Located in a dead-end alley, The-Link was initially just a coffee shop, combining an air-conditioned room with a garden. Then language classes began, gradually forming into a classroom and completely free for anyone who wanted to learn a foreign language.

Learn foreign languages ​​by topic

Every Thursday evening, a room of about 10 square ^meters is prioritized as an English class for beginners. The class has about 15 young people, all of whom are students from many districts of Ho Chi Minh City. The leader of the class is Mr. Doan Thuc Thien Huu (24 years old, living in Binh Duong ).

The class began, Thien Huu invited everyone to join the game, of course using English. The goal was for the newcomers to get to know each other and feel more comfortable in class. Smiles softened the atmosphere, the instructor gradually led the class into the main topic of the lesson.

Each student was given a text in English with questions. Each student took turns reading the sentences in the paragraph aloud. If there were any mistakes, Huu would correct them and ask them to read it again. If there were any difficult words or grammar, the teacher would volunteer to stop and explain them in detail to everyone.

After finishing reading and translating the text, the class divided into two groups to discuss and answer the accompanying questions with the support of volunteers. Because they were just starting out, some students expressed themselves in simple English sentences, while others only stuttered. When they were stuck, Thien Huu helped and encouraged them to finish their sentences.

Although her house is in Hoc Mon district, quite far away, Le Minh Thu (23 years old) has been there regularly for nearly three months now. Minh Thu smiled: "Here, everyone is very comfortable with newcomers, so I got used to it very quickly. Each class has a clear topic. Everyone has the opportunity to practice speaking and is supported by the instructor to clearly express what they want to say."

Thai Minh (24 years old, Binh Tan district) after a month of coming here said he was quite impressed because although the club is free, it operates all week, except for Mondays. "Each class is a new topic, helping us expand our knowledge, improve our vocabulary and gradually speak English more fluently" - Thai Minh confided.

Care and share

Although there are no rules, every student attending the class here tactfully supports the water shop. Ms. Hong Lein (Ms. Hong) - a German of Vietnamese origin - founded The-Link community with the idea of ​​creating a place for young people to connect, care and share with each other.

Ms. Hong said that when she first returned to Vietnam, she realized that many young people she met were not as confident in expressing themselves as young people in Germany. This urged her to do something that could at least support the young people she met, so that they would believe in their abilities and boldly develop what they have.

So in 2012, the free English and German teaching club started operating. The first classes were small, lacking both human resources and having to rent classrooms. Until The-Link was born 7 years ago, this address became a destination not only for young Vietnamese people but also many foreign friends studying and living in Ho Chi Minh City.

Thien Huu used to study at the English club here and has been a volunteer instructor for beginners for nearly a year. "I love learning languages ​​and have received a lot of value from here, so I want to pass that on to other students. It makes me happy to be able to help them improve their English speaking skills," Huu said.