English is considered to be one of the most popular languages in the world. In Vietnam, with the changes and the developments of the economy and society, as well as the implementation of the open- door policy, English has been used more and more widely both by the young and the old and it has been the most popular foreign language. English also occupied a specially important status in the development of international relationship in Vietnam. More importantly, English has been influenced on our education curriculum as a compulsory subject. It is known that, in learning a foreign language in general, and English in particular, the knowledge and mastery of vocabulary play an extremely important role. Pyles and Algeo (1970) noted that: “When we first think about the language, we think about words. It is words that we arrange together to make sentences, conversations and discourse of all kind”. In fact, vocabulary is the element that links the four skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing all together. In order to communicate well in a foreign language, students should acquire an adequate number of words and should know how to use them accurately. However, both teachers and learners have faced many difficulties in English teaching and learning, especially in teaching and learning vocabulary. It seems difficult for teachers to apply the suitable way to teach learners.

In the context of Thanh Hoa Teachers’ Training School (THTTS), students with Vocational Training level are taught English as a compulsory subject. And students of Information Technology start learning IT English at the beginning of the second year. The short period is mainly aimed at improving reading and translating skills. However, with limited knowledge of vocabulary and English grammar, it is difficult for them to study English for IT, especially in reading and translating exercises. They often learn vocabulary passively through their teachers’ explanation, It is hard for them to memorize new words. Thus, it requires a great deal of help from teachers.