Vietnamese educators can teach English pronunciation effectively: top IELTS scorers

Many parents continue to equate native-like accents with strong English skills, despite children studying with foreign teachers from an early age.

Ngoc Phuong, a 37-year-old mother in Ho Chi Minh City, said her 8-year-old daughter has studied English with foreign teachers since first grade but she remains hesitant to speak and continues to struggle with some pronunciation.

Another parent, Nga Phan, said her 10-year-old son still speaks what she describes as 'Vietlish' despite years of exposure to foreign instructors. She worries that his accent could affect his IELTS performance and future studies abroad.

Ha Dang Nhu Quynh, academic director at DOL English and a doctoral researcher who scored 9.0 overall and 9.0 in the IELTS speaking test, said many parents confuse pronunciation with accent.

She said IELTS examiners assess whether speech is clear, whether sounds and word stress are produced correctly, and how easily a speaker can be understood. They do not judge candidates on whether they sound British, American or Australian.Vo Dinh Phuc, who also earned a perfect 9.0 speaking score after studying entirely in Vietnam, said accurate pronunciation should not be mistaken for having a native accent.

He noted that English speakers from countries such as Singapore and India retain distinctive local accents while remaining effective communicators and holding senior positions at major international companies.

The educators argued that well-qualified Vietnamese teachers, particularly those with IELTS speaking scores of 8.0 or higher, have several advantages when teaching local students.

Quynh said Vietnamese teachers are familiar with the pronunciation challenges their students face, such as producing sounds that do not exist in Vietnamese, including the 'th' sounds in 'think' and 'this' or the /dʒ/ sound in 'jam.' They also understand common grammatical errors that arise when students translate directly from Vietnamese into English.

She added that this insight allows teachers to explain the underlying causes of mistakes and guide students more effectively, especially beginners who may struggle to understand lessons delivered entirely in English.

Phuc compared native English-speaking teachers to people born at the top of a mountain, while Vietnamese teachers are like climbers who have reached the summit themselves and remember every obstacle along the way.

"That experience makes it easier to guide others from the bottom to the top," he said.

The educators also highlighted Linearthinking, a learning method developed by alumni of the High School for the Gifted under Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City, as one approach to improving speaking performance.

According to Quynh, the method helps learners categorize IELTS questions by function, organize ideas logically, and respond more quickly while expressing meaning more naturally. It also encourages students to use a wider range of structures to convey emphasis and emotion, instead of relying on memorized responses.

DOL English said more than 1,000 learners have achieved IELTS speaking scores above 7.0 using the approach. The language center chain also cited examples of younger students who performed well in Cambridge English programs and junior IELTS courses, including a 10-year-old public school student who earned an overall IELTS score of 8.0, with 8.5 in speaking, in early 2026.

Another student, Lam Tu Quynh, an eighth grader at Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted in Ho Chi Minh City, said combining Linearthinking with online IELTS preparation resources helped her achieve an overall IELTS score of 8.5, including 8.5 in speaking.

She said the method enabled her to organize ideas in a clear, logical sequence, helping her avoid going off topic during the speaking test.