Is English a Passport to Everything?

Last time, I listened to a podcast episode of a show that I like. They were talking about learning English and taking IELTS exam in Vietnam. Then, the host said a thing that I kept in my mind since then. She commented "Nowadays, English is a passport to everything in Vietnam." I asked myself whether her comment is true or not?

The Chance to Learn English in Vietnam is So Diverse.

It is undeniable that in today's society, there are so many English learning centers around Vietnam with the purpose to teach every student and improve their English skills. From basic to advance. From skills to study abroad. And so many more. Every English learning center can provide all of those services. Not all of them are the best. It proves one thing that the chance to learn English in Vietnam is so diverse. But not so many people can study English. I always believe that to learn a different language starts from talent. Much or less. Because when you have a talent to learn a different language, it is better for you to absorb every skill.

In Vietnam, English is a part of life. Understanding English is a strength that can help a person to apply for a job easier or reside in a foreign country or study abroad. In the recent year, many students begin to study IELTS and many parents can see the potential inside their children and begin to invest in English so that they can be better. With many students who are good at English, IELTS is an important exam for every student who wants to study abroad because getting a good score can help them to secure a ticket to a foreign country or win a scholarship. IELTS can be considered a "golden ticket" of a student because if that students has an IELTS score of 4.0, that student will not need to take the English test in the national exam to get to college, according to Vietnamese Board of Education (it depends on the colleges.) The second thing is that if a student scores an IELTS score from 7.0 to 9.0, that student will be a "celebrity", everyone will look at them with admirable eyes. I never took an IELTS exam before but I got a chance to take a sample from a friends and I must admit that it is extremely difficult. So it is nothing strange that those students whom score from 7.0 to 9.0 can be seen as a "celebrity". But IELTS or students who are master in English with many achievements accidently push other subjects at school away and fall into the twilight zone because English in Vietnam is too popular. Not to mention, Vietnamese people sometimes add English in their daily communication to show off that they know English.

Is English a passport to everything?

Now, we will get back to the title "Is English a passport to everything?". It is true. But unfortunately, using that passport will mean nothing if you don't have a visa inside. For example, if you have the American passport but you don't have a Vietnamese visa, you cannot entry the country. The visa I am talking here is other subjects which they also need to focus. They can be superb in English, they win every English competition, but other subjects are super bad so is that passport still working after all? When they study abroad, beside English, they also need to be good at other subjects. As you know, if we fail a class, we have to take that class again. It will take a lot of time.

For example, when they want to study medical but they don't have any knowledge about science, then English can only help them to understand the texts, besides that, they don't know anything else. When they want to study business but related subjects like sale, finance, or marketing they don't know, where will they get the knowledge to run a business. Or when they want to be an English teacher but they don't have any skill in teaching, who will be their students? That's why having a passport must contain a visa inside so that they can get to everything.

Conclusion

Learning English is a need of every Vietnamese student. Of course, knowing English is a good thing and they have that passport in their hands. But they must remember that learning English is one thing, studying other subjects is important as well because they will support them in daily life and in the future.