Gifted High School student helps people speak English confidently

I used to want to practice speaking French a lot but didn't know who to talk to. Duy thought, is there a way to connect the community, so that people with the same interests can join together to speak French, English or Chinese?

The question has been on the mind of Le Nguyen Thanh Duy, class 12 English 1, Gifted High School (Ho Chi Minh City National University), since he was a junior high school student in My Tho City, Tien Giang (now My Tho Ward, Dong Thap Province). In July 2025, the LangCulture project was officially launched, attracting many students, university students and working people who want to improve their English skills to participate.

Le Nguyen Thanh Duy, the young man with the wish that everyone can confidently speak English and other foreign languages.

PHOTO: THUY HANG

To practice speaking English more easily

Le Nguyen Thanh Duy said that many students, especially in rural areas, find it difficult to find an environment to speak foreign languages ​​(most commonly English) with foreigners or Vietnamese students to improve their listening and speaking habits. With Duy's project, he designed a community connection website, and when clicking on it, users will schedule their own meetings to join the conversation, in the form of 1-1, groups of 3 or 4 people, in English, French, or Chinese.

The site will confirm your participation in the talk with a reply email. Then, on the right day and time, users will log in to the talk on Google Meet to join the online chat. The conversation lasts 60 minutes, on topics close to life such as the climate environment that seems to be constantly changing, when sick should you go to the pharmacy to buy medicine or should you go to the doctor?... This project is completely free for participants, not for profit.

"In every talk, there is a "host" who acts as the host, group leader, leader, and coordinator of the conversation to make it interesting, fun, and effective, encouraging everyone to speak, and not being "overshadowed". The "hosts" are my friends who share the same love for learning languages ​​and who build this project with me," Duy said.

A dialogue from a 3-person English talk in a group of 3 in Duy's LangCulture project

At the same time, a male student from the Gifted High School (Ho Chi Minh City National University) said that with the motto of encouraging people not to hesitate to communicate in foreign languages, the conversations must ensure safety, fun, appeal, no judgment, no finding fault with the other person...

"The project was launched on July 27, and has so far attracted about 40 participants, with more than 100 foreign language conversations taking place, the youngest user being a 9-year-old student who speaks Chinese very well. I hope that in the near future, more students will be interested in the project. You can try to join the conversations, and receive quite specific instructions at the project's Fanpage https://www.facebook.com/LangCulture2025 . Through 1-on-1 foreign language conversations or in groups of 4, we hope to spread the spirit of self-studying foreign languages ​​through regular communication and immersing ourselves in a multilingual environment. We always believe that with perseverance and the right method, anyone can become a multilingual person," Duy said,

A dialogue from a French talk with foreigners in the LangCulture project

Impressive achievements of Le Nguyen Thanh Duy

As a student at Xuan Dieu Secondary School, My Tho City, former Tien Giang Province, Duy won second prize in the provincial English competition in 8th grade; first prize in the provincial English competition in 9th grade and was the valedictorian of this exam.

Duy was also the runner-up in the English specialized class at Tien Giang High School for the Gifted in the 10th grade entrance exam. Because he passed the English specialized class at the Gifted High School (Ho Chi Minh City National University) at the same time, Duy went to Ho Chi Minh City to study.

Duy speaks at the 6th Model ASEAN Summit - Model ASEAN Summit 6

PHOTO: NVCC

Le Nguyen Thanh Duy's report card in grades 10 and 11, from math, literature, English, history, geography, economic and legal education... are all covered with scores of 10 and 9, most of which are scores of 10. "I really love history, studying history helps me understand my roots and ancestors, answer many questions from the past and can have better preparations for the future," Duy said.

Not only good at English, Le Nguyen Thanh Duy is also fluent in French, he has reached level B1 in French.

Currently, Duy has an IELTS score of 8.0 - this score Duy achieved in grade 10 after a period of self-study. Notably, since the English teacher at Duy's center stopped teaching his class in grade 8, Duy has not taken any extra classes anywhere, he has completely self-studied in all subjects. Duy has researched learning English and foreign languages ​​from Google, YouTube, and now AI.

What do students participating in LangCulture share about this project?

Family example

Duy said his father works in the electricity industry, and his mother is a hairdresser and a self-employed businesswoman. Although they are ordinary workers, with the family tradition of learning, his parents always seek new knowledge and read books to set an example for their children.

Mr. Le Huynh Ngoc, Duy's father, shared with Thanh Nien Newspaper reporter: "We do not force scores, do not put pressure on our children about exams, but guide them to build their own study plan, set their own goals to strive for throughout the school year, from parents accompanying, encouraging, creating the best environment and conditions for children to achieve their goals."

Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh, Duy's mother, said she will always remember the year Duy was in 9th grade, with Duy's goals such as winning first place in the province in English, taking the entrance exam to Tien Giang Specialized High School and Gifted High School (Ho Chi Minh City National University). During this time, the exams were very close together. Under a lot of pressure, there were times when Duy wanted to give up, but thanks to a clear plan from the beginning, along with encouragement from his family, Duy successfully completed his goals. His parents and relatives were all happy with Duy's achievements.

Duy with his parents and younger sister

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY FAMILY

Duy is focusing on studying to prepare for the 12th grade exams, preparing for the high school graduation exam, and applying to universities. Duy's goal is to major in education, he wants to become an English teacher or a history teacher in the future, to be able to inspire many generations of students to learn. Just like how you have been inspired to learn since your childhood until now.

Active students

In the uniform of the Gifted High School (Ho Chi Minh City National University), Duy participated in many extracurricular activities such as: Organizing Committee of Singapore Sky Camp International Summer Camp for Youth 2025; Gifted High School Media and Event Club; Model ASEAN Summit 6; Music Event and Festival Season 5; Sugar Vietnam - Teaching at the Anh Sang Shelter in District 10; Sugar Vietnam - Fundraising Campaign for Shelter Children; Sugar Vietnam - Festival and Fundraising Run for Shelter Children; Red Flamboyant Campaign - Teaching at the Tan Binh Shelter; Den Project - Project for Girls' Rights... And recently, the project connecting the foreign language speaking community LangCulture; fanpage about historical knowledge - An Nam Deja Vu....

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nam-sinh-truong-pho-thong-nang-khieu-giup-moi-nguoi-tu-tin-noi-tieng-anh-185250926155703795.htm