Shadowing Practice: 5 Things That Shocked Me After Moving to Vietnam πŸ‡»πŸ‡³ - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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I've been living in Vietnam for over a year
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I've been living in Vietnam for over a year
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and these are the five things that genuinely shocked me when I moved here.
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The first thing is just how modern it feels.
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It's way more modern than I expected.
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The skyscrapers downtown, the wide streets and even with the crazy traffic it's still an amazing place to live.
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The next thing we have to talk about is the traffic.
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It looks like chaos, it seems like chaos when you're in it but it actually makes a lot of sense.
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If you go with the flow when you're driving and just blend in,
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use your horn so everybody knows where you are.
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It's a lot easier than it seems
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and also crossing the road again seems like chaos
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if you stand at the side of the road nobody's going to stop for you you just have to walk
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and people are very much aware of where you are
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and they will avoid you you just have to be a little bit more careful
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when it comes to the cars
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but for the bikes especially it's actually really easy it's a
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lot easier than it looks the first time i arrived in
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vietnam i stood at the side of the road for five minutes like an idiot and thinking why is nobody's stopping.
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They just don't do that here.
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You just have to walk.
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If it's super busy, just hold up your hand.
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The third thing that really surprised me is the coffee culture in Vietnam.
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Coffee here is not just you go in,
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you grab a coffee, you sit down for 10 minutes and you go.
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People sit down for hours.
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They use the coffee shops as offices,
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workplaces, as places to hang out with friends,
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to go on a date.
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Literally everything.
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The houses in Vietnam are normally pretty small.
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So coffee shops make sense.
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They become second houses.
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They become second office spaces for people.
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People come, they relax,
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they do some work for a few hours they hang out with friends for a few hours instead of going home.
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There's AC, the drinks are affordable,
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there's comfortable seating as well.
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You'll see a lot of remote workers working in coffee shops,
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using them as co-working spaces,
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office spaces, everything that you can imagine.
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So it's not just a case of going for a coffee,
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it's a whole lifestyle.
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Number four is it's not as cheap as people think.
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Now yes, you can get food for a dollar,
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but realistically not everybody's going to live live like that and want to live like that.
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If you eat Western food,
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you can spend more, up to 10, $15 for a meal.
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The same goes with high-end Vietnamese food.
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Rent, for example, can range from anywhere between 300 to $2,000 really,
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if you want to go on the higher end of things.
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Obviously, most local people, they rent.
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Property prices, especially here in Saigon, are extremely expensive.
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The same as in the West.
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Most people rent, but the rent is very, very affordable.
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You can spend anywhere from $300 to $1,000 realistically and still live a very, very comfortable lifestyle.
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And along with the food and the rent,
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of course, you've got things like going out.
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If you want to go for a coffee or something like that.
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For a local brand, you're going to spend $1, $1.50 on a coffee.
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If you go to a street store,
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you can get it for even cheaper.
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And if you go to a higher-end coffee shop or a Western brand like Starbucks or something like that,
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then yep, you're going to pay a little bit more.
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In that range, you can expect to spend maybe $5, $6, even more.
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I saw one coffee shop here,
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and they charged $30 for a coffee.
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If you're going out, you can get really good deals.
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Beers cost genuinely between $0.50 and $1.
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It's really not that expensive.
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And then if you want cocktails and things like that as well,
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yep, you're gonna pay a little bit more,
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but absolutely not as much as you would pay back home
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and the last thing to talk about is the intensity of the place personal space
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that you get as well in the city especially in saigon
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in other places in vietnam it's a little bit easier for example in dan ang it's fine
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but in saigon especially the personal space that you have
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in the traffic in markets even just walking down the street sometimes there's no personal space
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people are everywhere you know there's 14 million people in this city
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and a lot of people in Vietnam in general a lot of traffic a lot of noise
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if that's something
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that you're not used to then this place is gonna be
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a massive shock on the other hand it's also something
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that you get used to very very quickly I've been here for a year
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and when I go back home to Europe it feels like silence
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and it feels empty so it's something that you do get used to over time it It might feel,
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I don't know, a little bit scary at the beginning,
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a little bit daunting, a little bit overwhelming,
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but after spending even a couple of days here,
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it's something to get used to very quickly.
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And it's not something that should put you off visiting Vietnam either.

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you’ll focus on practicing your English speaking skills through the engaging experiences shared in the video titled "5 Things That Shocked Me After Moving to Vietnam." By immersing yourself in the unique cultural insights presented in the transcript, you will enhance your vocabulary, improve your English pronunciation, and develop your ability to discuss unfamiliar topics confidently. This exercise will not only help you with IELTS speaking practice but also make learning dynamic and enjoyable.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Modern - Adjective describing something that is contemporary or up-to-date.
  • Traffic chaos - Refers to a disordered or congested situation on the roads.
  • Coffee culture - The social habits and lifestyles surrounding coffee consumption.
  • Remote work - Working from a location other than a traditional office, often from home or coffee shops.
  • Affordable - Something that is reasonably priced or not expensive.
  • Rent - The amount paid regularly to occupy or use residential or commercial space.
  • Second house - A place one might frequently use, akin to their home environment, such as a coffee shop.
  • Blend in - To integrate smoothly into a group or environment without drawing attention.

Practice Tips

To effectively use this transcript for practice, try the following shadowing methods:

  • Slow Down: The speaker has a conversational tone that can be initially fast. Start by playing the video at a slower speed. Focus on accurately mimicking intonation and rhythm to improve your English pronunciation.
  • Pause and Repeat: After each significant point, pause the video and repeat the sentence out loud. This will help you internalize phrases and natural speech patterns.
  • Record Yourself: Use a voice recording app to capture your shadow speech as you practice. Listening to yourself can reveal areas for improvement and help you refine your delivery.
  • Contextual Understanding: Before shadowing, read through the transcript to familiarize yourself with the content. Understanding the context will make the shadowing process smoother and more effective.
  • Engage in Discussions: Discuss these insights with a language partner or online forums. This practice mimics real-life English conversations and enhances your ability to articulate thoughts on similar topics.

By integrating these techniques into your learning routine, you'll find your speaking abilities greatly improved, leading you to a higher level of confidence and fluency. Don't underestimate the power of using YouTube as a tool to learn English efficiently!

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud β€” like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency β€” making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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