IELTS Speaking – a natural place you have visited that impressed you

Unfortunately, yes. I live in Hanoi, and air pollution has become a serious problem, especially in winter, when the smog can be quite thick. On bad days, I check an air-quality app before going out and wear a mask. Noise pollution is also an issue, because the streets are packed with motorbikes from early morning until late at night.

I try to do my bit, although I'm far from perfect. For example, I always carry a reusable water bottle and a cloth bag, so I don't need to buy plastic ones. I also separate my rubbish at home. They're small steps, but I think if enough people make these changes, they can really add up.

At this stage of my life, I'd probably choose the city. There are far more job opportunities, and I love having cafés, cinemas and bookshops on my doorstep. That said, whenever I visit my grandparents in the countryside, I really appreciate the fresh air and the slower pace of life. Maybe I'll move somewhere quieter when I'm older.

The place I'd like to describe is Ha Long Bay, in the north-east of Vietnam. It's famous for its thousands of limestone islands rising out of emerald-green water, and it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so I'm sure many people have heard of it. I went there about two summers ago with my family. We'd been planning the trip for months, because it was the first time all of us, including my grandparents, could take time off together. We booked a small boat tour and spent a night on the bay, which turned out to be the highlight of the whole holiday. During the day, we sailed between the islands, stopped to explore a huge cave full of stalactites, and went kayaking through narrow channels between the rocks. My younger brother and I also tried swimming off the side of the boat, although the water was colder than I expected. In the evening, we sat on the deck, ate fresh seafood and watched the sun go down behind the islands. The reason it impressed me so much is the sheer scale and beauty of the landscape. Photos really don't do it justice. When you're actually there, surrounded by those towering rocks and complete silence, you feel incredibly small, in a good way. I also remember waking up early the next morning, when there was mist over the water, and it looked almost magical. At the same time, I noticed some plastic floating near the shore, which made me realise how fragile places like this are. So it left me with a sense of wonder, but also a feeling that we need to take better care of them.

In Vietnam, I'd say the most pressing issue is air pollution in big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, mainly caused by traffic, construction and industry. Another major problem is plastic waste, which ends up in rivers and eventually the ocean. And of course, as a country with a long coastline, we're particularly vulnerable to climate change. The Mekong Delta, for instance, is already suffering from rising sea levels and saltwater intrusion, which threatens farmers' livelihoods. These problems are interconnected, so I think they need to be tackled together rather than one at a time.

I'd argue it has to be a shared responsibility, but governments should take the lead. The truth is that individual actions, like recycling or using less plastic, are important, yet they can only achieve so much. The biggest sources of pollution are usually industries and energy systems, and only governments have the power to regulate them, for example by introducing carbon taxes or investing in public transport. At the same time, policies only work if people actually support them. So ideally, governments set the rules and provide the infrastructure, while individuals change their everyday habits.

I think it will, eventually, but probably not as quickly as many people hope. Solar and wind power have become much cheaper over the last decade, and in some countries they're already the cheapest source of new electricity. However, there are still challenges, such as storing energy for when the sun isn't shining. Many economies are also heavily dependent on coal and oil, so the transition will take time and money. My guess is that fossil fuels will gradually be phased out over the next few decades rather than disappearing overnight.