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Welcome to IELTS FACE-OFF!
One of the things we always wonder is whether we will be able to to find our dream and really discover our passion.
Of course me myself, you know, I always have to wonder whether
those are some of the things that I would always want to do.
And what is my calling in life.
But what is really important is that in this episode we will be bringing you somebody quite cool.
And in life there are always obstacles that will come within our way.
Oh my godness!
This is another one.
Help! Help! Help!
Some people will just try to break the barrier or do whatever .
But I think I’m gonna to maneuver my way around the obstacle.
And today’s guest is super cool.
And he will tell us how he overcome all the obstacles in life.
And really help us all reach for the stars and reach for the sky.
So guys in this espisode the sky’s the limit.
Welcome back to IELTS FACE-OFF guys!
Today I have a very very special guest Mr. Nguyen Chi Hieu.
The topic today is that the sky’s the limit.
Let’s see Mr. Hieu show what the sky is.
Welcome!
Thank you for coming.
To start up a little bit we would really love to hear your story since you were young.
You didn’t really know yet what you knew today.
So what was your dream back then?
So back in 2000s, I was a high school student in the coastal town of Quy Nhon, the center part of Vietnam.
The only dream I had was go to explore the world.
And that is the dream I have been nurturing for days and years.
And something I constantly work on.
Looking for that one day I could step out of the hometown and go explore the world.
Now the sky for a Quy Nhon guy was Ho Chi Minh City.
Yes right.
Now a guy the UK, what is the sky for you?
For the Vietnamese boy in the UK, there is not such a big dream.
The dream is just to finish every single step with the best of your ability.
Knowing that one day the sky is open.
And the opportunity will just drop out.
And you are there all the things you need and you need to strech your hand out and catch it, yeah.
You are one in this thing you call “midlife crisis” that we talked about earlier.
How did that really change what your dream now?
The same thing I think anyone goes through their life, there would be a lot of turning points.
Back then it was simply that I was in my 20s and as I finished my …. in Stanford
I really doubted it like whether the job offer I got
could be something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
So I say if you do something crazy, do in your 20s
after 10 years studying abroad and move straight back to Vietnam.
And jump right into education.
Even though that I did not know back then education was my true passion or my life calling.
I just put in a lot of effort, a lot of hard work
Looking at students’ journey success as my utility.
Then for 3 years you when you put a lot of hard work, it took you to the peak of your carrer.
Everyone looked at me and thinks like he got everything that everyone can dream of.
But I am the only one back then that really question like: is this really for me
or is education really my true love that I could sacrifice everything for other things just to work in education in Vietnam.
I did not have the utter 100 percent confidence to say that this is my path.
I left Vietnam and went on to take the MBA in Oxford with a full scholarship.
To hopefully find out that at the end of this one year, I know exactly what I would want to do for the rest of my life.
That’s quite incredible.
And how is that even possible?
Very interesting.
You just always hook the right question.
It’s like you just sneak into my brain.
I went to Oxford, having this kind of midlife crisis questions that I wanted to answer.
To be honest, I came into the degree at Oxford, not knowing that I would come out
the process with a concrete answer of what my life would be, or what could I do.
But then, when I came into the degree, I had got offer from big consulting companies.
Or potentially some offer to come back to academia and be a professor at some univerities overseas.
So I do have my plan B, which is a safety net for me.
You know, something that you feel like at least
There’s an exit.
Then when you got that kind of security, you really had that time and space
to really dig deep into you, to ask questions with yourself and reflect of the previous journey of 32 years.
And then try to find something to hold on to for the rest of your life.
So that one year, I read books, I went to coffee shops, I had conversations with people from all walks of life.
Each interaction encounter is like, I usually have this metaphor.
It’s like a rain fall, and then you just click pause.
And the rain just stops, so that you can reflect and see your reflection in the rain drops.
And that’s how you can, like digging out, taking out extract in the little nuances.
I feel like this is me and all the other things are what the society wants from me.
That is the time, that one year, I do that kind of rain or mental work out, or soul work out.
And somehow organically eight months into the degree, I know exactly what that answer could be.
That moment I turned down every single offer I got, and my friends say “you’re crazy.”.
I said: “again, but we only live once.”
This is something I really want to do.
And after many years, a lot of time, I still want to do it.
And I look at the other couple jobs with the suit and tie and like fancy dinners.
I mean there’s nothing wrong about it, you know.
It’s just I don’t click with those prospected, all those scenerios.
