Shadowing Practice: Why I Left the U.S. for Vietnam - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Every morning I walk out my front door and see things I did not grow up with. with.
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Thousand-year-old temples, women in conical hats,
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people burning spirit money for good luck.
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If you had asked me when I was younger, I would never have guessed that I'd end up in Vietnam.
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But here I am, heading into my 16th year, being married into a Vietnamese family and, for most of that time, living in Hanoi.
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Now, a short time ago, I went back to the U.S for a family emergency.
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I was going to say I went home, but that's the thing.
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When I go to the U.S now, I feel like I'm wearing a version of myself that doesn't fit anymore.
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The U.S is the place I was born, where I grew up.
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I'm American through and through.
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I always will be.
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Right now, Vietnam simply offers several things to my family that the U.S doesn't.
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One of them is optimism.
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I can't remember the last time the U.S felt optimistic.
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Culture wars, economic anxiety, it's just exhausting.
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But Vietnam, on the other hand, is a hopeful place, and much of this is, ironically, because of its history.
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Vietnam had a 20th century from hell.
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Colonized, occupied.
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All right, there was independence in 1945, but then decades of war with the French, Americans, and Chinese.
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And after all that, a 20-year embargo that kept the country from rebuilding.
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That's a solid century of conflict, but somehow, somehow, this country came out of it,
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not just intact, but like with this incredible momentum.
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Since 1995, Vietnam's averaged 6 to 7 percent annual GDP growth, well ahead of the rest of the Asia-Pacific region.
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And you can see that growth.
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Construction cranes, new businesses, kids studying abroad, international restaurants.
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Now, I've talked about Time City before, and I really don't love it.
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But I can appreciate what it represents to the generations who remember the hard times.
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But that's another thing.
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It's such a young country.
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Most people don't remember those times.
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More than 70% of the population was born after 1979.
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The median age is around 33.
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I have hangovers older than that.
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So most people don't remember the hard times because they didn't live through them.
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So when you combine these things, the history, the thriving economy, the young population, it's clear that people here believe the future is going to be better because for most of them, it already is.
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Another thing is safety.
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Vietnam's safe.
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Okay, it ain't Japan.
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If you leave something valuable where people can get it, they will.
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But I don't worry about crime.
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I don't worry about gun violence.
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I don't send my kid to school wondering what might happen.
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But safety isn't just about crime.
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It's also about geopolitical security.
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And right now, Vietnam is one of the most geopolitically stable places I've ever lived in.
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A lot of people don't know this, but Vietnam follows a non-aligned national defense policy, known as the Bone Hom, or Four No's.
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It sounds like a slogan, but it's serious policy.
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The first no is no military alliances.
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Vietnam's part of ASEAN, Southeast Asia's regional bloc, and it has good relationships with its neighbors.
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But when it comes to military exercises, Vietnam generally participates as an observer.
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It doesn't commit to mutual defense.
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The second is no siding with one country against another.
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With all the world's flashpoints, Russia vs Ukraine, Israel vs Iran, the US vs Canada, Vietnam remains completely neutral.
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The third is no foreign military bases.
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No Russian troops, no Chinese troops, no US troops, no foreign troops of any kind are stationed in Vietnam.
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And finally, no use of force or threat of force in international relations.
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I find this last part really interesting.
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Vietnam's policy forbids it from even threatening force to resolve international disputes.
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Frankly, Vietnam has seen enough war, and at this point in its history, it's fully committed to resolving international conflicts through diplomacy.
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The result is a country that feels genuinely non-aligned at a time
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when most of the world is being pulled into someone's geopolitical orbit.
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That makes Vietnam a stable place to live and a world that's becoming increasingly fractured.
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Now, one thing I didn't really understand until I married into a Vietnamese family is the incredible pull of community.
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Now, I've studied Vietnamese history, and I know that for thousands of years, Vietnamese society has revolved around village and clan.
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But I didn't feel this until I was living in it.
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Now, I'll give you an example.
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A few months ago, we went to a housewarming party for my wife's cousin and her husband.
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Big apartment complex, brand new high-rises, concrete, elevators, landscaping, the kind of place I normally find rather sterile.
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But after the party, we all went downstairs, and the place felt like it had been there for decades.
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Kids playing, parents chatting, vendors selling snacks.
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You have to remember, five years ago, that spot was an empty lot.
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And that's something I've come to admire.
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Vietnamese people don't wait for community to form.
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They build it.
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They build it at work, in an alley, even in a brand new apartment complex.
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Outside, you see a modern skyline, but the core is still built around kinship.
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Now, I know some people worry this is changing, and maybe the sense of community isn't as strong as it once was.
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But compared to most of the West, it's still very strong.
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And when community isn't optional, when it's built into the way people live, you become part of it, and it changes how you live.
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Another thing I noticed when I moved back to Vietnam, being middle class here is easier.
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Now, I should say I'm in a great position.
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I work from home, I make foreign income, and I don't deal with traffic or a daily grind.
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But even so, we don't spend a fortune to live in Vietnam.
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Now, things aren't free.
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I see a lot of YouTube videos about how everything in Vietnam is so cheap, and they're a little misleading.
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Sure, you can live for $500 a month in the same way you can live in a tent in Seattle.
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But what I will say is, things fit what a middle-class budget can handle.
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The truth is Vietnam doesn't run on just one economy.
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It has more like three.
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First is the street-level economy, where a beng ni or a plate of gum bing dhen costs a dollar and the food's delicious.
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Then there's this middle-class economy, where a $3 espresso, gym membership, movie tickets on the weekend, that sort of thing's totally normal.
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And then yeah, there's this luxury class with exclusive clubs, imported wine, private drivers.
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You have that everywhere.
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But you don't need the top tier or the bottom tier to live well.
