Factors Affecting English Majored Freshmen’s Speaking Performance in a University in the Mekong Delta – Viet Nam

Speaking is one of the most crucial and challenging skills to master in learning English. As a consequence, learners regularly encounter difficulties that restrict their ability to speak English. For this reason, this study was carried out to find out factors that affected the English-speaking performance of English majored freshmen at a university in Can Tho City. The participants were recruited from 80 English majored freshmen at a university in the Mekong Delta, Viet Nam. Three instruments including the questionnaire, the paper-based interview, and the observation were used to collect the data. The found factors accounted for vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, background knowledge, psychological issues (lack of motivation, fear of making mistakes, and lack of confidence), learning environment, and lack of practice time. Based on these results, further recommendations were made for both EFL students and teachers.