Curing lisp LN: Many creative methods in schools in Hung Yen

Photo caption — In the 2025-2026 school year, Thien Duc Kindergarten (Pho Hien Ward, Hung Yen Province) has implemented the topic "Standard Pronunciation - Good Speaking - Expressiveness" with many rich and creative forms. Photo: The Duyet/VNA

Despite many difficulties, with the support of families, schools and society, this Plan does not stop at the movement but moves towards a further goal of preserving the purity of the Vietnamese language as well as strengthening the language foundation for future generations.

Many creative ways

The situation of students or even adults confusing the pronunciation and spelling of the two initial consonants L and N is not only a problem of Hung Yen but also quite common in many localities. Right from the beginning of the school year, the Department of Education and Training of Hung Yen province issued Plan 878-KH/SGDĐT dated September 10, 2025 on "Overcoming the situation of confusing the pronunciation of the two initial consonants LN for cadres and teachers; the situation of confusing the pronunciation and spelling of the two initial consonants LN for students in preschools, general education institutions, vocational education centers - continuing education in the province in the period 2025-2030", considering this as one of the key tasks of this school year and the following years. The province sets a target that in the 2025-2026 period, 80% of staff and teachers will be able to correct pronunciation errors and 50% of students will not make pronunciation or spelling mistakes with the two consonants L and N; in the 2027-2030 period, 100% of staff and teachers in educational institutions will pronounce correctly and pronounce correctly; 80% of students will be able to correct pronunciation and spelling mistakes with the two initial consonants LN.

Immediately after the Plan was issued, especially the thematic workshop with the participation of more than 41,000 managers, teachers and over 1,500 connecting points across the province with language experts, educational institutions in the area urgently realized it with specific topics and programs.

This school year, Hien Nam Primary School (Pho Hien Ward, Hung Yen) has 1,116 students with 29 classes and 46 staff and teachers. Ms. Nguyen Thi Tham, Principal of the school, said that in previous school years, the school focused on training all students to speak and write correctly. In the 2025-2026 school year, after the Department of Education and Training issued Plan No. 878, this activity continued to be widely promoted to parents and was considered the main activity in the school's teaching and learning.

Not only organizing educational activities in the classroom, the school has organized exciting competitive activities such as pronunciation competitions at the beginning of the week, helping students practice correct pronunciation and writing. In particular, on the occasion of the Vietnamese Teachers' Day November 20 this year, the school will organize a teaching competition "Reading correctly, writing correctly" for students and teachers. Accordingly, each class will choose 3 students, each group will choose 1 teacher to compete at the school level.

During the Vietnamese lesson of class 2E, Ms. Le Thi Thanh Thuy guided students to read aloud each sentence containing single words with the consonant NL and long sentences with two consonants interspersed. The rate of students mispronouncing words was very low, showing the efforts of her and her students to practice reading and writing every day for over a month.

Teacher Le Thi Thanh Thuy shared that to correct pronunciation and spelling errors of confusing the two initial consonants L and N, teachers use the method of starting from listening to identify the two standard consonants, then instruct students to position their tongues, read single words with L, N, combine them, then practice short sentences, long sentences and expand into paragraphs. According to Ms. Thuy, communication to raise parents' awareness is especially important, because only when there is coordination and companionship from school to family, students' reading and writing correctly will be more effective and thorough. On that basis, after school hours, Ms. Thuy distributes reading sheets to students, then they will practice reading at home with the guidance of parents and send back videos for her to comment and edit.

Ms. Luu Thi Tuoi (Pho Hien Ward) has children studying in grades 1 and 5 at Hien Nam Primary School. She said that in the past, her two children also confused the initial consonants L and N. To correct their mistakes, along with studying at school, when they come home, the family proactively detects when their children speak incorrectly and guides them to repeat correctly. She also regularly uses the Vietnamese Dictionary and reads to her children about the consonants L and N, and explains the meaning of the words so that her children can enrich their vocabulary. By doing this, Ms. Tuoi's children's mistakes in pronunciation and spelling have improved significantly.

Create a solid foundation

Correcting pronunciation mistakes has not only become a core educational activity organized at all levels of general education, but also at preschool level - the first and most important level in language formation, practicing correct pronunciation is also given special attention.

At Thien Duc Kindergarten (Pho Hien Ward), the lessons of teachers and 5-year-old students through the corners "Children practice speaking well" and "Children practice speaking correctly" become more useful and attractive through poems, familiar stories and vivid visual images. This is also a creative way when the school implements Plan No. 878 of the Department of Education and Training of Hung Yen province.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hung, Principal of Thien Duc Kindergarten, shared that each word, each standard pronunciation of children, especially in the period from 0 to 6 years old, is the "golden stage" for language formation, the beginning step of thinking, communication and personality. When children are trained to pronounce correctly, they learn to think coherently and confidently express themselves. Realizing this, with the educational perspective of "Nurturing beautiful words - Building a solid personality foundation", in recent years, the school has always prioritized training in standard speaking and pronunciation right from when children start going to school at 18 months old.

In the 2025-2026 school year, Thien Duc Kindergarten has implemented the topic "Standard pronunciation - Good speaking - Expressiveness" with many rich and creative forms; in which, teachers are trained in mouth shape techniques, individual error correction methods, combined with language games, songs and storytelling poems.

For students, the activities are designed to be gentle, close, "learning while playing, playing while learning" such as practicing speaking in the mirror, reading poetry with the teacher, with friends or distinguishing sounds through puzzle games, listening and guessing words. The provision of materials related to the initial consonant LN is designed creatively, suitable for each age. For children from 18 months old, teaching speaking along with standard pronunciation is shown through single words, visual images, easy to remember. Preschool age is upgraded through familiar poems and folk songs related to these consonants.

The principal of Thien Duc Kindergarten said that during the implementation process, the school also encountered some difficulties such as regional pronunciation habits, differences in local accents, or children's shyness. However, with the school's efforts, combined with the families and students, and the most intimate approaches, up to now, more than 70% of the school's children have more standard pronunciation than before, receiving positive feedback from parents.

In the 2025-2026 school year, Hung Yen province has over 753,000 students with nearly 500 preschools, 719 general education facilities and a widespread system of continuing education and vocational education centers. According to Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Hung Yen Ha Thi Thu Phuong, correcting pronunciation and spelling errors in confusing the first two consonants LN is not only a movement but also a regular and continuous task of schools. In just a short time of implementation, many schools have had good, creative and practical ways of doing things, initially creating positive changes for students, teachers as well as awareness and companionship of families and society. Many educational institutions have organized collective activities at the flag-raising ceremony at the beginning of the week or extracurricular activities, inviting parents to participate; Many schools integrate AI technology into their classes and lessons, and use it to compose songs and poems, integrating it into lessons teaching the consonants L and N. For teachers, the school has organized professional activities, creating conditions for teachers to voluntarily, actively, and enthusiastically practice their own language.

The synchronous and drastic efforts of the Hung Yen Education sector, together with the active support of parents and the community, are gradually creating a solid foundation for preserving the purity of the Vietnamese language. This is also an important asset for Hung Yen students to be confident, dynamic, intelligent, and have a deep understanding of Vietnamese culture and language through standard pronunciation.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/giao-duc/chua-ngong-ln-nhieu-cach-lam-sang-tao-trong-truong-hoc-o-hung-yen-20251017142109684.htm