HOMETOWN

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

◦ I was born and raised in a family on the outskirts of Hanoi. The village where I
lived has a very tranquil atmosphere. Although I’ve been living in the city centre
for my study for the better part of the last 4 years, I always get back to my
village to escape from the hectic pace of city life on weekends.
◦ - on the outskirts (of something): ở vùng ngoại ô ...
◦ - tranquil (adj): yên bình, tĩnh lặng
◦ - the better part of something: phần lớn, hầu hết
◦ - escape from the hectic pace of city life: thoát khỏi nhịp sống xô bồ ở thành phố
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT
YOUR HOMETOWN?
◦ I really like the hospitality of the people in my village where we are living close
together and willing to give others a hand when needed. It’s what I can hardly
find in my current residential area where neighbours see each other as strangers.
◦ - hospitality (noun): sự thân thiện, hiếu khách
◦ - give somebody a hand (verb phrase): giúp đỡ ai đó
◦ - can hardly + verb: khó có thể làm gì
◦ - residential area (noun phrase): khu vực sinh sống
WHAT IS IT LIKE WHERE YOU
LIVE?
◦ I’m living in the centre of Hanoi where there are tons of town-house complexes
and high-rises. These housing units are built to accommodate a tidal wave of
people gravitating towards the city in search of work.
◦ - tons of something ~ a lot of something: rất nhiều
◦ - town-house complex (noun phrase): khu nhà phố
◦ - high-rise (noun): tòa nhà cao tầng
◦ - accommodate somebody (verb): làm/ cung cấp chỗ ở
◦ - a tidal wave of something: một số lượng lớn (một cách đột ngột)
◦ - gravitate towards somebody/ something: đi đến, đổ về
◦ - in search of something: tìm kiếm
DO YOU LIKE LIVING IN THE
CITY?
◦ To be honest, I don’t really like living in the city regardless of all the modern
facilities it can offer. I love the outdoors, trees, big yards and the like. I
particularly hate the traffic in the city. It’s a nightmare at times when I was
stuck in gridlock for hours.
◦ - regardless of somebody/ something (prep): bất kể
◦ - the outdoors (noun) vùng nông thôn
◦ - the like (noun): những người/ thứ tương tự
◦ - it’s a nightmare: thật là ác mộng
◦ - at times ~ sometimes: thỉnh thoảng
◦ - stuck in gridlock (collocation): bị kẹt trên đường (ùn tắc giao thông)
WOULD YOU PREFER TO LIVE
SOMEWHERE ELSE?
◦ Absolutely yes, and it would be the village in my hometown. I think that in the long-
term future, I’ll stay in the city because there are more job opportunities for me
here. Maybe during my retirement, I get back to my hometown to settle down for
good.
◦ - settle down (verb): an cư, sống bình lặng hơn
◦ - for good (idiom): lâu dài, mãi mãi
DOES YOUR HOMETOWN HAVE
A LOTS OF TOURISTS?
◦ No, it doesn’t. It’s just a typical village of the outdoors in Vietnam with small
houses, winding alleys, paddy fields and rivers. I mean it’s just an ordinary place
and there are no tourist attractions.
◦ - typical (adj): điển hình
◦ - winding alleys (noun phrase): những con ngõ quanh co
◦ - ordinary (adj): bình thường, không có gì đặc biệt
DO YOU THINK YOUR HOMETOWN IS A
GOOD PLACE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE?
◦ Actually, I don’t think so. Public facilities are not developed in my hometown. There
are no universities, hospitals, shopping malls or companies like in the city. Also, the
area is not highly accessible by public transport. Youngsters are better off
moving to the city where they can land a decent job and enjoy modern life.
◦ - highly accessible (adjective phrase): dễ dàng đến được
◦ - better off doing something (adjective phrase): tốt hơn nên làm gì
◦ - land a decent job (verb phrase): kiếm được một công việc đàng hoàng
◦ Part 2
◦ Describe your hometown.
◦ You should say:
- Where it is
- What you can see and do there
- How it has changed since you was a child - Why you love it
◦ When I read the cue card, the first thing springing to mind was Bao Phuc - my small
village in a town on the outskirts of Hanoi.
◦ To be specific, it’s located in the far south of the city. This small, tranquil and
picturesque village is typical for the outdoors in Vietnam with winding alleys,
paddy fields and rivers. I still vividly remember as a child during summertime, I
used to participate in various outdoor activities with my friends such as playing
football, fishing and swimming. At night, we even sat on the rooftop to admire the
beauty of the sky with billions of shining stars.
◦ My hometown is becoming more and more vibrant as time goes on. It used to be
very dull and seemed to fall behind with development, but now, everything has
changed. It’s got a new lease of life with a great economic situation with an
increasing number of factories and chain stores and a developed education system
with many schools springing up over the years.
◦ I love my hometown from the bottom of my heart. It’s where I was born and raised
and where my loved ones settle. Whenever I want to temporarily get out of the rat
race, I get back to my hometown to see my parents and friends. It’s an excellent
way to alleviate stress. The people there are so warm-hearted and amiable
and they give me a great sense of community that I can hardly find in my
current residential area where neighbours see each other as strangers.
◦ spring/ come to mind (idiom): đột nhiên hiện lên trong tâm trí
◦ - picturesque (adj): tuyệt đẹp
◦ - the outdoors ~ the countryside (noun): vùng quê
◦ - vividly remember (verb phrase): nhớ như in
◦ - admire (verb): chiêm ngưỡng
◦ - vibrant (adj): náo nhiệt, sống động
◦ - as time goes on (adv): theo thời gian
◦ - a new lease of life (idiom): (cuộc đời bước sang) một trang mới (tốt đẹp hơn)
◦ - spring up (verb): mọc lên, xuất hiện
◦ - the rat race (noun): cuộc sống bon chen
◦ - alleviate stress (verb phrase): giảm stress
◦ - warm-hearted (adj): có trái tim ấm áp
◦ - amiable (adj): thân thiện
◦ - a sense of community (noun phrase): cảm giác gần gũi như mình thuộc về một
◦ cộng đồng
PART 3
1. In what ways can you improve your hometown?
◦ Well, although residents’ living conditions in my hometown have been substantially
improving as time goes on, there are not so many means of entertainment. We have
to travel a long distance of about 30km to the city to watch a film in a cinema or
to go shopping in a mall. It’s a nightmare as sometimes it takes hours for us to reach
the destination by bus, for example, because of gridlock. That’s why I want public
facilities such as cinemas, shopping malls, gyms or museums to be constructed in
my hometown so that people can easily get there and enjoy their free time.
◦ - substantially improve (verb phrase): cải thiện vô cùng nhiều
◦ - a long distance of 30km (noun phrase): một quãng đường dài lên tới 30km
◦ - gridlock (noun): ùn tắc giao thông
◦ - construct something (verb): xây dựng
2. What is the main reason for liking
a hometown other than the fact you
were born there?
◦ Well, the fact that we were born and raised in our hometown is the prime reason for our
connection with it. However, it is this fact that leads to other contributing factors. To be
specific, during the time we lived there, we were getting used to the life there and
created pleasant as well as unpleasant memories that we never can forget. We’ve got our
loved ones there: our family, friends, first lover, teacher and so on. I mean everything in
our childhood is inextricably linked with our hometown, which makes us love it and have
a sense of nostalgia when we are far away from it for a long time.
◦ - the prime reason (noun): lý do chính
◦ - contributing factors (noun): yếu tố góp phần
◦ - get used to the life there (verb phrase): dần quen với cuộc sống ở đây
◦ - inextricably linked with somebody/ something (adjective phrase): gắn bó mật
◦ thiết với ...
◦ - a sense of nostalgia (noun): cảm giác hoài cổ, nhớ về quá khứ, nhớ nhà, nhớ quê,
3. Most people in this world do
not live in their hometowns. Why?

