At 10 years old, most kids are still carefree, focused on school, meals, and sleep, with few expectations beyond that.
But recently, a 10-year-old boy named Nam Long from Ho Chi Minh City has wowed the internet with skills way beyond his age. Though only finishing 4th grade, he already has 3 years of experience programming in Scratch, Python, and C# Unity. On top of that, Long speaks English fluently with native-like pronunciation. His TOEIC score of 900 has impressed many adults.
Behind Nam Long’s outstanding success is the close guidance of his dad, Nguyen Binh Nam, who is the director of a digital transformation consulting company in Ho Chi Minh City. Mr. Nam describes himself as a very patient dad who has personally taught his son since he was little.
Started teaching programming and English in preschool, using a method that encourages problem-solving instead of giving immediate answers
Nam Long is a curious boy who asks lots of questions. Because of this, Mr. Nam’s approach to teaching programming and English has been very natural. Seeing his son’s interest in new languages, he began teaching him English as early as preschool.
“Nam Long loves asking questions. He can ask me hundreds a day on all kinds of topics. But instead of answering every question, I encourage him to explore and solve problems on his own.
When he asks, ‘Dad, how do I do this?’ I reply, ‘Have you thought about any solutions yet?’ I wait for him to think and research, then I guide him to option one or two, but I don’t just give him the answer right away,” Mr. Nam explained.
Mr. Nam also developed tailored teaching methods for his son. When Long was around 2 to 3 years old, the age when language skills start to develop, he introduced various learning approaches like counting forwards and backwards. He focused on two types of thinking: logical and language-based.
“For logical thinking, I use visual aids like tree diagrams and flowcharts so he can better understand and remember concepts.
For language thinking, I talk with him a lot. In the evenings, after school and work, we chat for 3 to 4 hours. I teach him new words, idioms, and we play English word chain games. These approaches help Long develop both logical and language skills, building a strong foundation for well-rounded growth.”
Mr. Nam revealed that Long is very intelligent and asks questions across many fields.
When it comes to language development, Mr. Nam emphasizes the importance of reflex skills and the child’s environment, including teachers and friends.
“Learning English should follow natural human reflexes: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. I’ve noticed many parents focus too much on grammar and reading, neglecting listening and speaking. That’s a mistake because kids need to listen a lot first to develop thinking skills in sentences. Once they get used to it, they’ll naturally speak and write,” he shared.
The environment is also key. Mr. Nam says if parents don’t immerse themselves in the same language sources or watch the same educational materials with their kids, they can’t truly connect or communicate. Despite being busy, he always creates a learning environment at home. His office walls are covered with English animal names to help Long practice speaking and build the habit of using English when entering the room.
Combining English learning with programming, by first grade Nam Long was already able to write a half-page game guide entirely in English. He even amazed his dad by completing a game project in just two days.
“One day, I just opened a Scratch programming website and taught him for about 10 minutes. Then he started exploring on YouTube by himself. Two days later, Long showed me his first game,” Mr. Nam proudly recalled.
Nam Long has received 6 internship offers from Vietnam’s top programming companies
Besides improving his programming skills, Mr. Nam also arranged for Long to teach programming to three kids in Australia, France, and Canada. This gave Long exposure to peers worldwide and helped him pick up new languages from his friends.
“The kids in France speak French better than English, so I told Long to learn some French from them. Most of the lessons are casual chats, and my wife and I are happy to see our son growing every day. It’s truly amazing,” he said.
Besides learning, Nam Long also teaches programming to three friends in Australia, France, and Canada.
Recently, Mr. Nam proudly shared that Long received about six internship offers from top programming companies in Vietnam. The family chose a blockchain game development company ranked in the top three nationwide. Talking about this exciting news, Mr. Nam said:
“Long will join a project currently in the idea phase and start programming next week. He’s assigned to an 8-person team, quite professional. He’ll support game design and programming. Since I can’t fully judge his skills yet, I asked the CEO and project manager to first give him some simple tasks. If he handles those well, they’ll assign more complex programming tasks.”
Mr. Nam feels extremely proud that his son got internship offers from six of Vietnam’s biggest programming companies.
When asked about the pressures Long might face growing up, Mr. Nam said he and his wife closely support him to shield him from public scrutiny as much as possible.
“I told Long that early success before 30 comes with risks and uncertainties. At his age, with what he’s achieved, we’ll provide the best options for him. I also shared stories of early success that ended in failure, advising him not to be complacent but to keep working hard. Our family teaches him not to overestimate himself or belittle others.
Long dreams of working in management, so I prioritize letting him freely explore what he loves to grow at his own pace.”
Besides studying and working, Mr. Nam regularly encourages Long to learn soft skills and stay active with badminton, table tennis, and swimming. He also carefully manages his schedule to ensure enough rest.
The family often takes trips across Vietnam together to gain new experiences.
Mr. Nam hopes other parents can find the right teaching methods to create a well-rounded environment for their children from the very start.
Photo: NVCC
