Part 2 samples speaking Ielts

A law
In many countries it is now illegal to use a mobile phone while driving. You could start
by talking about the popularity and benefits of mobile phones, and explain that people
want to be able to answer calls wherever they are. Then you could explain the dangers of
being distracted while driving; this law could reduce the number of road accidents, and
therefore save lives.
Something naughty
1. I cheated in a test at primary school by looking at the answers in my book under
the table.
2. I was about ... years old, it was a ... lesson. Give some more background about the
lesson, the test, the teacher etc.
3. I hadn't studied for the test, I didn't want to fail and have to retake the test at
lunchtime. Give reasons why you didn't have time to study.
4. The teacher caught me and told my parents. Explain their feelings: disappointed,
angry, embarrassed. Explain the punishment e.g. they 'grounded' me for a week
(informal expression, meaning 'they didn't allow me to go out or see friends').
Practical skill
1. I'm going to talk about driving, which is a practical skill that I use almost every
day.
2. I learnt to drive a car by taking lessons when I was 19. My parents paid for me to
have lessons with a professional driving instructor. I learnt by practising: first I
had to get used to steering, changing gears and using the mirrors, then we
practised things like reversing and parking. I also had to learn the highway code.


3. As a 19-year-old, I wanted to have the experience of driving a car, and I was fed
up with having to walk or take the bus or train whenever I wanted to go
somewhere. I also knew that driving would be an extremely useful skill.
4. Being able to drive has helped me in so many ways. The public transport where I
live isn't very good, so I travel to work by car most days. Having a car makes my
life much easier when it comes to things like shopping or visiting family and

friends. (Last week, for example,...)

Phone
I'm going to describe my mobile phone. Possessing a smart phone was my dream. My
parents knew that and they bought it for me as a present when I passed the university
entrance exam. It’s a really nice phone with touch screen, so it’s very convenient to use.
I use the phone to keep in touch with friends and family, for communication by voice,
text and email. It has various features like video, MP3 player, wireless Internet, digital
camera and games. It's easy to share photos and music. I use it for almost everything, it
even has a calendar that reminds me about appointments.
My phone is an essential part of my life. It holds my contacts, my photos, my music
collection. I've got instant access to my favourite websites. It's like having my whole life
in my pocket. I couldn't live without it.
Laptop
I’m going to describe a piece of electronic equipment that I find useful. It is the laptop. I
have had it for nearly two years and it was a gift from my parents on my birthday. it’s not
difficult at all for me to learn to use it because I just needed to look at the manual and
follow the instructions about how to turn it on, turn it off, how to install software and
many other things. The most significant thing is that it is portable. And its portability
features offer several distinct advantages: first is its productivity. When using a laptop, I
don’t have to waste my time. For example, I can manage my email during a long-hour
commute by bus or do my homework in the university coffee shop during short break
between lectures. Second is its immediacy. When I carry my laptop, it means I have
instant access to various information, personal and work files. Immediacy allows better


collaboration between students, as a laptop can be flipped open to present a problem or a
solution at anytime, anywhere. I think it is really useful because it has everything
integrated into the chassis. I am a teacher of English and at school, I can use my laptop to
bring texts, sound, and pictures into a classroom. With the laptop and things shown on the

projector overhead, I can attract and retain students’ attention. I can speed up the teaching
process and make difficult-to-explain ideas straight forward. This means that I can spend
more time answering students’ questions and catering for other needs.
Furniture
Furniture is a part and parcel of every home. There is a lot of furniture in my home also.
There are beds and sofa sets, chairs and tables, cupboards and dressing tables. But here I
would like to talk about a piece of furniture that I use very often. This is a study table. I
have this table in my room. This is a special table which my father got made for me by a
carpenter in my home town. The body of the table is made of pure teak wood. The top is
of board which has a grey mica topping. This is bigger than a conventional study table. It
is L shaped. On one side I have set my desktop PC. There are shelves on the top on which
I have set my books. There are drawers on one side in which I keep my stationery
material and CDs and DVDs. There is a chair which can be slid inside the table when not
in use. I find this table very convenient when I have to study or work on my computer. I
have a beautiful table lamp on one side. The light falls on my books from the left side. I
just love this table. So, this is one important item of furniture in my house.
Kite
Kite flying is popular in my country. Kites are often played with around the Qingming
Festival in April. I like kites very much and I can make kites myself. Once, I made a kite.
It was a beautiful swallow. Firstly, I collected 3 sticks and paper. The paper was adorned
with paintings. Secondly, I used 3 sticks to control the paper, one linked to its neck, the
other two linked with its wing. And then, the work was completed. The kite flew lightly
in the sky as if the swallow was greeting the coming of the spring season.


