Vietnam Embraces Korean Proficiency Test for University Admissions

A Historic Recognition for Korean Language Education

Vietnam has taken a decisive step in formalizing the status of the Korean language within its national education framework. The Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam issued a ministerial decision on January 12, 2026, officially recognizing the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) as a valid credential for university admissions. This policy, which takes effect for the 2026 examination cycle, makes Vietnam only the second jurisdiction outside South Korea to integrate TOPIK into its higher education entrance system, following the adoption in Hong Kong in 2025.

The timing aligns with the annual academic calendar of Vietnam. Since the national high school graduation examination occurs in late June, students sitting for the 2026 exam will be the first cohort eligible to apply TOPIK scores toward their university applications. Those entering tertiary institutions in September 2026 will benefit from streamlined admissions processes that acknowledge their Korean language abilities as equivalent to traditional foreign language examination results.

This development represents more than administrative convenience. Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin framed the decision as evidence of the ascending global status of the Korean language and the growing credibility of the test.

The ministry will continue to work closely with governments around the world to promote Korean language education overseas and provide full support for its expansion.

The recognition places TOPIK alongside other major international standardized tests that Vietnam has embraced in recent years. The country has steadily expanded its participation in global assessment frameworks, including partnerships with the College Board to offer SAT, PSAT, and AP examinations for students seeking admission to universities in the United States and other countries. This latest addition reflects the strategic positioning of Vietnam as a hub for multilingual education and international academic mobility.

How the New Policy Transforms Vietnam’s Exam System

The university admissions system of Vietnam centers on the High School Graduation Examination, a nationwide assessment analogous to the College Scholastic Ability Test of South Korea. Under this rigorous system, students must demonstrate competency in four distinct subjects to qualify for tertiary education. Mathematics and Vietnamese literature serve as mandatory foundations, while students select two additional subjects from a pool of nine electives that includes foreign languages, history, geography, physics, chemistry, biology, and technology education.

The new TOPIK integration fundamentally alters how students satisfy foreign language requirements. Previously, Vietnamese students selecting Korean as their foreign language elective faced the burden of taking a separate Korean language examination administered at graduation exam sites. Under the revised structure, students achieving Level 3 or higher on TOPIK receive exemption from one elective subject entirely. Their converted TOPIK scores will count directly toward their official graduation examination results.

Level 3 proficiency indicates intermediate Korean capabilities, where test-takers can handle daily social situations and perform basic workplace communication with reasonable accuracy. This standard ensures that exempted students possess genuine functional language skills rather than merely academic test-taking abilities. The conversion formula allows students to substitute their standardized test performance for the traditional examination component, effectively reducing their testing burden while maintaining rigorous assessment standards.

This exemption offers strategic advantages for university preparation. By validating TOPIK scores earned prior to the June examination period, the policy allows students to focus preparation time on other subjects or reduce their overall examination load. The foreign language options within the graduation exam of Vietnam already include English, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Russian, and Korean. Among these, Korean now offers the unique advantage of international standardization through TOPIK recognition.

Economic Ties and Employment Demand Drive Language Popularity

The elevation of Korean to a primary foreign language status in Vietnam reflects tangible economic realities rather than merely cultural enthusiasm. South Korean corporate investment has transformed the industrial landscape of Vietnam, with conglomerates including Hyundai Motor Company and POSCO establishing substantial manufacturing and operational bases throughout the country. This economic presence generates sustained demand for bilingual professionals capable of bridging communication between Vietnamese workforces and Korean management structures.

Employment market data reveals the practical value of Korean language skills in the economy of Vietnam. Positions requiring Korean proficiency frequently command wage premiums through language allowances, creating direct financial incentives for students to pursue rigorous language study. Companies seek Korean-speaking workers across diverse functional areas including interpretation, sales, quality control, procurement, and labor management. As Korean firms continue expanding production capacity in Vietnam, human resource requirements for bilingual employees show consistent growth trajectories.

The economic imperative extends beyond immediate employment into long-term career development. As Korean firms localize operations and promote Vietnamese staff into management positions requiring liaison with headquarters, Korean language competency becomes a prerequisite for advancement rather than merely an entry-level advantage. This career trajectory visibility motivates secondary school students to invest significant study hours in achieving TOPIK Level 3 or higher, knowing that linguistic investment yields measurable returns in the labor market.

The sustained high volume of TOPIK test-takers demonstrates that students view Korean proficiency as a career development investment. Vietnam hosted 85,896 TOPIK candidates in 2025, representing 15.2 percent of all global applicants and ranking as the largest source of overseas candidates. This figure reflects deliberate preparation for employment advantages rather than casual interest in Korean culture alone.

Vietnam’s Role in the Global Expansion of Korean Language Education

The policy decision of Vietnam arrives amid unprecedented international growth in Korean language education. Korean classes now operate in 2,777 elementary, middle, and high schools across 47 countries, engaging approximately 235,000 students in formal curricula. Twenty-four nations have designated Korean as an official second foreign language within their national education systems, while eleven countries now incorporate Korean language assessment into university admissions criteria.

