Star basketball player on personal motivation to learn Vietnamese

Waale, also known as Dinh Khai Tam, answered a fan’s question about why he was unable to speak Vietnamese fluently despite growing up in Vietnam.

He has a Vietnamese mother and a Danish father. He lived in Vietnam before relocating to Denmark when he was in high school.

“I went to international schools when I was a kid and only spoke English,” Waale explained.

“I also talked to my parents in English at home.

“My mother tried to teach me Vietnamese, but I was too lazy to learn.”

The 24-year-old player said he later regretted it when he was unable to communicate with his grandparents when visiting them in northern Thai Nguyen Province during the Lunar New Year holiday.

“Even though I was never able to talk to my grandmother again after she passed away, I was determined to learn Vietnamese,” he said.

Tim Waale shares his motivation to learn Vietnamese on his Instagram account. Photo: VBA

Tuan Anh, the fan who asked Waale the question, thanked the player for his answer, saying that it is never too late to learn something.

“I really hope that you will be in the Vietnamese national basketball team one day. Good luck, Tim.”

Another fan said he will communicate with Waale in Vietnamese more often to help him practice.

Waale has participated in the VBA pro basketball league since its first season in 2016.

The 1.93-meter-tall player and other members of Saigon Heat won the championship title in three consecutive seasons in 2019, 2020, and 2022.

He is widely considered one of the best athletes in the league and won the Block of the Year title at the VBA 2022.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

The post Star basketball player on personal motivation to learn Vietnamese appeared first on Vietexplorer.com.

View more from VietExplorer:

Lonely Planet names top eight national parks in Vietnam
First VinGroup smart e-buses hit the streets
Mobile military hospital at East Sea
Foreign merchants register to purchase lychees in Vietnam
Fitch Ratings upgrades PetroVietnam’s outlook to ‘positive’
Remarkable tour packages offered Reunification Day and Labor Day holidays
Book space “Tia Sang” spreads reading culture
Exhibition introduces beauty of Vietnam’s old features
Tourism stimulating activities launched in Quang Ninh’s border district
Ba Vi Tourism Festival – Highlight of Hanoi’s suburban tourism
Two famous prisons in Southern Vietnam
Top 8 impressive National Parks in Vietnam
This Tay ethnic entrepreneur made a fortune from ‘shan tuyet’ tea
Top Vietnamese models walking international runway
Homemade recipe for ‘Bun Bo Hue’ (Hue style beef noodle soup) with popular ingredients
Building travelers’ trust
Hanoi capital among 10 most popular destinations in 2021: Tripadvisor
Wildflowers – Chu Dang Ya Volcano Week opens in Gia Lai
Quang Ninh kick-starts Yen Tu autumn spiritual tourism festival
Hanoi Library to organize book festival