According to education experts, Vietnam faces a number of challenges in its goal to make English a second language in schools - chief among them, exam pressure.

Speaking on the current state of English teaching in public schools, Do Duc Lan, Deputy Director in charge of the Center for Development Cooperation (Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences), shared findings from a research project conducted in three locations: Tuyen Quang, Soc Trang, and Hanoi. The study involved 960 teachers and 1,440 students.

The results revealed that in rural areas, 30–40% of students were not confident in achieving basic English proficiency. “Their transcripts may show good grades, but many of them lack confidence in their English abilities,” Lan said.

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Do Duc Lan, Deputy Director, Center for Development Cooperation, Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences. Photo: Thanh Hung

Teachers also reported that only about 3–4% of students exceeded proficiency standards, around 50% met the minimum, and the rest were either near or below the benchmark.

In terms of school readiness, 40–50% of surveyed teachers said their schools only partially met the required conditions for effective English teaching. Just 25–27% believed the conditions were fully adequate.

Lan cited another national survey involving over 71,000 students, which found that nearly half (49%) experienced high levels of anxiety when taking English tests. Of these, 22% reported feeling “very anxious,” while 27% felt “quite anxious.” Around 30% said they were moderately anxious, only 21% felt comfortable, and just 6% reported no anxiety at all.

The research group concluded that several critical barriers remain, especially at the preschool level. One major issue is regional disparity: in some provinces, only 2–6% of children have access to introductory English programs.

Teacher shortages are also a significant concern. Many educators lack the required qualifications or certification, especially in disadvantaged areas. Hiring foreign teachers is further complicated by visa limitations. Meanwhile, public preschools are not allocated specific positions for English teachers and must rely on contract-based hiring. About 15% of teachers rated their own English skills as weak or relatively weak.

Infrastructure is another issue. Many schools lack specialized classrooms and must share spaces for English instruction. Tuition fees for English classes range from 50,000 to 1.35 million VND (approx. 2 to 55 USD) per child per month, making it difficult for low-income families to afford.

Lan also highlighted the lack of consistent evaluation of speaking and listening skills, often due to the absence of practical environments and equipment. “Exam-driven learning means students focus more on reading and writing, neglecting their communication skills,” he noted.

He added that students' English proficiency is highly uneven. Some teachers lack digital literacy, making it hard to find and use effective materials. Overcrowded classrooms and limited instructional time are also challenges to making English a second language in schools.

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Nguyen The Son, Deputy Director, General Department of Education, Ministry of Education and Training. Photo: Thanh Hung

MOET outlines roadmap for English reform

Nguyen The Son, Deputy Director of the General Department of Education (Ministry of Education and Training), emphasized that one of the core missions of the national proposal is to reform teaching methods and assessment systems.

The ministry plans to diversify testing formats to match the realities of English instruction and promote natural, practical language use within real-life contexts.

According to MOET estimates, achieving the goal will require approximately 12,000 additional English teachers at the preschool level - one per kindergarten. Nearly 10,000 more will be needed for primary schools, as English instruction will begin in Grade 1 instead of Grade 3 as currently practiced. Furthermore, at least 200,000 teachers will need to be trained to teach other subjects in English by 2030.

Addressing the teacher shortage, particularly in disadvantaged regions, Son said the ministry has issued various guidelines to help local authorities secure human resources. Solutions include adjusting teaching loads, implementing cross-school teaching models, expanding policies to attract foreign educators, and using contractual staff.

“The implementation must follow a roadmap aligned with each locality’s capacity,” Son said. “Local authorities need to thoroughly assess their resources - from infrastructure to teacher availability - to devise realistic deployment plans.”

Thanh Hung