Hometown

Where is your hometown?Can you describe a little bit about your hometown?
-Ho Chi Minh City is a typical metropolitan city. The city is open 24-7, and is
home to many cafes and restaurants serving food from all around the world. The
traffic is dizzying and life happens at full-speed. It has all the entertainment
services that young people look for.  Entertainment centers as well as beautiful
landscapes in this city could be easily be found.
Is there much to do in your hometown?
-Oh yes, there's certainly lots to do there as it's a fairly big city. If you like going
out in the evening there are a lot of good restaurants and bars. If you prefer cultural
activities there are museums and art galleries. But if you like nature there are lots
of other things outside of the city which are easy to reach.
What are the people like in your hometown?
-They are mostly quite friendly, but as with most big cities everyone is often busy
so it may seem as if they are not interested in speaking or having a chat. But if you
live there you know that most people are quite happy to have a chat if they have
time and will help you if needed.
What do you like most about your hometown?
-I like the city’s dynamic lifestyle: young and busy. It attracts me and people from
every walks of life thanks to its open atmosphere, a practical attitude, a mix
culture, a rapid rhythm….the city never sleeps. This city provides everyone so
many opportunities to build up their careers, especially young people who want to
build a brilliant social position.

Does your hometown have a lot of tourist?

-Definitely yes, not only a busy and vibrant city, Ho Chi Minh city has a lot of
tourist attractions which are really worth coming. Thanks to convenient bus routes,
I can get tourists to travel around where I live. Visitors will be really keen on
activities in the heart of the city such as the fair, art exhibition, and so on.

How has your town changed over the last 20 years?

-Well, as far as I can see, the cty has undergone tremendous changes as it has
turned from a small city into a large bustling city. It’s now approximatly three
fourth as small as it used to be because of seperation due to economic situation.
However, now it can boast improved infrastructure, more places to visit and
things to do as a lot of facilities have been made available for people. Overall, i
would say the city has changed for the better, though there are still issues with
public transpot whuch is as inefficient as many years ago.

What is your hometown well-known for?

-I believe a wealth of history and culture is primary source of attraction for
tourists. People come there to visit museums and many places of historic value
such as Independence Palace.

Studies
Do you work or you a student
-I’m currently a student at a high school. I’m studying A’ and AS levels in order to
study abroad.

What do you studies?

-Before starting a new school year, I’ve chose physics, Further Math and Computer
Science, which are really nescessary for my dream job, a commercial pilot.
What do you like about your studies?
-I willprobably sound a bit nerdy, but I’m happy that school provides me with an
opportunity to acquire knowledge about things I didn’t know before. I guess that most
subjects, we are taught, will help us to succeed in the future. So I never miss lessons
and complete all the assignments on time.

What do you like most about your school?

-I guess the aspect I find most enjoyable is the environment. I mean, I get to study
in English-speaking classrooms, and the facilities are top-notch; I mean, all the
classrooms are air-conditioned and equipped with projectors. My friends and
teachers are all adorable, so, all in all, it’s a great place to study.
Accommodation (chỗ ở)
Do you live in a house or an apartment?
-Actually, I live in a 2 storeys villa which has got a living room, 5 bed rooms with
attached washroom and a kitchen with my family. Beside, there is a garage for
parking cars. Interestingly, I also have a garden to supply vegetables and fruits in
this pandemic. I’m quite people person so the garden is the place my extended
family or friends having BBQ together each weekend before this catastrophe

Why do you live in an apartment/house?

-To be honest, because all facilities and services are available within walking
distance, which means I can easily grab anything I need in just a few minutes.
Additionally, a house is much more capacious, and I’m not terrified of making
noise. Importantly, in the emergency problem, opportunity to survive is higher than
living in the apartment,

How long have you lived there?

-I’ve been living here since third grade which was about 9 years ago after my dad
put the old house on sale which was located in district 5. I spend most of my
childhood here.

Do you like your house?

-Absolutely, it is huge, pleasant place to get rid of hustle and bustle of the
overcrowded city. Instead, it gives me the freshness of nature , passion to work on
something, enhance my mood, help me chill out after school or workout at the
gym.

What do you like the most about it?

