Vietnam Plans Compulsory English From Grade 1 by 2030 as Parents Question Staffing and Quality

An early start for every child, with a major staffing challenge

Vietnam plans to make English compulsory from grade 1 in every primary school by 2030, a nationwide change that will require about 10,000 additional primary English teachers. Preschools will need another 12,000, while at least 200,000 teachers across subjects will need training to teach in English by the same deadline.

As of November 10, 2025, the national program is being shaped around a broader ambition: adopting English as a second language in the school system by 2035, with a longer vision extending to 2045. The Ministry of Education and Training describes English becoming part of lessons, daily school communication and selected subjects, rather than remaining confined to a language class.

Parents see an opportunity to reduce spending on private lessons and give children a more equal start. Their concern is whether schools can provide enough qualified teachers and lessons that suit children who are still learning to read and write Vietnamese. Families paying for extra tuition want better teaching during the school day, not another subject that requires outside help.

The government places the English initiative alongside wider goals to invest in human capital, meaning the knowledge and skills people bring to work, and support growth over the longer term. An official government update lists the English plan among current policy priorities.

The central challenge is practical: a common starting age can give every child access, but the quality of that access will depend on teachers, classroom resources and regular opportunities to listen and speak. Vietnam must build those conditions across schools with very different starting points.

Why Vietnam wants English to begin sooner

Vietnam ranked 63rd out of 116 countries in the Education First English Proficiency Index in 2024, placing it in the low proficiency band. Employers in technology, services, tourism and finance cite language bottlenecks as the country moves deeper into global supply chains.

English skills matter in those sectors because communication is part of the work. The policy aims to build confidence earlier and give all children exposure at the same age, instead of leaving an early start largely dependent on what families can afford.

Families in major cities report spending VND 2 million to VND 3 million each month on lessons outside school so their children become comfortable with basic English. Better instruction in public classrooms could make those extra classes optional rather than necessary.

The shift follows a 2023 directive calling for stronger foreign language education at every level. Its educational reasoning is that young children are highly receptive to sounds and vocabulary. Starting sooner gives schools more time to develop familiarity with the language, provided lessons offer meaningful practice.

What changes between 2025 and 2045

The program, Bringing English as a second language in schools, covers 2025 to 2035 and sets out a vision to 2045. It establishes three levels for schools according to how much English they use in teaching and campus life.

School evaluations will consider teacher capacity, digital tools, curriculum design and English use in everyday routines, including announcements and clubs. The plan combines standards with infrastructure, training and partnerships so schools can progress in stages.

The timetable brings together several changes:

• 2023: A directive called for stronger foreign language education across all levels.
• 2025 to 2035: The English program covers a decade of implementation.
• 2026: A wider education reform plans a single set of textbooks nationwide.
• 2030: All primary schools are to teach English from grade 1, with free textbooks also planned by this date.
• 2035: The school system aims to adopt English as a second language.
• 2045: The longer vision sets higher targets for English use across institutions.

By 2030, the targets are at least 20 percent of schools at Level 1, 5 percent at Level 2 and 2 percent at Level 3. By 2045, those figures rise to 50 percent, 20 percent and 15 percent respectively. The larger targets reflect the ambition to extend English use beyond introductory activities into more of school life.

Schools with adequate teachers and facilities are encouraged to begin grade 1 English before the national deadline. Selected content subjects may also be taught in English where feasible. That requires teachers to explain the subject itself in a language children are still learning, making training especially important.

Preschools, universities and vocational schools are included

Preschools are expected to introduce English within five years. The target is for 10 percent to reach Level 1 by 2030 and half to reach that level by 2045.

Universities face different targets. By 2035, half of institutions are expected to meet Level 2 and 35 percent to meet Level 3. Vocational schools will expand English use in learning connected to careers.

Ho Chi Minh City offers an existing example for primary education. It has conducted English lessons from grade 1 for more than a decade, with very high participation. Its use of songs, games and simple communication provides a model for introducing the language without putting heavy pressure on young learners.

The planned national textbook set from 2026 and free textbooks by 2030 are part of wider education reforms intended to support access and consistency. Common materials can help schools work toward the same learning goals, while free books can reduce a cost barrier for families.

Parents welcome the opportunity but want reliable teaching

Van Quy, a 34 year old father in Hanoi, supports the change while watching how it will work in a real classroom. He said the policy could ease both costs and pressure if schools assure teaching quality.

I think this is extremely necessary. Even though I worry a bit about how she will adapt, I completely support it. I would even like to see it start in kindergarten.

His response captures two concerns that sit together: enthusiasm for an earlier start and uncertainty about how a young child will adjust. Families want access to English, but they also want lessons that fit the child's stage of development.

Teo Thi Thanh Mai, principal of Le Quy Don Primary School in Hanoi, said starting early could build a foundation for later study and work.

Starting English from grade 1 will create a generation trained in foreign languages from an early age.

Parents and teachers identify staffing and quality as central worries. If schools lack a strong workforce, families may continue paying private language centers even after English becomes compulsory. For households already spending VND 2 million to VND 3 million a month, the value of the reform will depend on what children learn during school hours.

The financial and educational goals therefore depend on the same classroom conditions. Lessons need to give children enough listening and speaking practice to develop confidence, with teachers able to support pupils who arrive with different levels of experience.

What early exposure can help children learn

Research described in the policy discussion points to possible benefits in learning sounds, vocabulary and comfortable communication. Psychologist Ellen Bialystok has documented gains in memory, focus and flexible thinking among bilingual learners over decades of work.

Linguists Heidi Dulay and Marina Burt found that children learning English often make errors similar to those made by children who speak English as their first language at the same stage. Such patterns suggest that natural language learning mechanisms are at work: children develop their understanding through use, including mistakes, rather than simply repeating rules correctly from the beginning.

