Learning Vietnamese Through a Real-Life Story: From a Sedentary Lifestyle to Running in Vietnam

A simple Vietnamese reading lesson about changing habits, health, and exercise. Learn useful daily vocabulary through a real-life story about moving from a sedentary lifestyle to running.

Learn Vietnamese • Daily Life

From Sedentary to Running:
A Real-Life Story

In this lesson, you will read a simple bilingual story about changing daily habits in Vietnam, learn practical sentences about health and exercise, and practice Vietnamese through real-life usage.

This method focuses on understanding context rather than memorizing rules.

Part 1: Short Story (Song Ngữ)

Read the story below. The Vietnamese sentence is first, followed by the English meaning.

🏃 Changing a Daily Habit

Trước đây, tôi ít vận động. Tôi ngồi làm việc trước máy tính cả ngày. Before, I exercised very little. I sat and worked in front of the computer all day.

Sau một thời gian, tôi cảm thấy mệt. Cơ thể tôi không thoải mái. After some time, I felt tired. My body did not feel comfortable.

Một buổi tối, tôi quyết định đi bộ trong công viên. Tôi không chạy, tôi chỉ đi chậm. One evening, I decided to walk in the park. I did not run. I only walked slowly.

Ngày hôm sau, tôi đi bộ tiếp. Sau đó, tôi bắt đầu chạy rất chậm. The next day, I walked again. After that, I started running very slowly.

Ban đầu, chạy rất khó. Tôi thở mạnh và chân rất mỏi. At first, running was very difficult. I breathed heavily, and my legs were very tired.

Nhưng tôi không dừng lại. Tôi chạy một chút mỗi ngày. But I did not stop. I ran a little every day.

Bây giờ, chạy bộ là một thói quen tốt của tôi. Tôi cảm thấy khỏe hơn và thoải mái hơn. Now, running is a good habit for me. I feel healthier and more relaxed.

Part 2: Key Words & Useful Sentences

Ít vận động Not very active Example: Trước đây, tôi ít vận động.
(Before, I was not very active.)

Mệt Tired Example: Tôi cảm thấy mệt sau khi làm việc.
(I feel tired after working.)

Đi bộ Walk Example: Buổi tối, tôi đi bộ trong công viên.
(In the evening, I walk in the park.)

Chạy chậm Run slowly Example: Tôi chạy chậm mỗi ngày.
(I run slowly every day.)

Thói quen Habit Example: Chạy bộ là thói quen tốt.
(Running is a good habit.)

Part 3: Pronunciation Tips (Simple)

• Vận động → sounds like "vun-dong" (two clear parts).
• Mệt → sounds like "met", short and light.
• Chậm → sounds like "chum", spoken softly.

*Focus on rhythm, not perfection.

Part 4: Practical Usage (Real Life)

You can use these sentences in real conversations when:

• Talking about health.
• Talking about daily routines.
• Chatting casually with Vietnamese friends.

Examples:

• "Dạo này tôi ít vận động." (These days, I don’t exercise much.)
• "Tôi đang tạo thói quen mới." (I am building a new habit.)

Part 5: Mini Practice (Thực Hành)

Practice 1: Fill in the blank

Complete the sentence:

"Bây giờ, chạy bộ là một ______ tốt."

👉 Answer: thói quen

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Practice 2: Speak about yourself

Try saying one sentence clearly:

• Tôi đi bộ mỗi tối.
• Tôi đang tập chạy.

Part 6: Common Mistakes Learners Make

• Trying to use complex sentences too early.
• Translating word by word from English.
• Avoiding speaking because of mistakes.

Short, simple Vietnamese is natural and effective.

Part 7: Real-Life Practice Tip

🚀 Challenge for This Week:

Try to say one sentence about your daily habit in Vietnamese — at work, with a friend, or at the park/gym. Speaking about real life makes learning easier.

Final Notes

Changing a habit takes time. Learning Vietnamese is the same. Small steps, repeated daily, lead to real progress.

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Vietnam Explained

This lesson is part of the "Learn Vietnamese" series.

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