The class, run by Van Xuan Tho in Long Xuyen Ward, An Giang Province, has quietly supported disadvantaged children for years.
Tho hopes the project will spread further so more working class families feel confident sending their children to study English from an early age. Yet when speaking about himself, he prefers to share little beyond his name.
Among his strongest childhood memories are images of his mother working tirelessly under the scorching sun in rice fields. His father died when he was just three years old, leaving his mother to raise six children alone.
Tho was the only child in the family able to continue his education for an extended period, and he grew up understanding that every word he learned came at the cost of his mother’s sweat and his siblings’ sacrifices.
Driven by that determination, Tho returned to Vietnam after completing a master’s degree at the Sorbonne University in France to open a free foreign language class for children unable to access a second language education.
The classroom is equipped with internationally recognised textbooks and charges no tuition fees.
Tho said the class first opened in 2020. Despite interruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the emotional shock of losing his mother, he has continued the project ever since.
He said he understood the struggles faced by children of factory workers living in low income boarding areas, where daily meals already place heavy pressure on families, leaving little room for additional English lessons.
“Every child is a seed and the future of the country,” Tho said.
“Helping them access modern education is not only helping an individual or a family, but also strengthening our hometown for the future.”
The classes take place every weekend and currently serve more than 20 children, ranging from four year olds to primary school pupils.
For years, Tho’s family home has doubled as a classroom. He and his younger sister teach alongside volunteer assistants who graduated from the foreign languages faculty at An Giang University under Vietnam National University- Ho Chi Minh City.
Tho said he selects teaching assistants not only for their academic ability but also for their patience and affection for children.
Although the project is self funded, he still sets aside part of his monthly salary to pay teachers proper compensation.
While the classes are entirely free, parents treat them with seriousness and respect. Families strictly follow classroom rules, from informing teachers when children are absent due to illness to closely monitoring their academic progress.
Some parents have even offered to contribute tuition fees to help sustain the project, though Tho has politely declined.
To provide students with the best possible learning conditions, he purchases textbooks from international publishers including Richmond Publishing and Cambridge University Press & Assessment, hoping to prepare students for international language certificates in the future.
Children are taught listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, while also receiving guidance in everyday manners and communication, from handwriting practice to greeting elders politely.
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Quyen, 23, one of the volunteer teachers, said she was deeply committed to the programme.
She designs lessons using active learning methods that encourage students to participate independently rather than follow rigid instruction. She also includes small games and rewards to spark curiosity and confidence among the children.
“The students here are of very different ages, so designing lessons that help everyone progress together is challenging,” Quyen said.
“But I believe every child is a seed waiting to be nurtured.”
For Tho, the classroom is more than a charity project.
“It is a journey to rediscover myself and my siblings from the past,” he said.
“I only fear that the children may lose their determination, not that I will run out of strength.”
