Recently I visited Vietnam Ho Chi Minh to visit my friend's investment in a restaurant business.
We also took the chance to do some “research” by moving around and sampling food at different restaurants. While we are having dinner at one of the craft beer restaurant, a young girl of around 7 years old started to perform the art of spewing fire from her mouth just right outside the restaurant.
Obviously the kid needs to "perform" for a living. When she came around and ask for a tip for her performance, I struggled to decide if I should give her some money. I ended up not giving but my friend did (on second thought, I should have given too). This is the only way she knows how to make a living and it just shows that Vietnam is still some way from providing a safe environment for kids.
On the next day, I am sitting in a nice cafe having my morning coffee when a young boy around 7 years old came over and start chatting with me in perfect American English. His dad came over and tried to apologise to me on his young son's uninvited chat. The dad could not speak a word of english and the son spoke in American english?
I probe further and realised that the boy educated himself using YouTube. That is what happen when you are an extrovert, chatty and loves American youtube channel. You pick up english and then practise with unsuspecting foreigners.
I could not help but contrast the fate of the Vietnamese girl who spew fire and the Vietnamese boy who spew American english. I could see a future that is not so bright for one and a bright one for the other.
Opportunity to learn is so critical in a young person life.
The power of internet has brought the world best teachers online and now we just need the government to mandate the parents that children deserve to be learning english instead of circus tricks at 7 years old.
If they have grown up watching youtube, they would have the opportunity to learn english and possibly something more in life.
Then my friend reminded me, that the only thing that his Vietnamese boy picked up from Youtube channel are the American swear words.