- Well, as I said earlier, my garden is second to none, I appreciate it. Firstly, my
gorgeous garden which diverse of fruit trees. In the morning time and sometimes in
the evening, I prefer walking on bare foot over the green grass in the garden which
provides me extreme level of mental peace with breath-taking scene and this is
what I approve the most about my garden.
What is your favorite room in your home? Why?
-Definitely my own bedroom. It’s the personal space where I can do whatever I
want without getting scolded by my mom. Besides, my bedroom is an ideal place
for me to avoid noise, it is painted with light blue which help yourself relief stress
and due to scientific fact that this color can alo increase creativity. Consequently, I
tend to lock myself up in my bedroom whenever I need to concentrate on my study
or practicing new piano piece.

Hobbies
Do you have any hobbies?
-Definitely yes, everyone has at least one leisure pursuit and I am no exception.
My perennial hobby is playing piano consequently I am infatuate with classical
music by it’s beauty. Currently, I am practicing the Piece called G minor Bach,
quite difficult. It’s really interesting and hopefully, I can finish that by this
weekend.
What hobbies are popular in your country?
-Well, there are plenty of recreational activities that Vietnamese people enjoy
doing in their spare time. Generally speaking, Vietnamese love listening to music
on music streaming websites such as Zing MP3 or Spotify because they offer a
variety of songs free of charge. Another hobby that has gained popularity recently
is travelling. By travelling to new places, people can have the chance to see
beautiful landscapes and broaden their horizons.
Holidays/Festival
Do you have any special festivals/ holidays in your country?
-Yes, I have, Lunar New Year has got to be my most favoured festival. It normally
last for a week or more allowing us a pretty long time to recharge out batteries. A
well as this, new year always bring a fresh feeling of the start of something new.
We all can celebrate new year with great joy, hope and festivity for the upcoming
year.

What kind of festival is most popular in your country?

-Well, wach festival bring us a abundance of celebratory activities which are to be
suitable with each and every geographical region. Like the other place, we all
celebrate bigs celebration loke mid-autum festival. We all enjoy special cake and
sparking lanterns and quality time together.

Food
Let’s talk about food? What’s your favorite food?
-Well, I would say that I’m not a picky eater and I can eat like the whole universe.
But if i have to choose, I would definitely go for Vietnamese traditional cuisine
because although it does not win any points for complexity, it is all about the
combination of fresh ingredients, intense flavours, and ease of cooking and
preparation, so it wins my heart.

Are there any food you dislike?

-Well of course, there is this one particular kind of food which I don’t like, the one
that stinks. I can’t eat things that are too smelly, for example, durian, shrimp paste,
stinky tofu. I just cannot stand the smells of them

What are some traditional food in your country?

-Obviously, there’s a mixed variety of food in my country. But I guess the most
popular one would probably be pho, since Vietnam is world-famous for it. It’s
tasty, cheap and available at all hours. In some places, it costs you like 20.000dong
for a steaming hot bowl of Pho. And also, you might find some other things like
bun cha, bun bo hue, banh xeo, etc,. they are all very delicious.

Do you have a healthy diet?

-Actually, I don’t. But I try to eat clean and eat green everyday because highly-
processed foods or low-quality foods are linked to obesity and an increased risk of
heart disease, and in some cases, cancer. So it’s vital for me and for everyone to
stay healthy by eating clean in order to not only manage your weight but also help
you build a stronger immune system and increase your energy levels.

Who does the cooking in your family? Why?

-My mother does all the cooking at my home. I guess I am blessed for having such
a talented mother, who happens to be a retired cook. I have always had some sort
of a fitness plan, but my mother's home-cooked meals somehow have stood in the
way, so I suppose I just have to live with that.

Sport
Do you like playing sports?
-Well, I think I’m a big fan of sports. Although I’m not good at it, but my favorite
one is swimming. You know I can often meet new people and make friends when I
do sports. And as I think that, practicing a sport regularly does wonder for my
health. It keeps me in shape, it helps to relieve stress. And last but not least,
it refreshes my mind after a long day of hard work.

 What sport are popular in your country?

-Well, I guess in Vietnam right now, it’s football. I think football is considered
the king of sports. It’s very easy to play. All you need is just a ball, a few friends
and two goals, which you can always make or create by marking the ground with,
you know, a piece of clothing or bags, for example. And I think it’s a competitive
sport, it can be very enjoyable to watch and play.

