Why we’re called Bilo
Bilo (say “BEE-loh”) comes from bilingual — two languages, and a bridge between the people who speak them.
A short name for two languages
We wanted a name that is short, easy to say in both English and Vietnamese, and hints at what we do. “Bilo” is two syllables, sounds friendly in any accent and carries the idea of bilingual. We start with Vietnamese and English, and more languages will follow.
Meet Bilo the myna
Our mascot is a myna bird — chim sáo in Vietnamese. Mynas can copy human voices, and learning a language starts the same way: listen, repeat, then speak. The myna is familiar to every Vietnamese and a little surprising to everyone else. Bilo’s wing tips have two colours, one for each language, and his yellow beak and eye ring share our accent colour.
Bilo’s story
In a village by the river lived a little myna called Bilo. Bilo could copy every sound: the putter of the boats, the bánh mì seller’s call, even the children’s laughter. But Bilo only repeated — he never understood what he was saying.
One day a traveller from far away came to the village. He wanted to ask the way to the ferry, but nobody understood him. Bilo could echo every word — “Where is the boat?” — yet it didn’t help at all. For the first time, Bilo felt that being able to say something wasn’t enough.
So Bilo began to learn a little each day: a new word in the early morning, a short sentence in the evening. Listen, repeat, get it wrong, say it again. Slowly he understood that “boat” is “đò” and “thank you” is “cảm ơn”. Bilo became a bridge between the villagers and the guests from afar.
Now Bilo flies everywhere looking for people who want to learn, just like he once did, and tells them one thing: speak up — mistakes are fine, a little every day is enough.
What Bilo believes
Learning a language starts with daring to speak. A little every day, and every mistake is part of learning — so Bilo never scolds; he tilts his head and says “let’s try again”.
“Say it, learn it — a little every day.”
Practise it out loud with Bilo
Five-minute lessons, audio for every word, speaking practice and smart review — on the web and on your phone.