Eight years of bilingual parenting, two kids at very different stages — and a site for Vietnamese parents on the same journey

Where it began

Eight years ago, our family welcomed our first child. Like many Vietnamese parents of this generation, I wanted my kid not just to speak Vietnamese well — but also to hear, speak, read, and write English as naturally as a mother tongue. Not for grades, not for showing off, but because I believed in what a second language opens up.

Five years later, our second arrived. Today the eight-year-old has just started primary school and is wrestling with a brand-new problem — keeping English alive while Vietnamese grade pressure ramps up; the three-year-old is mid "language explosion", blending Vietnamese and English every day in ways I never see coming.

Two kids, two stages, two completely different problems — and we're solving them in parallel. That experience of having to maintain and build at the same time is exactly what taught me there is no single bilingual formula across ages.

What we kept searching for

Across those eight years there were countless late nights typing into Google: "is bilingualism behind my toddler's late speech", "how to filter quality English YouTube channels for kids", "family-friendly English events in Saigon or Hanoi", "Vietnamese parents raising natural-bilingual kids".

The answers were scattered. The Vietnamese parenting community is huge and deeply engaged — but there wasn't a single place that pulled together the knowledge, the lived experience, and the actually-welcoming venues for bilingual families.

Why this site exists

Học Song Ngữwas born from those nights. It's not a business selling courses. It's a curated collection:

• Articles by developmental stage, from 0–12 months through primary school — written parent-to-parent, based on lived experience and grounded in credible research.
• Community placeswhere bilingual families actually gather — public English libraries, kids' bookstores, cultural centres with bilingual storytime.
• Hand-picked listening & viewing sources— YouTube channels, podcasts, and resources road-tested with the author's own children.

Raising a bilingual child is a long road, full of doubt and exhaustion. It's also full of small miracles. I hope this site makes you feel less alone on it.

Thank you for stopping by

If you have questions, a place to suggest, or just want to share your family's bilingual story — please write to us. The Vietnamese parenting community is stronger when each of us shares a small piece.