The scale of Vietnamese participation stands out within this global context. With 169 schools currently offering Korean language instruction and 33,271 enrolled students as of 2025, Vietnam maintains one of the most developed infrastructures for Korean education among Southeast Asian nations. This educational foundation developed rapidly following the 2020 decision to introduce Korean as an optional foreign language, subsequently elevated to primary foreign language status and inclusion in the national high school graduation examination by 2021.

Institutional cooperation between Vietnamese and Korean universities has prepared the groundwork for this national policy. Since 2019, institutions such as the University of Economics and Finance in Ho Chi Minh City have collaborated with Korean partners including Wonkwang Health Science University to offer intensive TOPIK preparation courses. These programs, often provided without charge to students, included instruction from Korean faculty and served as precursors to establishing King Sejong Institutes, official Korean language and cultural centers sponsored by the South Korean government.

Student mobility statistics reinforce the depth of Vietnam-Korea educational ties. Approximately 75,144 Vietnamese students enrolled in South Korean universities in 2025, placing Vietnam second only to China among source countries for international enrollment. This substantial student flow creates feedback loops that strengthen language education demand, as returning graduates demonstrate the practical benefits of Korean proficiency to younger cohorts considering their educational options.

The global ranking of Korean as a foreign language has risen dramatically. According to language learning platform Duolingo, Korean now ranks as the sixth most-studied language worldwide, following English, Spanish, French, Japanese, and German. This positions Korean ahead of traditionally dominant languages such as Italian and Portuguese in terms of global learner interest, a remarkable ascent given that Korean was rarely taught outside Korean communities just three decades ago.

Rigorous Standards Ensure Test Integrity

The credibility enabling the policy recognition of Vietnam stems partly from stringent administration protocols governing TOPIK examinations within the country. Unlike some international assessments that rely entirely on local proctors, TOPIK administrations in Vietnam operate under direct supervision from central administrators dispatched by Korean Education Centers located in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. These Korean officials coordinate with local law enforcement, deploying police personnel at test sites to prevent misconduct and maintain examination security comparable to domestic South Korean standards.

This security infrastructure addresses concerns that have historically complicated the recognition of foreign examinations within national education systems. By demonstrating consistent administration integrity across international contexts, the National Institute for International Education has established TOPIK as a reliable metric for academic assessment. Officials of the Vietnamese education system specifically cited recognition of the examination administration standards and score reliability as factors influencing their decision to grant TOPIK equivalent status within the graduation examination framework.

The standardization extends to scoring criteria used by Korean universities. Institutions such as Yeungnam University and Kyungil University require TOPIK Level 3 for general undergraduate admission, with some programs accepting Level 2 for arts and physical education majors. These thresholds align with the educational objectives of Vietnam for foreign language competency, ensuring that students exempted from the national examination possess qualifications transferable to Korean higher education institutions.

Strategic Implications for Bilateral Relations

Beyond immediate educational logistics, the TOPIK recognition of Vietnam signals deepening institutional alignment between the two nations. The policy reduces friction in academic mobility, allowing Vietnamese students to present standardized credentials recognizable across Korean universities without requiring additional entrance examinations specific to individual institutions. While many Korean universities previously required their own proprietary Korean tests or accepted various language institute certificates, the national recognition of Vietnam of official TOPIK streamlines preparation pathways for prospective students.

Universities like Korea National University of Arts already utilize TOPIK as a primary metric for scholarship programs such as the AMA+ initiative, which provides full tuition coverage, monthly stipends, and airfare for qualified international students. While these specialized programs sometimes supplement TOPIK with additional internal assessments, the standardized test serves as the foundational eligibility requirement. The new policy of Vietnam thus prepares students more efficiently for such opportunities by aligning secondary education assessment with tertiary admission requirements.

The decision also positions Vietnam within broader trends of educational internationalization. As Vietnamese students increasingly pursue higher education abroad, whether in South Korea, the United States (where SAT scores are accepted at institutions including Vietnam National University Hanoi and Foreign Trade University), or other destinations, the integration of internationally recognized assessments into domestic graduation requirements reflects strategic adaptation to global academic standards. This approach allows Vietnamese graduates to compete effectively in international labor markets while maintaining rigorous domestic educational standards.

What to Know

• The Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam formally recognized TOPIK scores for university admissions starting January 12, 2026, making Vietnam the second jurisdiction after Hong Kong to adopt this policy.
• Students achieving Level 3 or higher on TOPIK will be exempt from one elective subject in the High School Graduation Examination of Vietnam, with converted scores applying directly to university applications.
• The policy affects students entering universities in September 2026, following the national graduation examination scheduled for late June 2026.
• Vietnam hosted 85,896 TOPIK candidates in 2025, the largest overseas testing population globally, representing 15.2 percent of all international applicants.
• Approximately 75,144 Vietnamese students currently study in South Korea, ranking Vietnam as the second-largest source country for international students after China.
• Korean language education in Vietnam expanded from optional status in 2020 to primary foreign language status in 2021, with 169 schools now offering instruction to over 33,000 students.
• TOPIK examinations in Vietnam operate under supervision from Korean Education Centers in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, with local police deployment ensuring test security.
• Twenty-four countries worldwide have adopted Korean as an official second foreign language, with eleven nations including it in university admissions systems.