On the wooden boats, many people eagerly come to the class held on the fishing raft of Mr. Bảy Bon, whose real name is Lý Văn Bon, a local household doing community tourism in Cồn Sơn islet. Ms. Năm Phước, the owner of Song Khánh garden, smiled and greeted Mr. Barry White - an Australian teacher who volunteered to teach English for the locals at Cồn Sơn islet. It’s Ms. Năm Phước confidently communicating in English with Mr. Barry White has received the encouragement of the students and made the whole class exciting.

Class members come from many ages. The youngest is only 8 years old, and the oldest is over 60 years old. The average class has about 30 people. Many people bring their children, or spouses to class. They come here with a common goal: learn more skills to improve the quality of their work in the tourism sector, especially communicating with foreign tourists. “This is the first English class on the fish raft and Cồn Sơn islet. We are happy to join this class because it provides the necessary skills for our job. I look forward to learning how to communicate in English and be able to introduce my products to foreigners. Everyone in Con Son islet wants to be able to introduce tourists to the fish, the garden, the food by themselves in English without needing a tour guide. It is more sincere when I can speak and share my true feelings directly to the visitors”, Mr. Lý Văn Bon said.

Community-based tourism in Cồn Sơn islet has been developed for about 5 years. Most of the people doing tourism are farmers, so their English proficiency is limited. Realizing this, Mr. Lê Ðình Tuyển from Thanh Niên Newspaper, advocated a free English class for the locals. “Tourism is growing and many foreign tourists come to Cồn Sơn islet. However, the local people here could not communicate with them and this is a disadvantage. Therefore, I have an idea of organizing an English class for the people of Cồn Sơn islet. The locals are very eager to learn. Through the class, I hope that the people in Cồn Sơn islet can introduce their culture and products to tourists”, Mr. Lê Ðình Tuyển said. This idea of organizing an English class was formed in early 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been delayed until now. The class is led by Huyen Le Foreign Language Center, teaching English for free to people in Cồn Sơn Islet for 2 months with the help of Mr. Barry White - a friend of Mr. Lê Ðình Tuyển.

Mr. Tạ Minh Khôi, Director of Huyen Le Foreign Language Center, said: “We teach this class completely free of charge and consider this as a support to the community, especially people who work in the tourism industry in Cồn Sơn Islet. In the early days, we taught the locals basic communication, then redesigned the program to suit each subject. We expect that through this class, people can introduce themselves and present the basic features of their products”. Ms. Phan Kim Ngân, commonly known as Bảy Muôn, the owner of Công Minh garden, said: “Although I am old, I am very eager to go to school. Personally, I want to communicate with international customers in English to introduce the product thoroughly. I also hope the class will be developed more and more”. Trần Thu Cúc, a tour guide at Cồn Sơn Islet, said: “I came to the classroom to help and study English with the locals. The class also helps me practice speaking English more. In the past, I wasn't confident enough, but thanks to studying with Mr. Barry White, I can communicate more naturally and more fluently with international tourists”. The program also provides exercises to help people improve their communication skills such as introducing their house, garden, fish pond, fish raft, or products and services they create. Learners will do exercises and tests at the house which is the tourist point.

Whether it is sunny or rainy, people in Cồn Sơn islet still come to class regularly. In addition to books, the locals also come to class with vegetables, fruits, or specialties in their baskets to give teachers as gifts. This makes the class more intimate, effective, and full of laughs. It is the people's eagerness to learn that warm the class organizers' and teachers' hearts. Ms. Bảy Muôn, although sick, has not taken a day off yet. Mr. Bảy Bon and his wife painstakingly write each word. Ms. Tô Hoàng Dịch Thủy (often called Ms. Bé), tries her best to study while taking guests to go across the river. These people have never stopped studying so that the community-based tourism of Cồn Sơn islet develops more and more...