Shadowing Practice: [Luyện nghe tiếng Anh] Bài phát biểu của Tổng thống Obama tại Hà Nội, 2016 - (Part 1 of 3) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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The President's Prime Minister.
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140 sentences
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The President's Prime Minister.
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Xin chào.
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Xin chào Vietnam.
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Thank you so much.
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Thank you.
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Please.
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To the government and the people of Vietnam,
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thank you for this very warm welcome and the hospitality that you've shown me on this visit.
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And thank all of you for being here today.
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We have Vietnamese from across this great country,
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including so many young people who represent the dynamism and the talent and the hope of Vietnam.
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On this visit, my heart has been touched by the kindness for which the Vietnamese people are known,
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And the many people who have been lining the streets,
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smiling and waving, I feel the friendship between our peoples.
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Last night, I visited the old quarter here in Hanoi and enjoyed some outstanding Vietnamese food,
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tried some bun cha, drank some bie hanoi.
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But I have to say,
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the busy streets of this city,
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I've never seen so many motorbikes in my life.
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So I haven't had to try to cross the street so far,
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but maybe when I come back and visit,
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you can tell me how.
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I am not the first American President to come to Vietnam in recent times.
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But I am the first,
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like so many of you,
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who came of age after the war between our countries.
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When the last U.S forces left Vietnam,
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I was just 13 years old.
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So my first exposure to Vietnam and the Vietnamese people came when I was growing up in Hawaii,
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with its proud Vietnamese American community there.
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At the same time, many people in this country are much younger than me.
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Like my two daughters, many of you have lived your whole lives knowing only one thing,
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and that is peace and normalized relations between Vietnam and the United States.
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So I come here mindful of the past,
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mindful of our difficult history,
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but focused on the future,
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the prosperity, security, and human dignity that we can advance together.
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I also come here with a deep respect for Vietnam's ancient heritage.
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For millennia, farmers have tended these lands,
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a history revealed in the Dongshun drums.
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At this bend in the river,
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Hanoi has endured for more than a thousand years.
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The world came to treasure Vietnamese silks and paintings.
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And a great temple of literature stands as a testament to your pursuit of knowledge.
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And yet, over the centuries,
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your fate was too often dictated by others.
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Your beloved land was not always your own.
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But like bamboo, the unbroken spirit of the Vietnamese people was captured by Li Tiong Khet.
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The Southern Emperor rules the Southern Land.
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Our destiny is writ in Heaven's Book.
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So today, we also remember the longer history between Vietnamese and Americans that is too often overlooked.
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More than 200 years ago,
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when our founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson,
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sought rice for his farm,
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he looked to the rice of Vietnam,
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which he said had the reputation of being whitest to the eye,
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best flavored to the taste, and most productive.
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And soon after, American trade ships arrived in your port seeking commerce.
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During the Second World War,
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Americans came here to support your struggle against occupation.
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When American pilots were shot down,
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the Vietnamese people helped rescue them.
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And on the day that Vietnam declared its independence,
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crowds took to the streets of this city,
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and Ho Chi Minh evoked the American Declaration of Independence.
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He said, all people are created equal.
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The Creator has endowed them with inviolable rights.
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these rights are the right to life,
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the right to liberty, and the right to pursuit of happiness.
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In another time, the profession of these shared ideals
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and our common story of throwing off colonialism might have brought us closer together sooner.
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But instead, Cold War rivalries and fears of communism pulled us into conflict.
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Like other conflicts throughout human history,
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we learned once more a bitter truth — that war,
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no matter what our intentions may be, brings suffering and tragedy.
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At your war memorial not far from here,
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and with family altars across this country,
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you remember some 3 million Vietnamese soldiers and civilians on both sides who lost their lives.
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At our memorial wall in Washington,
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we can touch the names of 58,315 Americans who gave their lives in the conflict.
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In both our countries, our veterans and families of the fallen still ache for the friends and loved ones that they lost.
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Just as we learned in America that even if we disagree about a war,
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we must always honor those who serve and welcome them home with the respect they deserve,
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we can join together today,
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Vietnamese and Americans, and acknowledge the pain and the sacrifices on both sides.
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More recently, over the past two decades,
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Vietnam has achieved enormous progress.
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And today, the world can see the strides that you have made.
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With economic reforms and trade agreements,
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including with the United States,
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you have entered the global economy,
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selling your goods around the world.
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More foreign investment is coming in.
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And with one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia,
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Vietnam has moved up to become a middle-income nation.
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We see Vietnam's progress in the skyscrapers and high-rises of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City,
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new shopping malls and urban centers.
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We see it in the satellites Vietnam puts into space,
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and a new generation that is online,
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launching startups and running new ventures.
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You see it in the tens of millions of Vietnamese connected on Facebook and Instagram.
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And you're not just posting selfies,
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although I hear you do that a lot.
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And so far, there have been a number of people who have already asked me for selfies.
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You're also raising your voices for causes that you care about,
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like saving the old trees of Hanoi.
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So all this dynamism has delivered real progress in people's lives.
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Here in Vietnam, you've dramatically reduced extreme poverty,
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you've boosted family incomes, and lifted millions into a fast-growing middle class.
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Hunger, disease, child and maternal mortality are all down.
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The number of people with clean drinking water and electricity,
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the number of boys and girls in school,
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and your literacy rate, these are all up.
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This is extraordinary progress.
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This is what you have been able to achieve in a very short time.
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And as Vietnam has transformed,
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so has the relationship between our two nations.
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We learned a lesson taught by the venerable Thich Nhat Hanh,
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who said, in true dialogue,
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both sides are willing to change.
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In this way, the very war that had divided us became a source for healing.
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It allowed us to account for the missing and finally bring them home.
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It allowed us to help remove landmines and unexploded bombs,
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because no child should ever lose a leg just playing outside.
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Even as we continue to assist Vietnamese with disabilities,
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including children, we are also continuing to help remove Agent Orange,
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dioxins, so that Vietnam can reclaim more of your land.
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We're proud of our work together in Da Nang,
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and we look forward to supporting your efforts in Bien Hoa.
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Let's also not forget that the reconciliation between our countries was led by our veterans who once faced each other in battle.
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Think of Senator John McCain,
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who was held for years here as a prisoner of war,
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meeting General Saat, who said our countries should not be enemies but friends.
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of all the veterans, Vietnamese and American,
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who've helped us heal and build new ties.
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Few have done more in this regard over the years than a former Navy Lieutenant
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and now Secretary of State for the United States,
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John Kerry, who is here today.
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And on behalf of all of us,
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John, we thank you for your extraordinary efforts.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