A toy: Lego car
One special toy that I remember getting was a Lego car. It was a birthday present from
my parents. I can't remember exactly how old I was, but I was probably about 10 or 11.
The special thing about this car was that I had to build it myself out of hundreds of pieces
of Lego. The pieces came in a box with a picture of the completed car on the front, and I

had to follow step-by-step instructions to put all the pieces together in the correct
way. This wasn't an easy task because the car even had an engine, movable seats and
gears. It took me a day or two to make, and required a lot of concentration.
When the car was finished it looked great, and I felt a sense of accomplishment. I seem to
remember that I didn't play with the car very much; the fun part had been the process of
building it.

Film
- one of the greatest films ever made
- a blockbuster movie
- a masterpiece
- a brilliant story
- the actors' performances are outstanding
- it's compelling to watch
3 idiots
Lessons:
-

Never Try To Be Successful: Excellence always creates success. So, never run
after the success, let it happen automatically in the life.


-

Passion Leads To Excellence: When your hobby becomes your profession and
passion becomes your profession. You will be able to lead up to excellence in the
life. Satisfaction, pleasure, joy and love will be the outcome of following passion.

-

Learning Is Very Simple: Teachers do fail. Learners never fail. Learning is never
complicated or difficult. Learning is always possible whatever rule you apply

Farhan, Raju and are three engineering students who share a room in the residence of
Imperial College of Engineering (ICE). Farhan is studying engineering to pursue his
father's wishes over his own wish — to become a wildlife photographer. Raju is studying
to raise his family's fortunes and get them out of poverty. On the other hand, Rancho
studies for his simple passion in machines and devices. He believes that one should
follow excellence, not success, as success will come itself if excellence is followed.
Eventually, Rancho has positively influenced his friends and they all become successful.


TV programme (Discovery)
TV is always the media king. It offers hundreds of TV programs to viewers. Without
going out of my house I can see a football match, take part in a game show or learn a
foreign language, and I can even know what is going on the other side of the world. My
favorite program is called Discovery. As to why it is my favorite, I would like to mention
the following. Firstly, it is not science fiction but a documentary on real life events and
happenings. For example, it had a program on the latest eclipse of the sun that occurred at
the end of the year. Secondly, it often has items about nature. For example, last week it
explained how some birds have adapted to survive in a desert. This program not only
helps me to relax but also is a great source of knowledge. People should watch this
program, especially children. Because personally I think it’s good to extend their
knowledge.
A website
Facebook is a social networking website. It's a free website that allows you to keep in
contact with friends or find people you've lost touch with. It's one of the most popular
websites in the world, with millions of users in different countries.
All of my friends use Facebook. One of my friends sent me an email inviting me to join. I
signed up and I've been using it ever since.

