Went to Vietnam and Heard "Excuse Me"... Kids Approach Foreign Tourists for "Free Tutoring"

Practicing English Conversation by Talking with Tourists
Limits of English Education in Vietnam... Lessons Outside the Classroom

Activities in which people seek out foreign tourists in Vietnam to practice speaking English are gaining popularity.

Hieu practicing English conversation with foreign tourists. Screenshot from YouTube (@H?uS?nT?y)

On Nov. 5 local time, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) introduced the story of Hieu, a six-year-old boy who practices English conversation by approaching foreign tourists at Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi.

Hieu approaches foreign tourists and starts conversations to practice his English. His mother, Hoang Ngoc Anh, said, "My son usually looks for people who are blonde or look Western and strikes up a conversation with them."

Ngoc Anh takes her son to Hoan Kiem Lake every Saturday. Hieu talks with Australian tourists about drop bears, fictional creatures from Australian folklore, and tells German tourists that Germany has about 1,500 types of sausages, among other topics. His mother films these interactions and posts them on social media.

This activity is known in Vietnam as "San Tay." It is a form of play and learning in which people seek out foreigners and talk with them in English to improve their conversational skills. On weekends, English teachers bring children to the lake with lists of questions. The children ask tourists about their home countries, favorite foods, music, and other topics, continuing the conversations in English.

The spread of San Tay culture in Vietnam is rooted in the limitations of English education. English teacher Le Van Thai said, "It is difficult to sufficiently develop students' English-speaking skills through classroom education alone."

For some, conversations with foreigners have become a turning point in their lives. In the 1990s, Dan Thuong practiced English by approaching foreign tourists in Hue, a city in central Vietnam. He wanted to find out whether the grammar he had learned at school and the expressions he had picked up from Voice of America (VOA) broadcasts worked in real conversations.

After speaking for 10 minutes with a University of Oregon professor he met by chance, he received a scholarship and went to study in the United States. He earned a master's degree from the University of Oregon and met his wife there. Now 56, he runs a hat manufacturer in North Carolina.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.