◦ The hometown of each person is such a comfy place with family and friends. I
believe it can be considered as our comfort zone where we can feel safe and
secure. However, to many people, it is this relaxing place that can be too
distracting for them to pursue their career goals. There is a saying that “life
begins at the end of our comfort zone”, so a huge number of people choose to
leave their hometown to discover a new land and start their career. Also, it’s a way
to explore other places and experience different cultures across the world.
◦ - comfy ~ comfortable (adj): thoải mái
◦ - comfort zone (noun): vùng an toàn
◦ - feel safe and secure (verb phrase): cảm thấy an toàn và tự tin
◦ - pursue career goals (verb phrase): theo đuổi mục tiêu sự nghiệp
4. Some people want to live in their
hometowns for the rest of their lives. Why?

◦ I believe that some people have a liking for a lifelong stay in their hometown
because they are not motivated to get out of their comfort zone. They have become
so familiar with the surroundings with family, neighbours, close friends and the like.
Settling in a new land means starting everything all over again, which seems
challenging and risky. That’s why they have a propensity to settle for good in
their hometown.
◦ - have a liking for something (verb phrase): muốn
◦ - a life long stay (noun phrase): sống cả đời
◦ - have a propensity to do something (verb phrase): có xu hướng muốn làm gì
◦ - settle (verb): định cư
◦ - for good (idiom): mãi mãi, lâu dài
5. Which affects a person’s personality
more, the hometown or the current city?
Why?

◦ Personally I think personality is not static. I mean it changes and develops over
time. That’s why I believe our current residential area can have a more considerable
effect on forming our character traits. For example, as a little boy, I was quite shy
and reserved. However, since I moved to the city for my study a couple of years
back, I have gradually become an extrovert to get used to the hectic pace of
city life.
◦ - static (adj): không thay đổi, tĩnh
◦ - character traits (noun): đặc điểm tính cách
◦ - reserved (adj): rụt rè, khép mình
◦ - extrovert (noun): người hướng ngoại
◦ - the hectic pace of city life (noun phrase): nhịp sống hối hả ở thành phố
6. Do people with the same hometown have
a similar thinking? Why?

◦ Yes and no. I reckon that each person has their own way of thinking and in the
same community, there are people who share the same opinions whereas some
others don’t. For instance, in my very family, my father and I are on the same
wavelength while my mother’s viewpoints coincide with my brother’s. So, it’s
impossible for everyone in the same hometown to share a similar way of thinking, I
suppose.
◦ - reckon (verb): cho rằng
◦ - on the same wavelength (idiom): có cùng chung cách suy nghĩ, cảm giác
◦ - coincide with something (verb) /ˌkoʊ.ɪnˈsaɪd/: (quan điểm, ý kiến) giống với