Facebook allows you to keep up to date with what friends are doing. You have a profile
page with information and status updates so that you can tell everyone what you're doing.
You can post messages to other people's pages. You can upload photos and videos. I find
Facebook most useful for organizing my life, keeping in touch with friends and storing
photos. I think social networking websites have become part of everyday life.
A garden
It’s my friend’s garden. Having a garden is always my dream so I enjoy going there so
much. He lives about 1 hour away from me in the next town and we usually get together
every week to catch up on what’s been happening and relax for a while. Sometimes we


have lunch together in the garden or just chill out and have a couple of beers in the
evening.
It’s a beautiful place, it’s secluded and quiet, so it’s the perfect place to relax. It’s
surrounded by some really tall trees, and over the tops of them you can see the mountains
far away. It’s not really big about 200m 2, but it’s full of trees shrubs, plants and flowers.
There are many different colours and that makes it interesting too. I’m not much of a
‘naturalist’ but my friend knows all the names of the plants and flowers and can tell you
all about them: where they come from, when they flower, things like that. It faces West so
in the afternoon the sun shines right on it. His dog loves sleeping under one of the big
trees in the corner of the garden, where it’s nice and shady and cool.
There’s a big wooden table and some chairs on the patio in the garden. My friend
sometimes works there with his laptop. It’s a nice change from working in the office I
guess. And interestingly, there’s a hammock which is great for an afternoon siesta after
lunch or for relaxing in the evening and watching the stars appear.
It really is idyllic and I always look forward to going there to visit him and spend some
time there. It’s like disconnecting from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and that’s
what makes it special – whenever I come back from spending some time there I feel
relaxed and refreshed.
Hobby: Photography

1. Think about question words: What, when, where, why, who with:
One of my hobbies is photography. I’ve got two digital cameras: one small pocket-sized
camera that I carry around with me, and one bigger, more expensive camera that I use on
special occasions. I take photos so that I have a record of the things I’ve seen or done.
Most of my photos are of friends and family, but I also take pictures of interesting things
that I see.
2. Describe opinions and feelings:


I like photography because it’s a creative hobby and it makes you notice the world around
you. I love capturing special moments or unusual or beautiful images, and it’s a great
feeling to be able to look back through my pictures and relive different experiences.
3. Tell a story related to the topic:
The last time I took photos on a special occasion was at my friend’s wedding a few weeks
ago. I got some great pictures of the bride and groom and their guests celebrating. After
the wedding I made an album of all the best pictures and sent it to my friend as a present.
Something that makes u angry
A recent situation that made me angry was getting stuck in a traffic jam on the way to
meet some friends. It was last Sunday lunchtime, and I didn’t expect there to be much
traffic; people don’t work on Sundays, so the roads aren’t usually very busy.
Everything was going well until suddenly I saw a queue of cars on the road in front of
me. I had no choice but to join the queue and wait to get past whatever was causing the
delay. It turned out that it was caused by some roadworks, and it took me an extra 30
minutes to get past them.
Getting stuck in traffic congestion doesn’t usually make me angry, but this time it did,
mainly because I wasn’t expecting it and I knew that my friends were waiting to meet me
for lunch. I felt frustrated and powerless because there was nothing I could do to change
the situation, and I had no idea how long I would be sitting there waiting. When I finally
saw the reason for the congestion, I was relieved that I was close to getting past the
roadworks, but I still felt a bit stressed knowing that I was half an hour late.

Social problem: Teenage pregnancy
Causes:


-

Society: Lack of sex education -> lack of sufficient knowledge of the preventive
measures: using birth control devices or preventive medicine.

-

Parents’ fault: Many parents don’t have time to care about their children. As a
results, teens feel detached, lonely especially the teen girls. They will seek love in
other places such as in relationships with young boy or even older men, which can
lead to teenage pregnancy.

-

Teenager: They are not mature enough to know how pregnancy can influence their
lives.

Effects:
-

Cannot keep up with the class because they have to spend time to their children ->
lead to a boom in the rate of students who drop out of schools.

-

Financial issues: the more people in the family, the more money you need to
spend. And this financial burden is usually on the teenager’s parents.

-

Teenagers are not mature enough to educate their children. Consequently, their
children are often not well-educated and might become the victims of social
problems in the future too.