But when I look at kids in Vietnam, students in Vietnam, teachers in Vietnam, schools in Vietnam, I clicked right away.
And I see I can do anything to help them in one way or another, big or small.
If today were my last day in life, I would win, I would go to that, feeling happy about it.
That’s great.
You know, I really love what you said.
Because I think a lot of the times when we don’t have a true perspective of ourselves.
Then we will position our dream to be what is shiny, you know, what is bling-bling.
But a lot of times pass and we reflect back on what our true nature is and what will bring us happiness.
That may be the answer, may be a very completely different thing.
And I think you’re an example of somebody who is really really internally reflecting.
And you chose a muted path other people may not take.
And of course it takes somebody like you who has been successful with all of those
and to pick a different direction to really prove to Vietnamese students that:
“Hey, there’s always multiple path that you can choose.
And you can still be intelligent, you can still be successful, and you can still be happy.”
So thanks a lot for the talk.
And of course in the next section, we’re going to put some of your talents to the test.
And we’re gonna have a little bit of fun together, along with our audiences.
How does that sound?
It’s scary.
But since the topic is the sky’s the limit, I will give it a try, make the full out of myself for others to see.
But you only live once, so let’s do it.
And also for the next section, not necessarily sky’s the limit, but the time is the limit.
Ok so IELTS Challenge, coming right up next.
Welcome to the IELTS challenge and this is the 5-second game.
Okay, so the rule of this game is each’s gonna be given 5 seconds,
we’re going to come up with as many terms in a certain topic as possible.
Are you ready?
Okay!
Alright, so 5 seconds rule game starts now!
Name 5 qualities of businessman…
Decisive, strategic, smart, sociable.
Entrepreneur, creative, great EQ, a lot of financial package.
Name 5 dreams or passion when you’re a kid?
Cooking, travelling, teacher, photographer, dancing.
Singing, entrepreneur,businessman, travel the world.
Name 5 things that you don’t like about yourself.
Short
Not thin
Sometimes too emotional, sometimes indecisive, sometimes I need to sleep a lot.
Name 5 things you’re most confident.
Studying, nice and kindness, happy.
Optimistic, nice, kind, sometimes happy, trying to be happy.
Name 5 people that influence you.
Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Nelson Mandela.
I met Nelson Mandela before.
Oh, okay.
Yeah. So 5 people influence me.
Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg,Nelson Mandela, Steve Jobs, my teacher.
The winner is Phoebe!
Wow, hats off
Just because I’ve done this game a lot more times than you.
So that’s interesting! You know, why are those 5 people you’re interesting?
I should have about my parents but then I say only three.
I think I may have a chance to see them except for Nelson Mandela.
Mark I think he’s kind of young energy, you know.
I’m not saying I want be be him or having such a big scale business like him
but more like something I respect the energy and the drive he has.
Whereas Bill Gates, I think,…my midlife crisis, I read a lot of his books as well.
I kinda like pay it forward, give it back to the communities.
Those are things that I want to do with my professional path as well.
It’ve been quite a pleasure being able to speak to you.
Just for close-up, if you were to give our audience a couple of terms
and vocabulary related to reaching one’s potential and really reaching for the stars.
What would that be?
Do everything with 100% of your passion, be persevered and push through all the thick and thin.
Have dreams, have hopes and then dream, explore, learn, discover.
And live a life with meaning with purpose and find that happiness that you’re always looking for.
So thanks so much for being here today.
It has been really really inspirational speaking to you.
Yes, thank you for having me.
And you guys don’t go away because our IELTS expert section is right up next.
Welcome back to the studio.
IELTS expert is right here with me and we're going to be talking about what is the best way to learn.
Before that I want to take you to IELTS On The Go
and see what's cooking up over there in the hot town where our Khanh Vy is at.
Let's check it out.
Let's check it out, Khanh Vy where are you?
Take us all on IELTS On The Go please.
I'm so excited to see what's going on there.
Anh đến quê em một chiều nắng ấm.
Tiếng hát quê hương ru dài theo sóng.
What’s the next sentence?
Thái Bình ơi Thái Bình.
Some of you might know now where I am here.
I’m in Thai Binh Province
Which is we can call another name “Chị Hai Năm Tấn”.
This is a granary of North Vietnam.
As you can see the subsequence of fertile soil here was excellent for growing grains especially rice.
Thai Binh rice is acknowledged as the best rice in the north of Viet nam.
This place has so many cultural and historical activities and works.