Speaking topics

         Topic 1: What are advantages and disadvantages of living in the countryside?

Living in the countryside has both advantages and disadvantages. The first advantage is the low living costs. Most things in the countryside are far cheaper than those in cities. Also, most people do not have to pay much for their daily food, water and accommodation because they can grow food for themselves, get natural water from wells, and lives in their own houses. Another advantage of living in the countryside is safety which leads to people’s longer life expectancy. The criminal rate in the countryside is much less than that in cities. Traffic is not heavy, and rarely do traffic jams happen in the countryside, so traffic accidents seldom happen. In addition, the air is fresh and life in the countryside is generally peaceful. Thirdly, the community relationship is very good in the countryside. Neighbors are often willing to help each other enthusiastically when having financial or spiritual problems.

However, living in the countryside also has some disadvantages. The first disadvantage is that the people there have fewer occupation opportunities than those in big cities because there are not many companies, factories and service organizations in the countryside. Another disadvantage is that the educational system in the countryside are clearly not as good as in cities. Most high quality schools, universities are located in cities. One more disadvantage is that the social services such as health care, entertainment and refreshment which improve people’s lives and make their lives more meaningful are rare and not really good in the countryside.

To sum up, life is like coin with two sides, and living in the countryside has its own advantages and disadvantages as mentioned above.

         Topic 2: What are advantages and disadvatages of living in a city?

Everything always has two opposite sides, and living in a city has its own  advantages and disadvantages. One of the main advantages of living in a city is its high standards of  linving. A city is a political and economic center of provice; therefore it provides its residents with not only good accommodation but also high quality of social services such health care, entertainment, and refreshment. Next, living in a city gives people many opportunities to have good job and pursue their higher studies because there are a lot of companies and high-quality colleges and universities in a city.

On the contrary, living in a city also has disadvantages. The first disadvantage is the high costs of living, city residents have  to pay a large sum of money than countryside dwellers because everything in cities is much more expensive than that in the countryside. The second disadvantage of living in a city is the environment pollution. Most cities in Vietnam are seriously polluted with smoke, dust, waste substances and noise from factories, vehicles, and a considerably large number of people. In addition, poor human relationship is another disadvantage in a city. People in cities pay less and less attention to  their family, relatives, friends and neighbors because they are always in rush for their own activities and have less time to do so.

In summary, living in a city gives people high standards of living and lots of opportunities to study and work, but city residents have to bear high costs of living, environment pollution, and poor human relationship.  

Topic 3: What most important soft skills do you need for work?

Nowadays, soft skills become more and more important for every employee. Almost all employers want their employees to be good at both specialized knowledge and soft skills. The are many soft skills, but in my opinion, the communication skill, problem-solving skill and teamwork skill are the most important that we need for work.

Firstly, we need to have a good communication skill so that we can explain our ideas and tasks clearly and exactly to our workmates and our managers, and communicate well with our customers and partners. Excellent writen and verbal communication skill helps us convey important information to our audience accurately and persuasively and contribute to our career success and growth.

Secondly, the problem-solving skill is really necessary for us at work. Problems often happen while we are working. We cannot always ask our managers how to solve them or call for help from our colleagues. We ourselves have to come up suitable and effective solutions to each problem.

Last but not least, to be seccessful in our jobs, we need to have the teamwork skill. The seccess of a company not base on an individual’s labor and effort, but is the result of the entire staff’s performances and effort. Every employee has to cooperate with others and work as an unseparated member or leader of team to fulfill all the assigned tasks so as to meet the requirements and reach the goals of the company.

To sum up, of all the soft skills necessary for work, the most important, in my opinion, are the communication, problem-solving, and teamwork skills.