Part 3:

Topic 1: History

1 Do you agree that learning history may help people understand the
present? / Is it true that modern society has much to learn from the past?

Of course yes. There exist patterns in the history that will occur in every period.
Therefore, learning history will provide valuable insights into the present, even
helping people avoid some risky mistakes. For example, every period of history
has at least one crisis or depression due to several factors concerning the
economy, diplomatic policies of powerful nations and so on. Being aware of the
history can help people predict and minimize the consequences of the crisis.

2 Why is it that some leaders fail to learn from the past?

In my opinion, this sad situation occurs due to their lack of vision. Besides being too
arrogant to consider every possibilities and similar events in the past, these leaders can
be just incompetent to compare the present situation with the past. For example, a
manager is likely to lead his company to bankruptcy because he is unable to make use
of several failures from other organizations in the past to avoid similar mistakes.

3 How can technology make learning history more interesting?

Well, there are differents ways to apply technology to make studying history more
intriguing. For the subject itself, utilizing technology to update recent information and
compare ongoing events around the world with the past is a great way to attract
attention from learners. For example, giving students relevant information about recent
economic crisis with that in the past, maybe 20 years ago, teachers can make students
feel interested when they realize there are some mistakes that still exists after 2
decades. Besides, making use of the Internet to add more photos and videos to the
presentation will also make the lesson more entertaining and less academic.

4 How can people learn about history?

In my humble opinion, there are various ways to learn about history. For the majority of
people, visiting museums and historical sites will be a great way to acquire knowledge
about the past. For instance, going to Hoa Lo Prison Relic can be really beneficial to
people who are curious about the lives of Vietnamese prisoners in the French colonial
period since this site has a lot of artifacts, photos as well as experience activities.
Besides, learning history via Youtube or reading books can be also quite useful if
people have the ability to choose trustworthy sources.

5 How do museums teach people history?

In my humble opinion, there are various ways that museums use to help people gain
knowledge about history. Collections that are exhibited can provide visitors with a
tangible connection with time, places, events, or people and allow them to experience
the evolution of human history and cultural heritage. For instance, going to Hoa Lo
Prison Relic, visitors will have the chances to gain valuable information about the lives
of Vietnamese soldiers and activists who were capture by the French colonists thanks to
the collection of artifacts, photos and modern audio guide devices. Besides, museum
tour guides can also tell visitors some fun facts which can give them more interest to
dive into history.

6 Will museums be replaced by technology someday?

I think my answer will be no. Museums have their own advantages that technological
devices can not replace and the most prominent feature is the collections of artifacts. I
mean, with some people, seeing photos of tools on electronic screen is enough, but with
the majority, observing artifacts with the naked and listening to the museum tour guide
is always a much more satisfying experience. For example, everyone can compare a
visit to the museum with a tour guide having special knowledge about the collections
exhibited with sitting home and reading some lines of text and seeing some photos to
see which one is more interesting. However, using teachnology can still be suitable for
busy people who do not have much time to visit museums.

7 Are history museums useful?

Of course yes. For the majority of people, visiting history museums will be a great way
to acquire knowledge about the past. For instance, going to Hoa Lo Prison Relic can be
really beneficial to people who are curious about the lives of Vietnamese prisoners in
the French colonial period since this site has a lot of artifacts, photos as well as
experience activities. Besides, spending time in museums is also an advantageous way
to have some fun instead of sitting in front of the computer screen.

8 Should museums be free?

In my humble opinion, I think the answer should be no. Collecting precious artifacts
and employing qualified staffs are never an inexpensive task. Therefore, it is sensible
for museums to charge visitors for a visit. Moreover, the cost of maintaining facilities is
also a problem since there are some museums that have to be closed due to not
having enough finance. However, I think it is reasonable that some museums should
reduce the price with the help of the local government, since making youngsters have
interest with history is always a worth-considering mission with the authorities.

9 Do you think people should remember their family history?

Of course yes. Being aware of the family history can be quite beneficial, espcially when
people consider choosing a job to make a living. For instance, if your family has a
tradition of working in the medical field, it is quite an advantage over other people if you
want to work in that field or some medicine-related jobs thanks to relationships that
 your family members already have. Besides, understanding the family history can also
help people call their relatives with their right positions in the family, which is really
important in Vietnamese culture.

Topic 6: Cities

1 Why are historical cities popular?

In my humble opinion, there are different reasons for that phenomenon. Nowadays, the
majority of people get bored with metropolitan cities which have modern technology and
are always crowded with people and traffic. Therefore, finding peaceful atmosphere in
historical sites for about 2,3 days is many people’s choice. For example, many people in
Hanoi today choose to visit relics around the country for their holidays, which make
those sites become popular as a tourist attraction. Moreover, it should also be noted
that some cities such as Hoi An have a really great advertising campaign.

2 Why do people go to other cities?

In my humble opinion, there are different reasons for that phenomenon. An evident
reason is to make a living. There are metropolitan cities that are always crowded but
people still go there with a view to getting a job because more opportunities exist there.
For example, HCM City is always a place for people from nearby provinces since
chances of getting a well-paid job are more than anywhere else in the South of VN.
Besides, a number of people choose to move to another cities as they want to enjoy the
peaceful atmosphere there after working in crowded cities for most of their lives.

3 Do you think tourists may come across bad things in other cities?

Of course yes. An evident problem when they visit a new city is being ripped off. Many
petty vendors want to take advatage of tourists’s lack of knowledge about bargaining
and the original price to get more money. For example, 2 years ago I went to pottery
village Bat Trang with my friends for the summer holiday. When I want to buy some
souvenirs, I decided to buy a small bird that was sculpted quite elaborately for a price of
300,000 VND, but then I found out its original price was only 200,000 when my friends
came and bargained. Besides, pickpocketing is also a problem when visitors come to a
crowded city.

Topic 4: Internet, TV, libraries

1 Why do people like to read news on the Internet instead of on TV?

In my humble opinion, there are different reasons for that phenomenon. Nowadays, the
news on the Internet is updated more rapidly and frequently than on TV. For example,
you can read the news about the resignation of an official on Facebook or online
newspapers before it is officially announced in the evening on TV. Moreover, some
news is even not mentioned on TV due to the time limit. However, I believe that people
should check the authenticity of news that is spread online before totally believing it.

2 What are the most popular apps in your country?

From my point of view, Netflix and Spotify are the most popular apps in my country. Due
to hectic schedules, a lot of people nowadays prefer using netflix to watch movies to
going to the cinema. Moreover, some films that are not shown at the cinema anymore
can be easily found on Netflix. Besides, Spotify is favored as well because many people
nowadays are aware of the importance of copyright and want to support artists such as
Taylor Swift, The Weeknd by listening to their music on this app so those artists can
receive money.