So you did not just "learn vi by just using vi". You have also used a browser, google, and tutorials found by google. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact congratulation on learning vi! But sadly your example does not illustrate that one can "learn vi by just using vi".
If you just launch vim it tells you the basics of how to use it, and how to get more help. So it's definitely possible to learn it without external resources.
