We had always planned to head for Vietnam

Member since 20 December 2019

EslwomanNew member20 December 2019 09:44:46

Greetings all. My husband and I have been traveling SE Asia for the past 3 winters (October—March). We started in Cambodia 2017/18...in Sihanoukville. Nuff said if you were there then or if you’ve been there since.
We had always planned to head for Vietnam anyway, so we left Snooky in the dust & made our way through to HCMC via Bavet on a Giant Ibis bus. Hey, I love the Bodge and its quiet Buddhist ambience, but Vietnam beckoned nonetheless.
Eventually we landed here in Quy Nhon in November 2018 and have been here since, apart from the requisite trips home for our Vancouver Island summers and short journeys elsewhere in the East—most recently the Philippines, which was surprisingly expensive yet worth every peso. Cyan lagoons, explosively colourful reefs, mile-high waterfalls, lovely people...heaven, más o menos. Please pardon the occasional Spanish phrase or epithet; though Canadian through and through, my second language is Spanish, not French. Yes I hail from the only truly bilingual country on the planet and moreover was born in France, but I fell heavily for linguistics and español nevertheless. Sometimes, there’s no explaining some things.
So, not surprisingly my main concern here in QN relates to language learning. I have tried umpteen times to find a Vietnamese language class or even a tutor, but so far to no avail.
Can anyone help me with this? I’m a university trained Applied Linguist and have taught ESL/Spanish professionally for several years, thus I have been teaching myself as best I can. However, the old fashioned face-to-face language class is what I have my heart set on, I’m afraid. And I do fear I will not find such a thing in Quy Nhon.
Hope I’m not coming across as too depressing cuz I’m not; I simply want a Vietnamese teacher so that I can avoid culture shock/anomie. That would be depressing...
Thanks for listening. Looking forward to meeting some of you expatriates who’ve also fallen hard for this charming city. Perhaps a beer at the Sports Bar or a glass of wine at Sisters? Or tea and street food downtown? I’m open, and my husband is too.
Cảm ơn!

qnbui Serial expat

Member since 17 October 2018

qnbuiSerial expat20 December 2019 19:39:24

329

Maybe look on FaceBook or local posting for a language exchange teaching? You'll teach them English in return, they will teach you Vietnamese. There are also some videos on YouTube that will teach you some basic Vietnamese words and sentences.
Good luck!

Eslwoman New member

Member since 20 December 2019

EslwomanNew member21 December 2019 03:48:36

Thanks so much for your rapid reply!
I’ve got a plan in the works re ‘trading’ lessons & have been using several YouTube sites for a while. You’re right—they do help, so guess I’d better get on with my plans. Considering the current tiny expat population here, I realize that structured language classes may be a lot to expect from such a quiet provincial town. Nevertheless, sometimes you can find exactly what you want; maybe I’ll be the lucky one! 🌈 Hmmm...just thinking out loud here—must be the teacher in me—perhaps I’ll start seeking out potential instructor candidates and work on starting an informal (free) conversation class.
Thanks for planting the seed for an idea which may take root. 🌱Cam ổn!