Shadowing Practice: Upper-middle-income status: The start of a new journey | Vietnam Today - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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The World Bank has released its 2026 income classification based on countries 2025 gross national incomes or GNI per capita.
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The World Bank has released its 2026 income classification based on countries 2025 gross national incomes or GNI per capita.
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Yes, and under the World Bank's latest classification, Vietnam is one of the six economies worldwide to move into a higher income category.
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While this is a well -deserved recognition of the country's remarkable economic achievements, it also marks the beginning of a new phase with both opportunities and challenges.
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Vietnam's GNI per capita reached $4 ,970,
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surpassing the $4 ,636 threshold required for upper middle income status under the World Bank's classification.
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The World Bank attributed Vietnam's free classification to its strong economic growth and export performance.
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During 2024 to 2025, exports expanded by more than 15%,
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while GDP grew by 7 % in 2024 and 8 % in 2025.
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So over the past years, Vietnam has consistently been one of the fastest growing economies in the region.
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supported by resilient foreign investment, surging exports and growing domestic services.
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This milestone can further help reinforce international confidence in Vietnam's long -term economic prospects
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and the country's position as a destination for investment.
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You really have transformed the country in the last 35 or 40 years.
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The main reason is the government began having sensible market -oriented policies.
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Prices were meaningful, the exchange rate was realistic, inflation dropped.
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But this milestone is only the beginning of the new journey.
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Vietnam's GNI per capita would need to nearly triple to reach high -income status
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The World Bank defies as a GNI per capita of more than $14 ,375.
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The middle -income trap has therefore become one of the toughest tests facing the economy.
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Since 1990, only 27 economies have successfully transitioned from middle to high -income status.
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This year, no economy was upgraded to the high -income category.
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The encouraging news is that Vietnam already has many of the essential ingredients in place.
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The country has a young and talented workforce, macroeconomic stability, a strategic location at the heart of Asia's growth region,
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and perhaps most importantly, a strong ambition and demonstrated willingness to reform and adapt.
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The next chapter will be defined not only by how fast Vietnam grows, but also by the quality of that growth.
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17 years after entering the lower middle income category back in 2009, Vietnam has now reached upper middle income status.
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But what does this achievement really mean?
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And what will Vietnam need to do to realize its ambition of becoming a high income economy by 2045?
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Joining us today is Head of Research Xuân Tây Cinh, Executive Director in Global Economics and Markets Research at United Overseas Bank.
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And Mr. Xuân, Vietnam has officially joined the ranks of upper middle income economies,
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development journey but as the country enters this new phase what do you see as the biggest challenges ahead?
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Okay, so what happens is there are good things and there are not so good things, so you have to watch out.
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The not so good thing or something that we need to watch out is also the cost.
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of running businesses.
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will be higher or have been rising And if the government is targeting for higher income, that means the cost of running businesses,
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the cost of hiring workers will be rising in future as well.
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Second thing that we need to watch is that while the income has been rising, it is only on an average basis.
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So it is better that the government now watch closely what is the distribution, is it benefiting only certain people,
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what they call it a K -shaped economy, a K -shaped.
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Some are doing very well, some not doing so well, right?
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It's a K -shaped.
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So we want to prevent or reduce that kind of things from developing further.
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We want to make sure that we catch them early, give them the help, the resources, the support, so that they are able to catch up with the rest of others.
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To become a high income developed nation by 2045, what should Vietnam prioritize to avoid the middle income trap and achieve sustainable long -term growth?
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Mm -hmm.
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So for the middle income track, basically what it means is that as your costs go up, the country becomes less competitive.
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What are the things that we can do?
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One is through, for example, some of this automation.
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robotics, AI that could help to increase Improve productivity.
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Second thing is through innovation.
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innovation, increase in R &D research and spending to innovate to develop more and different and more sophisticated products.
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And also, another thing that the government can do is to increase resources,
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to put in resources to upscale The workers? upskill companies.
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Another thing is to diversify the exports as we move along.
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So if he's too reliant, not diversified enough, then you are the risks are too concentrated.
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So there is a need to broaden the type of products,
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the type of sectors that Vietnam can develop.
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So these are some of the things that the government can help, together of course with the private sector,
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to overcome the possibility of getting into this middle income trap.
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Thank you, Ms. Swan, for your insights.
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Understanding Vietnam's Economic Milestone: Context for Language Practice
The video discusses Vietnam's transition to upper-middle-income status, exploring economic growth, challenges like the middle-income trap, and strategies for sustainable development. This dialogue is ideal for English learners due to its mix of formal economic terms and conversational exchanges, making it a rich resource for improving both vocabulary and comprehension.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "Well-deserved recognition": Use to acknowledge someone's achievement (e.g., "Your promotion is well-deserved recognition for your hard work").
- "Reinforce confidence": Describe building trust (e.g., "Consistent updates reinforce confidence in the project").
- "Macroeconomic stability": A key term for economic discussions (e.g., "Macroeconomic stability is crucial for investment").
- "Catch up with": To reach the same level (e.g., "I need to study more to catch up with my classmates").
- "Sustainable long-term growth": Describing lasting progress (e.g., "The company focuses on sustainable long-term growth").
Step-by-Step Shadowing Guide for This Video
Shadowing—repeating speech immediately after the speaker—is a powerful way to improve English pronunciation and fluency. Here's how to use this video effectively:
- Listen and identify stress patterns: The dialogue includes terms like "gross national incomes" and "middle-income trap." Notice which syllables are emphasized, then repeat using the same stress to sound natural. A shadowing app can help you compare your rhythm to the speaker's.
- Focus on connected speech: Phrases like "surging exports and growing domestic services" use linking. Practice saying them smoothly, connecting "and growing" as one unit. A shadowing site with slow-motion features can help break down these links.
- Mimic intonation in questions: The interviewer asks, "What do you see as the biggest challenges ahead?" Notice the rising intonation at the end. Repeat the question, copying the intonation to sound conversational.
- Practice complex sentences: The video includes long sentences like "The next chapter will be defined not only by how fast Vietnam grows, but also by the quality of that growth." Break them into chunks, shadowing each part, then combine. This improves your ability to speak in longer, coherent phrases.
- Record and review: Use a shadow speech tool to record yourself. Compare your recording to the video, noting differences in pronunciation and pace. This helps you identify areas to refine.
By following these steps, you'll not only master the content but also build the skills needed for clear, confident English communication.
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.