1. Introduction: A journey
Learning a foreign language is like walking on a road without clear destinations, one filled with challenges and “wow” moments! As a final-year International Business Economics student at Foreign Trade University, I have walked this path with English, Korean, and now, Chinese. Scoring 975/990 on TOEIC and achieving TOPIK Level 4 as a self-learner wasn’t easy, but it gave me a very different way I see the world. This post isn’t about tips on learning languages, but about my story, the struggles, the breakthroughs, and why learning languages is a journey worth taking for every university student.
2. Why learn more than English?
Source: The New York Times
You might think, “English is enough, right?” Yes, you can understand coursework, apply for jobs, and connect globally for almost every aspect. I thought so too, but until I discovered the magic of learning another foreign language - Korean. English gave me a 975/990 TOEIC score, a milestone I hit in early 2024 to prepare for university and career goals. But Korean? That was personal. Not a hardcore K-pop fan, I was still drawn to Korea’s Hallyu wave, from its dramas, culture, and, for me, business opportunities with Korean firms in Vietnam.
Learning Korean opened new perspectives. For example, mastering Hangul felt like cracking a code; its logical structure let me sound out words like I do in Vietnamese. Then came the “wow” moment: with approximately 60% of words in Korean and Vietnamese rooted in Chinese, discovering Hanja-based words (Sino-Korean vocabulary) that echoed Vietnamese and Chinese. Words like “family” (gia đình in Vietnamese, 가족/gajok in Korean) felt familiar. I can say this is just like running into an old friend.
(The Cognitive Benefits of Being Bilingual - PMC)
There’s enough evidence to show the benefits of mastering more languages - cognitively, culturally, economically, and more.
3. The struggles: Vocabulary and self-doubt
Language learning isn’t all “wow” moments. The biggest hurdle for me is vocabulary. Without enough words, you just cannot understand the text. Early on, I’d skim and scan passages as advised, but if I didn’t know key words, I just could not scan anything. I’d recognise a word in practice tests, feel that spark of familiarity, but still blank on its meaning. It was frustrating.
But once you build up enough vocabulary, something magical happens: you can start spotting unknown words hiding among the known ones. Suddenly, a sentence that once felt like a wall becomes a puzzle you can almost solve. That’s the second “wow” moment.
4. The results
My English journey began in high school, but I only invested seriously once I was preparing for university and the job market. By early 2024, I walked into the test centre and scored 975/990. That moment felt like crossing a finish line after years of effort.
Source: The author
Korean was a different thing. Starting from zero, I learnt Hangul in a week, revelling in its logic. But TOPIK Level 4 seemed ambitious for a self-learner in 1 year. I studied grammar patterns, wrote essays using my own templates, and listened to Talk To Me In Korean podcasts religiously. The test day at UEH was nerve-wracking, and five weeks of worrying and waiting for the result. Would my self-study pay off? When the results came, I stared in disbelief: TOPIK Level 4, first try! It’s not a really high score, but it was proof I could conquer a language on my own. I even interned at a Korean finance firm (you can find out this on my LinkedIn profile😉).
5. What’s next? An endless road
Certificates were milestones, but language learning doesn’t stop at them. Most language certifications, like TOEIC, expire after two years for the same reason. Now, I keep both languages alive: English for work, study and Korean for cultural exchanges. I have even started Chinese, drawn to its shared roots with Vietnamese’s Hán Việt and Korean’s Hanja.
6. The Bottom Line