A song
I love listening to music and I have many favorite songs. One of the songs I
frequently listen to is a French song named Bonjour Vietnam. It is sung by Pham Quynh
Anh, a Vietnamese Belgian girl, who has a beautiful and pianissimo voice. I knew this
song through a newspaper. It has been a phenomenon for a long time in both Vietnam and
overseas. Many people, especially the overseas Vietnamese, got a lump in their throat,
even burst into tears and commended profusely when they heard the song. Obviously, I'm
not an exception, every word in this song impressed on my memory with a strange
feeling. The word Vietnam, which is resounded in the end of the song, has brought to
every listener a holy feeling. All familiar images of Vietnam were mentioned in the song
with a tenderly love through her voice. The composer got the sources of inspiration from


Quynh Anh herself. He saw an image of Vietnamese women with a graceful act in her
and they have evoked him some heart-breaking memories of the war in Vietnam.
Temples, statues of Buddha, paddy fields and roads, houses are very familiar to us but she
has never seen. That's why the song has that name like this. She wants to say hello to her
motherland, to every simple things in that. The song is all overseas Vietnamese's
sentiments that were not born in Vietnam but are always tenterhooks to come back to
their native country. It has contributed to bring pictures of Vietnam to all over the world.
A person you admire

I’m going to talk about my father because he has been a major influence in my life. My
father was always a good role model for me as I was growing up. He’s hard-working,
patient and understanding; he’s also got a good sense of humour and seems to get on well
with everybody. Hopefully I’ve inherited some of these traits.
I admire my father because I think he brought me and my brothers/sisters up well; he was
quite strict but always fair, and he has always been someone I can turn to for advice. I
think my father set a good example by working hard and having a positive outlook on
life. I remember that he used to leave for work early and come home quite late, but he
always made time for me and my brothers/sisters.
A famous person you admire
The famous person whom I like is a special singer. His name is Ha Anh Tuan. In my
opinion, nowadays, there are lots of singers who sing kinds of music galore. Therefore, it
is easy for you to have a person to admire and so do I. I remember exactly the first time I
listened to him. At that time, he was a competitor in a contest named “Sao mai điểm hẹn”.
At that time, the person I wanted to watch was Hoang Hai because I had read an article
saying that Hoang Hai was the prominent candidate. However, inadvertently, I could not
watch Hoang Hai’s performance but Ha Anh Tuan‘s performance. I really was attracted
by the way he sang. He went to town in every melody. I could say that his performance
was out of the world. I have many reasons why I admire him. Firstly, he has an
outstanding way of singing which distinguishes him with others. It is very natural and
simple but precise. Secondly, he is a kind of person who dares to think, dares to do and
dares to accept, which influences me most. He had temporarily abdicated his studying in


Germany to come back to Vietnam to fulfill his passion of singing. Next, I suppose he is
an intelligent singer in the ways of communicating and fashion. And last but not least,
what I want to say is that it is very absorbing to have a person to admire.
Artist or Entertainer you admire
 I’m going to talk about a musician that I admire, called... He’s a singer who also
plays the guitar and writes his own songs. I think he recorded his first album about

10 years ago, and he’s released several other CDs since then.
 He became successful after many years of writing songs and performing live in
small venues all over the country. Gradually he built a following of people who
liked his music. I think the key to his success was one of his songs that was used
on a TV advertisement. This meant that more people became aware of his music.
 I found out about... because one of my friends got tickets to see him in concert. I
hadn’t heard any of his music before, but I went along to the gigand really enjoyed
it. After that I bought the first CD, and now I’ve got all of them.
 The reason I admire... is that he has worked hard for his success: it takes years of
practice to become a good singer and guitarist, and he spent several years playing
to very small audiences before he became successful. I also like the fact that he
writes his own music. I admirepeople who have worked hard to get where they
are.
An interesting lesson
1. I'm going to talk about an interesting science lesson that I attended at secondary
school when I was 14 or 15 years old.
2. It was quite a long time ago, so I can't remember every detail, but the lesson was
about respiration. We learnt about how the lungs work, how we breathe, and how
oxygen passes into the blood. The science teacher also talked to us about the
effects of smoking on the lungs.


