Learning to speak Vietnamese

Been sent to Vietnam for 15 months period assignment in Year 2005 to restructuring a subsidiary company which had suffered for over 10 years losses that located at Quan Tan Phu, HCMC. Without translator and effectively no friends within the company plus 99.99% needed to communicate using Vietnamese in daily life. An old time translator dictionery that cost me USD300 (that time got no smartphone or iphone yet - no google translate:)), god given body language or some not so good drawing skills are all I have to survive. Hardship and pressure sustained had enable me to began to able to understand what others are talking especially bad thing in front of me as they perceived that i'll not understand after 3 months. After 6 months, i'm able to speak simple Vietnamese which is more than sufficient for daily life. My learned Vietnamese are mostly from cafe by talking to the waitresses and newly met Vietnamese friends. Never attend class. Just keep listening and talking, you shall pick up the language in no time as long you are not shy in speaking out and pratice.