A Joyful Journey with Talking Pens & Audiobooks
With her bright smile and boundless energy, Khả Tinh turns language learning into an exciting adventure.
She recalls that her parents began speaking to her in Chinese when she was only one year old. Over time, the language naturally became part of her everyday life. Today, she speaks Chinese almost as a second mother tongue and can effortlessly switch between languages in conversation.
As for English, she was first exposed around age three or four but only began formal study at six—later than many of her peers. Yet she quickly demonstrated exceptional talent: she earned second place in Ho Chi Minh City’s IOE (Olympic English) competition in 2024, received a Consolation Prize in the 2025 edition, and won awards in English-speaking contests. Notably, she has frequently taken on the role of bilingual MC, confidently hosting events in both Vietnamese and English—an unusual feat for a primary school student.
“I want to speak English and Chinese fluently so I can make friends with children all over the world,” Khả Tinh said.

The Secret: Self-Study and Turning Learning into Play
Remarkably, Khả Tinh has never studied abroad or enrolled in costly courses. Her success story carries no trace of rigid textbooks. Nor does it involve pressure-filled classrooms. Instead, her “secret” lies in self-study and in transforming learning into joy.
With English, she builds vocabulary using a reading pen and audiobooks, devours picture books and stories, watches cartoons without subtitles—mimicking every character’s intonation—and perfects her pronunciation with the Cambridge Dictionary. She also connects online with international friends, a playful yet powerful way to sharpen her speaking while broadening her world.
With Chinese, she adopts similar methods: audiobooks and reading pens, daily conversations with her parents, reading children’s stories, and learning to write characters as a way of expanding her vocabulary.
“I learn languages the way I play games,” she explains. “When I enjoy it, I don’t want to stop.”

 

Learning Through Natural Exposure – A Family’s Gentle Guidance
Behind her achievements is a family that values joy in learning above all. Her mother, Lê Na, emphasizes that the goal was never grades or pressure but exposure and encouragement. “I introduce her to bilingual books, reading pens, audiobooks, cartoons, and music,” she says. “It’s about making language part of life itself.”
Instead of focusing on grades, the family encourages her to join extracurricular activities, interact, and play in foreign languages. This gentle approach has not only sustained Khả Tinh’s enthusiasm but also instilled a sense of perseverance rarely seen in children her age.

A Foundation for Becoming a Global Citizen
Though she has never lived abroad, Khả Tinh can already communicate confidently in both English and Chinese—two of the world’s most widely spoken languages. This provides her with a strong foundation to expand knowledge, connect internationally, and pursue her dream of becoming a global citizen.
Her story underscores a vital truth: fluency does not require expensive programs, overseas education, or even an exceptionally early start. What matters most are passion, persistence, and the right methods.
With her family’s support and her own creative approach to self-study, Lâm Khả Tinh has not only mastered English and Chinese but also inspired many parents and children to see language learning as something natural, joyful, and within reach. At just ten years old, she is steadily moving toward her dream of becoming a global citizen—carrying with her confidence, curiosity, and a love for languages./.