By Lê Hương

On a bright Sunday morning, 10-year-old Doãn Nhật Minh joins his friends at an English class to take a walk around Hoàn Kiếm Lake in downtown Hà Nội.

The weekend pedestrian street is bustling with locals and tourists going sight-seeing.

Yet today Minh and his friend do not simply stroll leisurely around the lake. They eagerly seek out foreigners to talk with them, collect their signatures and compete for the award for the pair that speaks with the most foreigners.

They stop every group of foreign tourists to start conversations and meet a warm response.

Their topics range from favourite foods, colours and weather to impressions of Việt Nam.

“I have just attended the class for one week,” Minh said. “I found it interesting with a lot of games and fun. I just want to learn to communicate with foreigners. I love this seeking and chatting game.”

The game is a regular activity of the free English class for children based in Pháp Vân Pagoda in the southern outskirts of Hà Nội, launched by teacher Trần Thị Hương Duyên.

“We organise the extra class activities like this only ever three weeks, as we are lacking volunteers to manage the teams,” Duyên told Việt Nam News.

Duyên said she runs three classes every Sunday morning for three age categories: kids grades 1 – 4, juniors grades 4-8 and teenagers grade 8 through high school.

Duyên said all the teachers of the class work for free, serving students from all over the city.

“We aim to serve pupils who cannot cover the fees at a language centre,” she said. “When I was small, I also wanted to learn English but did not have money to cover the costs. I used to wish for a free class like this.”

Duyên explained she wanted to use the pagoda space to run the class as she wants the children to not only learn English lessons but also develop a consciousness of ethics and justice at a young age.

“The pagoda is a solemn and tranquil place,” she said. “Children can learn more effectively in such an atmosphere.”

Lê Ngọc Diễm My, 10, has attended the class for one year and said that she was more confident speaking English with foreigners.

“I’m longing for the class during the weekdays,” she said.

Nguyễn Thị Thanh Vân, My’s mother, said she visited Pháp Vân Pagoda and by chance discovered the free English class.

“I think it’s a good model for families with meagre income like mine,” she said. “My daughter now can speak English very well and I don’t have to pay anything.”

She said the teachers print out handouts and lure children with many games.

“The classroom is a prayer hall and children’s tables are the tables that monks use to hold their praying books,” she said. “In this way, the pagoda is really an open space for needy people.”