 Do you think it is important to play a sport?

-Of course. I think it’s essential for everybody to take up a sport, because, you
know, as I mentioned before. Playing sports brings great benefits to your health. It
helps to lower the risk of modern diseases such as diabetes, obesity and heart
attack. Anyway, at the end of the day, your body is the only place you’ve got to
live, right? So I think you’d better take good care of it.

Internet
Do you often use the Internet?
-Yes, I use the Internet on a daily basis. I use it to keep abreast
of current events as it provides me with countless news articles from a
number of different sources. Actually, thanks to the Internet, I have
knowledge at my fingertips.

What do you usually do on the internet?

-I do a ton of things on the Internet. I usually use it to read local as
well as national news headlines. I also use it for checking my emails,
chatting with my friends and playing games online at times.

Decoration
How is your home decorated?
-Yes, my house is well decorated. My family consults several designers’ ideas when
we decorate our home. You know, our home can be considered one of the most
essential part of my family, so we are willing to spend more money and time to make
it the most comfortable and wonderful place for the whole family to unwind after a
long period of work and study.
What is the new decorating trend for this year?
-Honestly, I really don’t know the emerging design trend this year. But I think
somehow I could say that is non-white kitchens. I remember exactly that by 10 years
ago, there is a tendency to decor an all-white kitchen where all the facilities, shelves,
and islands in the kitchens should be white. But now, people are more inclined
towards using natural wood cabinets and colorful stuff to décor their kitchen.

What is your favourite color when decorating your home?

-That would be gray. All of the walls in my house are gray, it may make my house
look bigger and brighter. Moreover, I think that it’s much easier to replace, switch
up interior accessories when all the walls are rolled on gray. So I consider this color as
the greatest decorating flexibility.

Traveling

Where do you like to travel during the holidays?

- I like to travel abroad but it can be expensive, so I usually plan affordable
travel. Travelling to holiday destinations when it is out of season saves a lot of
money. Out of season travel is also the best way to avoid places that are swarming
with tourists.

What are your favourite holiday pastimes?

- I like to get away from it all. I look for exotic destinations with scenic views that
are off the beaten track. I tend to avoid guided tours and packaged deals as I prefer
to go sightseeing on my own.
Part 2 – Health
Describe the article on health you read on magazine or the Internet

I am going to talk about a health article that I have recently read. It was an
article about the new coronavirus outbreak (2019-nCoV) and basic protective
measures against it.
The first part of the article was the general description of the epidemic. The
2019 novel coronavirus is a new form of the coronavirus family that causes
pneumonia in humans. It originated in China in December 2019 after a cluster of
pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China. Although the first cases had been recorded in
December 2019, not until January 2020 was it revealed to the general public,
petrifying the whole world with its highly contagious nature. Shortly thereafter
quarantines and travel bans were implemented around the world, many schools
were closed, and people started wearing masks when going outside.
From the article, I was informed that the symptoms of the disease include
coughing, fever, difficulty breathing, and possible lesions on both lungs. Some
pieces of advice on how to protect ourselves from the virus were also provided.
Those include washing hands frequently with soap and water, or an alcohol-based
hand rub, maintaining social distancing and avoiding touching eyes, nose and
mouth. Believe it or not, the article also stated that wearing masks is generally
ineffective for those who have yet to show symptoms!

Part 2 – Holiday/Festival
Describe a holiday/festival in your country
Today, I’m going to tell you about one of the biggest, oldest taditioanl
festival and has the wildest popular range in VN, which is Tet holiday.
Tet marks the arrival of spring and is the most important celebration in
Vietnamese culture and it has the date falling in late January or early February
according to Lunar Calendar.
Tet is also on occasion for family reunion. When Tet comes around the
corner, most Vietnamese people return to their families to visit their families
members, to worship at the family altar or visit the graves of their ancestors in their
homeland as a sign of respect.
Many Vietnamese people prepare for Tet by cooking special food which
includes Banh Chung – an indispenable dish that is tigtly packed sticky rice with
meat and beans filling, wrapped in banana leaves.
 Traditionally, every household is decorated by yelloe appricot blossoms in
the center and southern parts od VN, or peach blossoms in the northern part.
Many custom are praticed around Tet. Children often receive a red envelope
containing money from the elders after giving a traditional Tet greetings. During
Tet days, people also visit relatives and friend to wish them all cherish new year.
Local pagodas are popular spots as well as people go there wish for a better year to
come for their families.
Tet holiday is the ony occasion that people is start forgeting about the
troubles of the past yaers and hope for a better upcoming year.