3. I found this lesson interesting because my science teacher, Dr. Smith, always
introduced new topics by showing us a video. We watched a short film about how
respiration works, and I found this much easier to understand than a science
textbook. The film showed diagrams of the lungs to explain the breathing process.
Later in the lesson we saw real photos of healthy lungs and lungs that had been
damaged as a result of smoking; they had turned black. I think the image of a
smoker's lungs is the reason why I remember this lesson.

A commercial
I'm going to talk about an advertisement for Coca-Cola, which is one of the biggest
brands in the world. I've seen Coke advertised everywhere, on posters and TV
commercials.The advert shows a picture of Santa Claus smiling and holding a bottle of
Coke. I think the aim is to target children and associate (link/connect) the brand with
Christmas time.The advert is interesting because the company is deliberately trying to
influence and attract children. The marketers are trying to capture young customers. They
are presenting the drink as something special, a gift for Christmas. However, Coca-Cola
is not necessarily a healthy drink for children; it contains a lot of sugar. Maybe this kind
of advertising manipulates children and encourages them to pester their parents.
A party
When and where: my friend's birthday party, last Saturday evening, we went for a meal in
an Italian restaurant.Who: there were about 10 of us, he invited some close friends and
work colleagues, most of them were people I've known since university.What
happened: we met at the restaurant, I gave my friend a present and a birthday card, we
ordered some food, while we ate dinner everyone chatted, after the main course the
waiter brought out a cake and we sang 'Happy Birthday', everyone went home quite
late.Why it made me happy: it was great to get together with old friends, I had some
interesting conversations, it was a good opportunity to catch up with what my friends had
been up to, it was a nice way to wind down after a hard week at work, the food was
delicious, I went home feeling full after a fantastic meal.


An important festival
I’m going to describe the most important and popular festival in Vietnam. It is the New
Year or more commonly known as Tet holiday. Tet has become so familiar to the
Vietnamese that when Spring arrives, the Vietnamese, wherever they may be, are all
thrilled and excited with the advent of Tet.
It starts every year at the beginning of the spring, though it starts informally a few days
before that, when people go shopping and clean their houses to welcome the new year.

On the first day, people usually go to pagodas or temples to wish a new year which is full
of happiness, healthiness, luck and success would come to their families. People also visit
their relatives and their friends. It’s time for family reunion, for paying respect to
ancestors and the elders, and also a taste of the particular flavors of the Vietnamese
festivities. I like it so much because people are happy and children are delighted. It wipes
out the enmity and brings joy and happiness to all.
When I was a child, this is the festival I expected most because on this occasion, I was
given lucky money with which I could buy whatever I want without getting money from
my parents.
Historic place / building
I am going to talk about the Reunification Palace, formerly known as the Independence
Palace. It was built on the site of the former Norodom Palace and it is a landmark in
HCMC. It is located in Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street and was designed by architect Ngo
Viet Thu and was the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the
Vietnam War. The attractions inside of the airy palace interior are pretty sparse. Ropedoff rooms such as the presidential office, receiving room, and bedroom appear musky and
grim with antique furniture and bare walls. A highlight of the Reunification Palace is
found in the basement which includes a command bunker with old radio equipment and
strategy maps on the walls. After exiting the basement into the courtyard, there is a room
filled with historic photos – heavily sprinkled with propaganda – portraying the fall of the
Independence Palace. On the fourth floor rooftop, there are some nice views of the palace
grounds as well as an old US-UH 1 helicopter. The rooftop was used as a helipad for
evacuating staff just before the palace was overrun. The palace is interesting to me


because marks the end of Viet Nam war during the Fall of Saigon. Also, knowing clearly
about the history of my own country is what I think I can be proud of.
Something healthy you enjoy doing
One of the healthy things I enjoy doing is drinking a lot of water and eating many kinds
of fruit. In my opinion, the food andbeverage we use daily play a vital part in keeping life
healthy. Besides, keeping a healthy life by controlling food and drink habits is quite easy

