streaming platforms, creating a phenomenon on the Internet. The catchy tunes and
happy-sounding lyrics were lingering in everyone’s mind for the following months, reminding them of a new-
born music talent. After the success of this single, the man kept on his singing career with many more albums
about love and life, and his strong vocal and performing abilities were what propelled him to stardom.
I also have to underline the fact that he acts as an exemplary model for adolescents because he was from a
poverty-stricken family, but he has always tried his best to follow his dreams despite many hardships. His
ambition and perseverance really inspire me to study and work harder. In spite of all the fame and money he
has earned now, Son Tung is a warm-hearted person who constantly takes part in various charity campaigns to
help the unlucky, just like how he used to be.
And of course every fan loves to see their idol in real life. If I am really given this precious chance, I want to ask
him about his daily life and hobbies so that I’ll get to know his better. And if I could, I will ask he to take some
photos with me so that I can post them on social media and hang them in my beloved bedroom.

Describe your dream home

For now, I’m living in a small flat by myself. It is right in the heart of the city with a lot of hustle and bustle. At
night the streets are crowded with people from all over the city. It’s not very spacious but there is enough
room for me to study. However, this is not my dream house.
To be honest, the location and the surroundings of my dream house is very important. I’ve always been
fascinated by mountains and the clean cool air. I’d feel positive and lively to wake up looking outside at the
windows and there are magnificent range of mountains and their chilling atmosphere. In this respect, I
imagine my dream house to be located somewhere high, far away from the city crowd and pollutions.
To describe my house regarding the design, I want it to be as simple as possible. I’m not into fancy and
something simple and functional should just be perfect. It would be a Cottage with bedroom, a living room and
bathrooms . The living room should be the biggest one, it’s where all of my entertainment activities alone or
with my friend take place. There will also be trees and plant decorated around the house.

Describe a wild animal from your country

Today I am going to tell you about my favorite wild animal. To be honest, I got particularly excited when
talking about animals, one of which is the elephant.
In terms of appearance, elephants are recorded as the current largest living land animal, characterized by their
grayish body, long trunks, columnar legs, and a massive head with flat ears. Such animals are mostly found in
savannas, grasslands, forests, and deserts. But let’s be honest, the most common way where one can meet a
real-life elephant is in the zoo, sadly.
Another thing about this kind of animal is that it’s a herbivore which means they feed primarily on different
plants, ranging from grasses and fruits to roots. Elephants are no predators; hence their daily activities are
pretty chill. They are considered highly intelligent and social animals who would spend their day socializing,
playing water games, or even playing football.
All in all, their energy and friendliness are what I got hooked on at first. Despite my poor interaction with
elephants, my love and interest for them grow beyond the zoo.