Part 2 – Traveling
Describe a city you enjoy visiting.

Honestly speaking, I have a myriad of destinations on my must-visit

list around the world. However, if I have the opportunity to choose one city, I
would probably pick Dalat, the city of romance, the city where lovebirds gather
and craft memories. Dalat has acquired quite a reputation for a number of things.
To start off, let’s talk about the weather here. You know so, despite being located
in a tropical region, the city’s temperate climate stands in stark contrast to the
tropical climate found elsewhere in Vietnam. And I think this is also one of the
reasons why a lot of tourists from neighboring provinces frequent this place on a
regular basis. It is such a great retreat from the heat and humidity, it provides me
with a temporary respite from the hustle and bustle of city life. And I get to have
my peace and quiet when I’m here. 
 So if you’re looking for something a little less tranquil, you should
definitely check out this place – Dalat market, which is also where I am right now
it is so bustling at night you know. You can find all kinds of things here like
ranging from fresh produce, some of Viet Nam’s finest varieties of coffee to the
delicate handicrafts produced by the local artisan. 
Well, there’s a bunch of stuff you can do here. On a crisp morning, you can
always kick off your day with a little stroll or a jog around the Xuan Huong lake
while soaking up the fresh air. It’s just so refreshing, rejuvenating and super
romantic if you do that with your significant other. 

Part 2 – Job
Describe a job you would like to do
When I was young, I wanted to work for a major aviation company as a
pilot. In fact, becoming a pilot, who flies commercial aeroplanes, was my dream in
my childhood.
I have heard about this job from my teachers and relatives in my childhood
and then I had a superficial idea about this job. When I was 15 or 16 years old, I
saw a documentary on the tasks the pilots do on the Discovery channel that gave
me a clear idea of the jobs of a commercial aeroplane pilot.
Working as a pilot requires comprehensive training and to become a good
pilot one needs very good quality and skillsets. Usually, the commercial airline
companies hire the candidates and then give them comprehensive training, both
theoretical and practical, and after particular hours of flawless flying records, the
candidates are sent to work for their jobs. The theoretical parts teach them the
different aspects of flying, route, safety and process guidelines where the
practical parts allow them to actually fly a real aeroplane. They need to prove that
they have gained sufficient skills to fly a commercial plane before they are
appointed to do the job.
I was a fascination with flying the aeroplane in the sky. It was a thrilling job
for me when I was young. Since different people of the family members started
giving me the idea of good careers and what I would become in the future, I
started speculating my own idea and I found the job of a pilot very exciting and
prestigious. I knew that being a pilot would allow me to visit different countries
across our boundaries and would allow me to meet different people and these 2
ideas also attracted me toward this job. For all those reasons it was my dream job
when I was young.

Part 2 –  Describe a historical building in

your country/ hometown
Whoever has been to Ho Chi Minh City knows that this place houses several
historical buildings which hold significant meaning in our history and culture.
Among these, the one that intrigues me the most is Reunification Palace, also
known as Independence Palace.
This building is extremely popular with not only the local people but also
foreign tourists. One simple reason is that it's located in District 1, right at the heart
of Ho Chi Minh City. People could easily spot it from far for it covers a vast area
of land. In front of it is the huge park and if you look beyond that you can see Duc
Ba Cathedral on the right and Diamond Plaza on the left.
Even though the majority of people are aware that Independence Palace is
one of the top tourist attractions in Saigon, very few have really learned about its
significant role in our country history. This palace used to function as the home
and workplace of the president of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It's also
this building that marked the reunification of the North and the South. These days,
it acts a reminder about our ancestor's victory and also their sacrifice for the
country freedom.
If you asked me the reason why this particular is special to me, I guess the
reason is that whenever I enter the building it seems to me that I am travelling back
in time. In the rhythmic voice of the tour guide, I almost see what takes place there
and live in that historic atmosphere once again.