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 caught the internet’s attention with his skills beyond his years. Although he just finished 4th grade, Nam Long already has 3 years of experience programming in Scratch, Python, and C# Unity. On top of that, he speaks English fluently with native-like pronunciation. His TOEIC score of 900 has impressed many adults.
Behind Nam Long’s outstanding success is his dad, Nguyen Binh Nam, director of a digital transformation consulting firm in Ho Chi Minh City. Mr. Nam describes himself as a patient father who has personally taught his son since he was little.
Started teaching programming and English since preschool, using a method of not answering questions immediately
Nam Long is a curious boy who often asks questions. Because of this, Mr. Nam says teaching programming and English to his son happened naturally. Seeing his son’s interest in new languages, he started teaching him English from preschool.
“Nam Long asks hundreds of questions a day across many topics. Instead of answering everything right away, 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 of any solutions yet?’ I wait for him to think it through, then guide him to one or two possible answers instead of giving him the solution immediately,” Mr. Nam explained.
Mr. Nam also developed tailored teaching methods for his son. Starting around age 2 or 3, when language skills begin developing, he introduced various learning approaches like counting forwards and backwards. He focused on two thinking styles: logical and linguistic.
“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 regularly. In the evenings after school and work, we chat for 3-4 hours. I teach him new words, figurative meanings, and we play English word chain games. These approaches help Nam Long develop both logical and language skills, building a strong foundation for well-rounded growth.”
Mr. Nam revealed that Nam Long is very smart and asks questions across many fields.
Regarding language development, Mr. Nam emphasizes the importance of reflex skills and the surrounding environment, including teachers and friends.
“Learning English should follow natural reflexes: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Many parents focus too much on grammar and reading but neglect listening and speaking. I believe this is a mistake because kids need to listen a lot first to develop thinking skills in sentences. Once they get used to it, they will naturally speak and write,” he shared.
The environment is also crucial. Mr. Nam says if parents don’t immerse themselves in the same language, watch the same programs, or use the same learning materials as their kids, they can’t truly connect or communicate. Despite being busy, he always tries to create a learning environment at home. His office walls are covered with English animal names to help Nam Long learn vocabulary and encourage him to speak English whenever he enters the room.
Combining English and programming skills, by 1st grade Nam Long was already able to write a half-page game guide entirely in English. He also amazed his dad by completing a game project in just two days.
“One day, I opened a Scratch programming website and after about 10 minutes of teaching, he explored on his own using YouTube. Just two days later, Nam Long showed me his first game,” Mr. Nam proudly recalled.
At just 10, Nam Long has received 6 internship offers from Vietnam’s top programming companies
Besides improving his programming, Mr. Nam arranged for Nam Long to teach programming to three kids from Australia, France, and Canada. This not only exposed him to peers worldwide but also helped him pick up new languages from friends his age.
“The kids in France speak French better than English, so I told Nam Long to learn from them. Most classes are relaxed and interactive, which makes my wife and me very happy. Watching our son grow every day is truly amazing.”
Besides studying, Nam Long also teaches programming to three friends from Australia, France, and Canada.
Recently, the family proudly announced that Nam Long received about six internship offers from leading companies. They chose a blockchain game programming company ranked top 3 in Vietnam. Mr. Nam shared:
“Nam Long will join a project currently in the ideation phase and start programming next week. He’s assigned to an 8-person team, quite professional. He will support game design and programming. Since I’m not sure about his skills yet, I asked the CEO and project managers to assign him simple tasks first. If he does well, they will give him more complex programming tasks.”
Mr. Nam feels incredibly proud that his son was accepted as an intern by six of Vietnam’s biggest programming companies.
When asked about pressures Nam Long might face growing up, Mr. Nam said he and his wife closely support him to shield him from outside stress.
“I told him, ‘Success before 30 comes with risks and uncertainty. At your age and with what you’ve done, your parents will guide you with the best options.’ I also shared stories of early success followed by failure, advising him not to be complacent but to keep working hard. Our family also teaches him not to overestimate himself or put others down.
Nam Long dreams of a career in management, so I prioritize letting him freely explore what he enjoys to grow at his own pace.”
Besides studying and working, Mr. Nam regularly encourages his son to learn soft skills and stay active with badminton, table tennis, and swimming. He also ensures Nam Long has enough rest.
The Nam family often takes trips across Vietnam together to enrich their experiences.
Mr. Nam hopes other parents can find the right teaching methods to create a well-rounded environment for their children from the start.
Photo: NVCC