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In fact, the middle layer is very comfortable.
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For example, my home internet costs $14 a month, high speed, excellent connectivity.
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My gym membership, $17 a month.
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Healthcare, now I probably should have insurance at my age, but part of the reason I don't is it's just not that expensive.
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You can get an x-ray at a public hospital for around $10.
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An MRI, $70 to $90.
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Walk into a modern hospital and you can have a consultation with a good English-speaking doctor for maybe $100 to $130.
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Public hospitals, of course, are much cheaper.
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Even surgeries and overnight stays are affordable.
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My wife was recently hospitalized for a kidney stone that had some complications.
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Treatment, two nights in hospital, medication, and aftercare came out to around $1,500.
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How much would that have cost in the U.S.?
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The point is, in the U.S., most middle-class people I know have worries.
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They seem to be running around full speed just to remain middle-class.
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In Vietnam, being middle-class isn't without stress, but it is less stressful.
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And the quality of life is much higher.
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And you know what?
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Vietnamese food really is all that.
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It blew me away in 1991 when I first came here meaty broths with notes of ginger and star anise,
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grilled pork and chili, nook mam hitting my nose before it hit my tongue.
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I didn't understand any of it, but boy did it grab me.
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And when I moved back in 2009, food was a big part of the reason.
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Then I married into the culture, and for 16 years, Vietnamese food's been my home cooking.
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Do you have any idea how lucky I am?
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Dishes like gang chua, tit khó tô, caramelized fish simmering in clay pots in my kitchen?
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These meals don't show up in travel videos, but they're the real stuff that anchors daily life.
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And then outside it's pho and bún chà, flash of heat, the hiss of a grill.
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You sit low to the ground, surrounded by noise, and it's one of the world's great culinary experiences.
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But it's not just street food.
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Vietnam's full of places where classic recipes are being reimagined by talented chefs.
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Dishes like bánh cún with duck confit, chà cà with caviar, sticky rice risotto.
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And it's not too expensive.
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A family of three can eat like this for 30 or 40 bucks.
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That's one of the things I love.
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The cuisine, like the country, doesn't stand still.
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It keeps evolving.
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And when I sit down with my chopsticks, something tangy on the table, steam rising, I'm in my happy place.
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Now for a foreign country to become a home, you need an anchor.
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And for me, that anchor is Hanoi.
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This city is where all the things I've talked about come together the optimism, community, lifestyle, costs.
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Now, it's a huge city.
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Greater Hanoi has over 9 million people, and like any big city,
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it's full of contradictions, many of them centered around this tension between history and modernity.
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Hanoi is a thousand years old.
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It's the place where the Emperor Li Taito moved his capital in the year 1010.
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It's also a place where new skyscrapers are popping up every day.
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I've seen an old lady burning incense in a thousand-year-old temple while just outside, a group of teenagers is filming a dance video for TikTok.
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And those contradictions are fascinating to me.
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I'm never bored here.
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I do burn out on it, though.
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And when that happens, Hanoi is an excellent base for exploring the incredible landscapes of northern Vietnam.
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In 90 minutes, I'm in some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen, and in three hours among people whose lifestyles haven't changed in thousands of years.
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It's also an international hub with connections all over the world, and because of Vietnam's non-aligned policies, you can get tickets just about anywhere.
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But most days, I don't feel the need to leave.
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I like it here.
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It's home. So how about you?
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What makes a place feel like home?
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And have you ever felt that in a foreign country?
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I've shared my answer, now I'd love to hear yours.
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Please drop a comment if you have any thoughts, and thanks for watching.
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Who Will Benefit from This Video?
This video is ideal for intermediate to advanced English learners aiming to refine their conversational fluency and cultural understanding. It suits those who want to practice real-world storytelling, as the speaker shares personal experiences with vivid detail—perfect for building skills in describing life changes, comparing cultures, and explaining complex ideas like geopolitics in accessible language.
Words & Idioms Worth Stealing
Boost your vocabulary with these standout expressions from the video, chosen for their naturalness and versatility:
- Spirit money: Paper money burned as an offering to ancestors, a common cultural practice in many Asian countries.
- Through and through: Completely; in every way. Example: "She's a musician through and through."
- Culture wars: Conflicts between groups with different values, often played out in public life. Example: "The debate over education policy has become part of the culture wars."
- Intact: Unharmed or undamaged after a difficult experience. Example: "The community emerged from the storm intact."
- Non-aligned: Not supporting or joining either side in a conflict. Example: "The country remained non-aligned during the war."
How to Get the Accent Right
To mimic the speaker's clear, conversational tone, focus on these key pronunciation tips—proven to elevate your shadowing practice:
Stress in Multi-Syllabic Words
Words like geopolitical (jee-oh-puh-LIT-uh-kuhl) and optimism (OP-tuh-miz-um) rely on correct stress placement. Practice emphasizing the bolded syllables to avoid sounding robotic. Use the shadowing technique: repeat the speaker's words immediately after them, matching their stress and rhythm.
Reduction of Function Words
The speaker often reduces short words like "of" and "the" in phrases like "version of myself" (ver-zhun uhv my-self) or "the U.S." (thuh YOO-ESS). Listen for these subtle reductions and replicate them to sound more natural. Shadow speech exercises can help you internalize this pattern—record yourself and compare it to the video to spot differences.
Intonation in Storytelling
Notice how the speaker's voice rises on questions (e.g., "Right now, Vietnam simply offers several things... doesn't it?") and falls on statements. This intonation creates engagement. Use a shadowing site to slow down the audio, then gradually increase speed as you master the melody of their speech.
Remember: consistency is key. Dedicate 10 minutes daily to shadowing this video, and you'll soon notice a more authentic, confident accent.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have guessed · I've talked · I've ever lived |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was born · are stationed · being pulled |
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.