Shadowing Practice: Việt Nam’s push for higher education excellence | Vietnam Today - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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As Vietnam continues to prioritize human capital development as a driver of long-term economic growth,
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As Vietnam continues to prioritize human capital development as a driver of long-term economic growth,
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expanding access to quality education has become a key focus for major cities across the country.
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Huyen Khe'll give us some more statistics.
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Right, and if we turn to the capital,
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Hanoi, then the city is stepping up investment in new schools to meet the needs of its growing population.
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And let's talk figures over here.
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The capital is expected to build 1,000 new schools at all levels by 2045.
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Hanoi currently has a population of around 9 million and nearly 3,000 schools,
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covering up preschool, primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education.
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The city says its school network is broadly sufficient with places available across different types of institutions,
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including public-private, people-funded schools and continuing education centers.
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However, pressure on public schools remains high in some inner city areas
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and rapidly urbanizing areas where large population growth continues to put strain on education infrastructure.
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Now, a total of 11 Vietnamese universities were listed in this year's Asian rankings by Times Higher Education,
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or THE, up to from last year,
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as you can see on the screen right here.
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According to the British publications recently released 2026 Asia University Rankings,
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the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City remained the top Vietnamese institution,
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while Nguyen Tha Thành University in Ho Chi Minh City and the University of Đà Nẵng made their debut.
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The rankings are based on 18 performance indicators grouped into five key pillars,
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a research quality, research environment,
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teaching, industry and international outlook.
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So to understand more about Vietnam's higher education on the global stage,
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we'll now connect with Phil Beatty,
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Chief Global Affairs Officer of Times Higher Education.
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Thank you for joining us.
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So Phil, if the latest Times Higher Education rankings are any guide,
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where would you say Vietnam stands now in the global higher education picture?
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I think Vietnam is really making an impact in the Times Higher Education World University rank.
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I think in 2020 there were only,
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I think, three Vietnamese universities ranked at all in the the whole ranking and now we have 11.
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Even getting access and being ranked is a significant achievement.
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There's about 22,000 universities in the world.
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We rank just over 2,000 including reporter institutions.
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So you have to meet various thresholds to be ranked.
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Vietnam is making its mark,
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it's showing itself willing to be benchmarked against the highest global standards and it's starting to pay dividends.
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Right.
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And from here, what do Vietnamese universities need to address
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or to focus on so that if they want to climb higher internationally, would you say?
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I think the most important aspect is research capacity and research outcome.
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The rankings we look at the research environment in terms of productivity with papers,
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but more importantly than productivity,
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we look at research quality.
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So producing novel research, producing cutting edge new knowledge is something that's really valued in rankings.
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But in terms of what we might call low hanging fruit
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or shorter term opportunities I think international connection is probably the strongest short term lever that you can pull
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Because on for one level we actually reward international collaboration and international talent within the metrics of the rankings.
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But beyond that, we also see,
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of course, the halo effect of that,
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that more collaborative research tends to be more highly cited.
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It tends to be more highly regarded,
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more visible on a world stage.
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Now, with Vietnam aiming to place eight universities in Asia's top 200 by 2030,
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how big a leap would that be from where things stand today?
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I think setting ambitious goals is very positive, right?
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You need a North Star.
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You need a goal to galvanize a nation, to focus attention.
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You need the political will.
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You need the funding.
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But I think setting ambitious goals like that is very, very positive.
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These sorts of changes don't happen overnight.
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You've seen places like China,
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for example, reaching extremely successful heights in global rankings,
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but it has taken them as much as three decades of sustained investment, sustained focus.
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But I think setting those goals is very,
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very important, and benchmarking performance is important.
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Right.
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Thank you, Phil, for your insights.
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And the insights also show how these rankings matter beyond the numbers themselves
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As Vietnam pushes for greater global recognition and begins to make progress,
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many universities are treating rankings not as the end goal,
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but as a useful benchmark for improving quality,
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sharpening standards and strengthening competitiveness.
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Meet Thomas Dugashar, a business and marketing exchange student from the Institutes of Technology Bézier in France.
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At Hanoi University of Science and Technology,
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the broad range of courses is helping him prepare for an increasingly competitive job market.
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In my home university I'm doing more like in business like sales marketing
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but here I can more learn like financial stuff like management more in detail
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so I can mix all of those to have more skills.
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Tuma is enrolled in one hundred University of Science
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and Technology's 19 English taught programs which now make up nearly 30% of the university's offerings,
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three times higher than six years ago.
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Greater internationalization has helped secure World University's place among Vietnam's 11 universities listed in the latest Asian rankings by Thames Higher Education.
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We should consider international rankings as a tool based on criteria
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and indicators in order to improve the quality of higher education system in Vietnam.
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Global recognition is more than just a title,
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hard to achieve, but it opens up new opportunities for universities and students alike.
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Improved global recognition is also helping position Vietnam as an emerging destination for international education.
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I consider about the ranking first,
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of course, and I found that BUV is rated 2S,
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5 stars and stuff, so it gives me a sense of trust before I came here.
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And after that I considered about student life and how the country is
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and how the environment would be if I came here.
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So those were all positive, positive.
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So yeah, I was like,
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I'm going to give it a try and I came here.
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So I think rankings have a great place,
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particularly important for say a country like Vietnam,
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who's trying to establish itself as a, as a education hub.
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And so therefore that, that constant being able to evaluate yourself against others is a great thing.
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According to rankings released earlier this year by Aju Opinions,
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an international education review platform,
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Vietnam has been named among the world's top emerging study abroad destinations,
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alongside countries such as Italy,
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Spain, Portugal, Poland and Lithuania.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will enhance your English speaking skills by practicing with a compelling video that discusses Vietnam's advancements in higher education. Through this exercise, you will focus on important concepts like educational infrastructure, university rankings, and research capabilities. By engaging with the content, you will not only improve your listening comprehension but also your ability to articulate thoughts on these topics in English. This lesson utilizes the shadowing technique, allowing you to repeat phrases and sentences, which strengthens your pronunciation and fluency.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Human capital development - The process of improving skills and knowledge of individuals.
- Educational infrastructure - The physical and organizational structures needed for education.
- Public-private partnerships - Collaboration between government and private entities in providing services.
- International outlook - The perspective towards global engagement and collaboration.
- Research quality - The standard of research outputs and contributions to knowledge.
- Benchmarking - Comparing performance metrics to identify best practices.
- Novel research - Innovative and original studies that contribute new knowledge.
- Pressure on schools - Challenges and demands faced by educational institutions.
Practice Tips
To effectively practice your English speaking skills using this video, follow these practice tips:
- Watch and Listen: Start by watching the video once without subtitles to get a sense of the content and tone.
- Use the Shadowing Technique: Play the video again, but this time pause after each sentence and repeat what you hear. This shadow speech method allows you to mimic the speaker's intonation and rhythm.
- Focus on Speed: Since the speaker may talk at varying speeds, practice matching their pace to create a natural flow in your speech. Slow down if needed, then gradually increase speed.
- Emphasize Key Phrases: Pay close attention to the key vocabulary listed above. Make sure to practice these phrases several times, ensuring correct pronunciation and usage in context.
- Record Yourself: After practicing, record your voice while speaking. Compare it with the original video to identify areas for improvement in pronunciation and fluency.
- Engage in Discussions: Join online forums or language exchange groups where you can discuss topics from the video. This reinforces your learning and promotes real-world English speaking practice.
By utilizing these methods, you’ll effectively enhance your English speaking abilities while engaging with current topics. Remember, the key to mastering a language is consistency and practice—learn English with YouTube and implement these techniques regularly!
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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