Spoken language production is often considered one of the most difficult aspects of language learning (Brown & Yule, 1983). In reality, many language learners find it difficult to express themselves in spoken language in the target language. Each student has their own problems. The purpose of this study was to investigate the speaking problems of the students at Le Thanh Hien High School and the factors affecting their speaking performance. The subjects of the study were two hundred and three grade 11 students and ten teachers of English. The research instruments used in this study were questionnaires and class observation. Based on the research findings some recommendations were made. The study was expected to help students improve their performance in speaking classes. Keywords: Communicative competence, speaking performance, speaking problems. INTRODUCTION Speaking seems to be the most important skills of all the four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) because people who know a language are usually referred to as speakers of that language (Ur, 1996). The major goal of all English language teaching should be to give learners the ability to use English effectively, accurately in communication (Davies & Pearse, 1998). However, not all language learners after many years studying English can communicate fluently and accurately because they lack necessary knowledge