Practicing your speaking skills with President Obama's speech during his visit to Vietnam is an excellent opportunity to immerse yourself in authentic English. English speaking practice through speeches can improve your fluency, intonation, and confidence. This video not only provides a real-world context but also demonstrates how formal speech can incorporate cultural appreciation and personal anecdotes. By shadowing the President's articulate speech, you can better understand how to convey respect and warmth—an essential aspect of effective communication in English.

Additionally, engaging with this video offers a unique chance to understand the subtleties of American political discourse and cultural references. As you practice, focus on mimicking the rhythm and flow of the speech, which is particularly helpful for anyone preparing for IELTS speaking practice. By incorporating elements of shadow speaking, you will develop a more natural speaking style, enhancing your ability to engage in conversations about global issues.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Throughout the speech, President Obama employs various grammatical structures and expressions that can enrich your vocabulary and comprehension skills:

  • “I come here mindful of the past…” - This phrase uses the present participle to emphasize awareness and connection with history, which adds depth to your conversations.
  • “Thank you for this very warm welcome…” - The thoughtful expression of gratitude is a polite way to engage with listeners, highlighting the importance of good manners in communication.
  • “Your beloved land was not always your own.” - Here, the past simple tense conveys historical context and creates emotional resonance, allowing speakers to discuss sensitive topics effectively.
  • “Like bamboo, the unbroken spirit of the Vietnamese people…” - This simile illustrates creativity in language, showcasing how comparisons can make your speech more vivid.

Incorporating these structures into your everyday spoken English can enhance both your clarity and expressiveness.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While practicing with this video, pay special attention to some challenging words and pronunciations that can often trip up English learners:

  • “Bun cha” - Make sure to pronounce this Vietnamese dish accurately to respect the cultural context.
  • “Hospitality” - This word can be tricky; focus on the stress pattern: hos-pi-TAL-i-ty.
  • “Heritage” - Ensure the "h" sound is pronounced clearly; dropping it is a common mistake.

Using a shadow speak approach, where you repeat phrases immediately after hearing them, can help you overcome these pronunciation hurdles effectively. You can pair this practice with a shadowing app to track your progress and refine your speaking skills further.

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 — 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 — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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