Shadowing Practice: Việt Nam’s efforts to avoid the low fertility trap| Vietnam Today - Learn English Speaking with Video

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now across Asia fertility rates are falling below the level required to maintain stable populations countries such as
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South Korea Japan China and Singapore are struggling to reverse the trend despite years of financial incentives chart can support and pro-family policies
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South Korea's fertility rate rose lightly to zero point eight last year after eight years of decline, but it remains the lowest in the world.
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For Kim So-ryong, the availability of child care leave was a big factor in deciding to have a baby.
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It had a positive impact.
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I can play a bigger role in child care, including deciding what diaper brand and size to buy.
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South Korea has spent over 200 million U.S.
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dollars on measures aimed at encouraging childbirth over the past 20 years, including cash incentives, housing subsidies, parental leave and child care support.
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However, experts say financial support alone cannot reverse the trend.
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There needs to be a paradigm shift toward gender-equal family structures and family-friendly workplace culture.
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The child care systems are something that the government can implement by allocating a budget.
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However, family-friendly corporate management won't work unless the corporate ecosystem changes.
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Japan faces a similar challenge.
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Its birth rate fell for the 10th straight year in 2025, despite years of policies aimed at supporting families.
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Local governments have expanded child care and welfare support, while Tokyo introduced a four-day work week for public employees to encourage work-life balance this past April.
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We provide five free services including free school lunches, free medical care up to the age of 18, free preschool and daycare, free access to play facilities and free diaper distribution.
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Across Asia, many countries are now caught in what experts call a low-fertility trap, where fewer births gradually reshape social norms, work patterns and family structures,
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making population decline increasingly difficult to reverse.
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Despite major investments in financial incentives and child care support, countries like South Korea and Japan have yet to see a significant recovery in birth rates.
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Vietnam's fertility rate has fallen below the replacement level for three consecutive years, reaching 1.93 children per woman last year.
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As several Asian countries struggle to reverse declining birth rates, Vietnam is now moving early to avoid falling into the same low fertility trap.
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Under a Ministry of Health plan released last month, Vietnam aims to raise the fertility rate by an average of 2% annually to return to the replacement level of 2.1% by 2030.
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Vietnam's revised population law taking effect on July 1st marks a major shift in demographic policy.
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New measures include extending maternity leave to seven months for women having a second child and giving priority access to social housing for families with two or more children.
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The Ministry of Health has also proposed spending around 68 million U.S.
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dollars annually to support women having children, along with another 78 million for congenital disease screening.
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The draft decree is expected to take effect this July if approved by the government.
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As many Asian countries face the impacts of low birth rates and rapid population aging,
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Vietnam's Ministry of Health has rolled out plans for the country to act early and avoid falling into a low
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fertility trap yeah but the questions remain over how effective these measures will be our reporter spoke with Pham Lan Vietnam population and development team leader at the United Nations population fund
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thank you so much for accepting our interview thank you very much first how How does UNFPA view the policies Vietnam is introducing to addressing the declining birth risk?
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From UNFPA, we highly appreciate the government's effort to support fertility and the individual and families to have children.
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Until recently, there have been government resolution law on population introduced together with other guiding degrees and specific policies, including supporting cash for women with having
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second children, supporting maternity leave, paternity leave, also housing support.
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Based on the efforts, how does UNFPA view Vietnam's level of readiness in responding to the risk of falling into the low fertility trap.
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jobs, high living costs, high childcare costs, and also other like gender inequalities that place a burden for both men and women.
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Therefore, Vietnam should have a more enabling environment to address those socio-economic barriers.
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We could consider comprehensive policy package to support people, especially young people.
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According to UNFPA, what should Vietnam prioritize to ensure its population policies remain effective in the long term?
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So really it is about the need to change in mindset, to shift from seeing it as a problem,
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to consider how we can empower people to decide their family and their number of children.
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So a strong coordination mechanism should be introduced to effective operation of the steering committee on population development.
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We also recommend regular review on the national implementation progress, a plan of action on population development, which Vietnam has shown strong commitment to implement.
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Thank you so much for your valuable insights.
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Thank you very much.
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It's our pleasure to join you this section.

Why practice speaking with this video?

Practicing speaking using the content of this video on Vietnam's efforts to avoid the low fertility trap can significantly enhance your English communication skills. This video offers insight into pressing social issues and government policies, making it an excellent resource for learners interested in contemporary topics. By using the shadow speak technique, you can emulate the speaker's tone, intonation, and rhythm, which helps in better understanding and retention of the language. Engaging with such relevant material not only builds your vocabulary but also prepares you for discussions in real-life situations, enhancing your overall fluency.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Here are some key structures and expressions featured in the video:

  • “Has fallen below” - This phrase illustrates the present perfect tense, indicating an action that has an unresolved outcome in the present. Understanding this structure is essential for discussing ongoing issues.
  • “There needs to be” - This expression conveys necessity, an important concept when discussing policy and social issues. It encourages learners to formulate arguments about what is required for societal improvements.
  • “To encourage work-life balance” - The infinitive form “to encourage” demonstrates purpose. This phrase can be adapted to discuss various topics, helping learners structure their thoughts clearly.
  • “Should have a more enabling environment” - This conditional form suggests a recommendation, which is crucial for persuasive speech and writing.

Common Pronunciation Traps

During the video, certain phrases and terms may pose pronunciation challenges for learners. Pay special attention to:

  • “Fertility” - The “fert” part can be tricky; practice emphasizing the “fer” sound followed by a quick “tility.”
  • “Demographic” - This word often leads to mispronunciations; focus on clearly articulating each syllable: dem-o-graph-ic.
  • “Paradigm” - This term can be mispronounced if not rehearsed; emphasize the first syllable as “para” and keep the latter part short: “dime.”

Utilizing a shadowing app can help reinforce these pronunciations. Practicing with the shadowing technique allows you to hear, mimic, and thus improve English pronunciation effectively. By addressing these common traps, you’ll be more confident in your spoken English.

¿Qué es la Técnica de Shadowing?

Shadowing es una técnica de aprendizaje de idiomas respaldada por la ciencia, desarrollada originalmente para la formación de intérpretes profesionales y popularizada por el políglota Dr. Alexander Arguelles. El método es simple pero poderoso: escuchas audio en inglés nativo y lo repites en voz alta de inmediato, como una sombra que sigue al hablante con solo 1-2 segundos de retraso. A diferencia de la escucha pasiva o los ejercicios de gramática, el shadowing obliga a tu cerebro y músculos de la boca a procesar y reproducir simultáneamente patrones de habla reales. Las investigaciones muestran que mejora significativamente la precisión de la pronunciación, la entonación, el ritmo, el habla conectada, la comprensión auditiva y la fluidez al hablar, convirtiéndola en una de las metodologías más efectivas para la preparación del IELTS Speaking y la comunicación en inglés en el mundo real.