to follow. Every morning as I get up, I drink a glass of water to begin a new day. I tried to
drink water as much as possible even when I do not feel thirsty. Water is very important
in keeping a healthy and fresh body. Besides, habits of eating a lot of fruit are very
effective. Fruits contain many vitamins and even water in them which are necessary for a
healthy body. We can have ways galore of making many delicious dishes from fruits such
as fresh fruits, fruit juice which make your diet more abundant. I suppose habits of
drinking water and eating fruit can be done every where we want to do. Besides, we can
do it and other activities simultaneously. I choose this habit to keep healthy because of
many reasons. Firstly, this habit is very easy to follow. As I see it, there are many
different ways in keeping healthy which require you to have strength to follow. If you
have given up and you want to resume, you must back to the old drawing board.
Secondly, you do not need to spend a lot of money doing it. Therefore, you will not worry
about having to pay an arm and a leg to buy machines or drugs to keep healthy. I think
keeping a healthy life is very important to outlast. Therefore, let’s do it right now.
Game / Sport: swimming / basketball
The sport that I like to play most is swimming. Swimming is the best sport that is
suitable for both children and adults. As you all know, following scientific research, if
you swim from thirty minutes to sixty minutes every day, you can burn 790 calories. If
you practice swimming every day, you can have a permanent elegant figure year in year
out. Moreover, swimming frequently will bring you a good heath, comfortable mind and
body beauty. It also helps us to prevent the cardiovascular disease. In my free time, I
usually go swimming with my friends in the pool which is within easy reach of my
house. Day by day, I feel healthier, more comfortable and more optimistic.
Simultaneously, swimming is a good sport which does not make many traumas like


other sports such as, volleyball, jogging, basketball and so on. I am sometimes yellow,
but thanks to this activity, I feel more self-confident. This is what I like most. The
swimming helps me to lose pressure in my study. Thanks to swimming, I become
healthier and happier.

When I was a child, I always admired one of the most famous athletics in basket ball
field. As I grew older, I like playing basket ball so much. Every day, I often go to a vacant
stadium near my home. At first, I played it very badly because I was not tall and skillful
enough. But when seeing my idol played it easily I said to myself that I should overcome
my difficulty. With the help of my brother, I always practiced playing basket ball when I
had free time. Finally, as people usually say: "every dog has his day" I succeeded and
played it well. At weekends, I often invite my best friends to go to my home and play
ball. This is a good chance for us to meet each other and chat about everything. There are
many reasons why I like playing basket ball. Firstly, I think it is a helpful way for me to
keep healthy. Secondly, it is an easy way for me to develop my height. Lastly, when
playing ball, I feel very comfortable because I can forget all my stress and sorrows.
An important choice: university
In my opinion, during our daily days, we have to give many important alternatives. I had
made a vital choice in my life about 2 years ago. At that time, an entrance examination to
the university was approaching and I had to give my decision of universities between
Banking University and University of Social Sciences and Humanities. One side was my
dream of being a journalist but I found myself not suitable for it. The other was a
vocation with high salaries, positions and suitable for my ability. After careful
consideration, I decided to choose Banking University, which is famous for its training of
Banking and Finance. You have to fulfill certain criteria to become a student of Banking
University. Notwithstanding having a little hesitance when making this choice, year in
year out I realize that I had made a judicious choice. The studying environment here is
very good and professional. The teachers always teach us with cordiality and dedication.
In my opinion, we should think carefully before making important choices so that we will
not regret after that.


Perhaps I had many vital choices to make in my life. One of them was a choice of which
universities to attend. I wondered if I should choose the University of Economics and
Law or go to the University of Social sciences and Humanities. I am interested not only

