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German is one of the most difficult languages, if you want to speak it correctly. It is my native language. I have lived in the US for 3 years long ago and now live in Taiwan for more than 20 years, so I also speak Mandarin and some Vietnamese. But my French and Spanish have suffered. Reading is still ok, but active speaking takes days in the respective country before I get back into it. The most important thing when learning a foreign language is not to feel embarrassed when you make mistakes, especially in Asia people tend to laugh at foreigners' accents and mistakes. That is, of course, considered to be in bad taste in Europe and the US.
The most interesting aspects about the Sino-Tibetan languages (which include Mandarin and Vietnamese) is that they can almost completely do away with grammar. Downside is that the pronounciation is much more difficult. Perhaps Europeans like to build all those rules to live by, both in life and in language. Language reflects culture.
The best way to learn is to speak, listen, and read. Forget structured learning, except in the very beginning.
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