We extend our congratulations to Chi Anh (Amber) Ta, a 8th-grade student at Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on becoming an Ambassador for the Vietnam Nationwide Public Forum Debate Club, founded and develoved by Vietnam Public Forum Academy – an organization recognized by ISDI (Harvard and University of Kentucky Debate/TOC) and invited Speaker at the ASEAN Youth Volunteer Forum 2025.
Let us hear from Amber herself sharing her thoughts:
“Hi, I’m Chi Anh (Amber) and I’m currently an 8th Grader at Tran Dai Mghia High School for the Gifted. With the hopes of becoming a new Ambassador of the Vietnam Nationwide Public Forum Debate Club, I am truly grateful for this opportunity.
From my very first days debating in PF, I noticed early on that PF requires heavy preparation and emphasized the constant need for valid evidence which is rather uncommon in other formats. Yet PF still ensures an equal or even more complex level of creativity and analytical thinking. And so, PF remains my preferred and strongest format.
I believe that it is cliché to remark that PF helps with public speaking, critical thinking, time-management, and team-work as this is applied to all debate formats. To me, PF incorporates psychological elements as well. I want to spread the mental challenge of PF to a wider audience and urge debaters to not just step out of their comfort zone but to break free from it.
In reality, debating is stressful and creating an entirely positive and healthily competitive environment is difficult.
Being an Ambassador, my goal is to create a space where debaters don’t back from their fears but instead face them head on even when their doubts interfere. I hope that my role as Ambassador can help create a more reputable and inclusive debate culture.
On a closing note, I am again truly honored to be considered a new Ambassador of the Vietnam Nationwide Public Forum Debate Club,” said Amber.
We wish Amber every success in her mission as an Ambassador, aiming to expand access to free Public Forum debate among young people in Ho Chi MInh City and across the entire country.