in economics but also in knowledge of foreign cultures and translation fields. It seems
that it was very difficult for me to make up my mind. My parents and my friends thought
that it would be better for me to choose the University of Economics and Law which was
suitable to the majors that I had studied for three years in high school. That was no
laughing matter, so I had to rack my brain to find the best choice.
After sober consideration, I took the plunge and decided to study the University of Social
sciences and Humanities. Up to now, I have not still known whether that choice was the
best choice for me or not but I believe that if I exert myself very much, I am able
to extricate myself and achieve success. The thing I took out was that if I did not try, I
would never know what I could do. Gradually, I was able to adapt to my specialty which
I used to think it was an impossible thing.
Advice: smile
The person who gave me advice was my mom. When I was very young, she told me I
should be smile at people, even strangers. Because she was really successful at work, she
treats everyone equally and people think that she is really nice person. I was really shy
when I was young and I rarely talked to strangers, so she gave me this advice to teach me
how to deal with people. After going to Canada, I had to take care of myself so I need to
learn how to treat people well. I think smile is really good when I first meet a person. It
shows that I am a very friendly person, and also it can increase my confidence and people
will have a good impression of me.

Food: Chung cake
Chung cake is a traditional dish that every Vietnamese family makes during the New Year
festival. Making Chung cake require strenuous work, which is very time-consuming. The
main ingredients of Chung cake are sticky rice, green beans, pork and rong leaves. Rong
leaves look like banana leaves but smaller. They often appear in the country side. The
process of making Chung cake is as follows. You place the rong leaves on the tray, then
put a thin layer of sticky rice on the leaves. On top of that you put a layer of cooked

mung beans and a piece of pork. Then you cover it with another layer of beans and sticky
rice. After this, you wrap it with the rong leaves and string, and leave it to simmer for at
least 12 hours. Eventually, the cake is taken out and wash in cold water. They are then put
under a heavy weight to squeeze out the water and hung on the wall. Chung cake is
usually eaten with picked onion.

A leader: Steve Jobs
He is Steve Jobs, a business leader, a former CEO of Apple corp. But he passed out last
year. I knew about him through his company’s famous products: Iphone, Ipad, Mac, and
so on. He was the co-founder of the company however he was fired in the process and
later reinstated as the CEO again. I admire and look up to him because of the creativity
and the strong leadership he possessed. He had that well-known motto "think different"
which is a bit grammatically wrong but is still widely welcome by every entrepreneur. He
also had very good presentational skills which had been displayed over the years at the
company public exhibitions. For those qualities, I wish that I could be like him.

A holiday: Halong
Halong bay is located in Quang Ninh province, which is about 150 km to the north east of
Hanoi. We go there by motorbike, but if you like you can travel there by ship from
Haiphong city in 1 hour. We stayed there for two days. On the first day, we went on a
cruise in a wooden boat. There were countless limestone islands there. The islands had
various shapes and sizes, and one of them looked like a chicken. On some of them, there
were magnificent caves, and the 2 most famous ones where we visited were: Stunning
Cave and Hidden Wood cave, which were filled with stalactites and stalagmites. We also
tried the local seafood right on the sea. It was very interesting experience. The food also
impressed me because it was quite cheap and delicious. On the next day, we went
swimming, boating and visited some fishing villages. Halong bay is really spectacular
because it is the harmonious combination between mountain and water.

A house
“Where would want I like to live? Well, I suppose the first thing of all I would like or I’d prefer to live in
a house rather than an apartment and in many ways my ideal house would be the house where my
mother lives. It’s quite a large house, it’s a 4 bedroom house but in another sense it’s actually quite
a small house in that all the rooms inside are quite small and quite intimate and in fact it’s
two cottages which have been converted into one larger house. So when you look at it, it looks
quite strange, you see 4 chimneys from the outside and lots of very strange angles and another
part about that house which I love is it’s in the countryside and it’s got a great garden with lawns
and flowerbeds and shrubs. Everything. My mother’s a professional gardener. Living in the
countryside but not the middle of nowhere is perfect for me because I like to get up in the morning,
look out of the window, see the horses in the field, the little pony and its mother, it just makes me feel
good. But as I say I wouldn’t want it to be the middle of the countryside because I would like to
commute to the city because I like being around people and it’s just easier or more convenient
to work in a city. So there would need to be located somewhere which was close enough to a
city and as I say that’s the reason why I would choose to live in my mother’s house.