Pronunciation is one potential advantage of starting young. Studies by James Flege and colleagues have shown that learners who begin before about age 10 can more easily form new sounds and may develop a lighter accent.

Research findings vary, and language learning can stall when lessons are dry or pressured. For Vietnam, the practical lesson is to provide frequent, playful interaction and listening practice rather than rely on grammar drills and heavy homework. The age at which lessons begin matters alongside the quality of teaching and the language environment children experience.

Training enough teachers to deliver the plan

The ministry estimates that preschools need about 12,000 additional English teachers and primary schools about 10,000 by 2030. Together, those estimates amount to approximately 22,000 additional teachers across the two stages.

At least 200,000 teachers across subjects will also need retraining or further training so they can teach content in English where appropriate. This is a different task from teaching English as a subject: a teacher must help pupils understand both the language being used and the lesson's subject matter.

Training programs are to expand, with digital tools and tools using artificial intelligence supporting instruction and assessment. International partnerships are also expected to help develop teacher capacity. Senior officials have begun outreach to partner countries, including recent talks with education leaders in the United Kingdom about teacher development.

Government updates include a commitment to raise state expenditure on education to at least 20 percent of total spending. That provides a wider funding context for teacher salaries, training budgets and learning tools. The English program's share of that spending is not specified.

Recruiting teachers is only part of the task. Schools also need teachers who can work with very young learners, use accessible classroom activities and keep children engaged without turning each lesson into a test.

Keeping grade 1 lessons lively rather than pressured

First graders are still mastering reading and writing in Vietnamese. English letters and sounds can feel different, so parents urge schools to avoid long vocabulary lists and repetitive worksheets.

Songs, stories, gestures, role play and short speaking turns in pairs or small groups can give children gentle, lively practice. Reading and writing should develop steadily, supported by phonics, which teaches the connections between letters and sounds, while listening and speaking receive attention first.

A parent of a first grader at a public school in Hanoi urged the ministry to make enjoyment central to early lessons rather than pressure and testing.

Learning through games, songs, role playing, and storytelling will foster love and natural acceptance, rather than fear of testing and evaluation.

Ho Chi Minh City's experience with songs, games and basic communication shows how those activities already fit an early English classroom. For the national rollout, the aim is regular practice that feels manageable to a young child, with steady progress rather than heavy homework.

Closing the gap between cities and remote schools

Schools in major cities often begin with advantages: many already offer early English, have experienced teachers and use modern equipment. Rural, mountainous and remote schools may lack qualified staff, language labs or stable internet.

A national requirement will reach all these settings, but schools with fewer resources will need targeted support to deliver comparable opportunities. Without that support, differences in listening and speaking practice could widen.

Practical measures proposed for a fair rollout include:

• Prioritize remote districts when developing the teacher workforce, using scholarships, housing support and extra salary payments for English teachers serving outside city centers.
• Provide every primary school with basic audio equipment, a projector and dependable resources that work without internet access.
• Create regional mentoring hubs where stronger schools host visiting teachers for short practical courses and classroom observation.
• Recruit local graduates with solid English and train them for primary teaching, supported by distance learning and coaching.
• Assess listening and speaking as well as written grammar, rewarding students for using the language.
• Use the planned national textbook set and free textbooks by 2030 to support consistent materials and reduce family costs.

These measures address different parts of the same problem. Teachers need reasons and support to work in remote communities, classrooms need usable equipment, and pupils need learning materials they can access regardless of household income or internet quality.

What schools can begin doing now

Schools can start building an environment where English is used regularly while the wider program takes shape. Small, predictable routines can increase meaningful exposure and give pupils more opportunities to speak.

Activities proposed for schools include:

• Start the day with a short English activity using greetings, the date, the weather and a simple question.
• Put signs in Vietnamese and English around campus for rooms, objects and common instructions.
• Hold story time twice a week with short picture books, chants and gestures, focusing on understanding and pronunciation.
• Run clubs at lunch or after school with teachers and older students, using games, songs and activities where children show an object and describe it.
• Build teacher groups that exchange lesson plans, short videos and feedback on classroom techniques.
• Use simple digital tools to record short speaking tasks so pupils can hear themselves and follow their progress.
• Give parents short guides and weekly playlists of songs and cartoons so families can support exposure at home even when they do not speak English.

The common purpose is frequent, understandable contact with English. Daily routines, stories and clubs can make the language part of school life while keeping activities suited to children's age and confidence.

Measuring progress beyond written test scores

Schools will need to track more than test results to understand whether an early start is working. Frequent use, confident speaking and steady improvement can show how children are developing, while classroom observations can help identify where teachers need support.

Measures proposed for monitoring the program include:

• The number of additional English teachers placed in preschools and primary schools, especially outside cities.
• The share of teachers completing training and demonstrating classroom skills aligned with the program.
• The time pupils spend speaking and listening each week, tracked through observations or short recordings.
• Progress through simple primary proficiency bands focused on oral communication and understanding.
• The share of teachers staying in rural and remote schools after new incentives are introduced.
• The share of schools reaching Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 each year.
• Changes in family spending on private English lessons as school teaching improves.
• Children's wellbeing, including enjoyment of English lessons and reduced pressure from testing in the early grades.

Those measures connect national targets with everyday experience. Teacher placement shows whether access is expanding; classroom practice shows what pupils actually receive; family spending and children's enjoyment show whether the reform is easing burdens as intended.

Key Points

• English is to become compulsory from grade 1 nationwide by 2030, with English as a second language in the school system targeted for 2035.
• The program covers 2025 to 2035, with a vision to 2045 and three levels measuring English use in schools.
• Vietnam needs about 12,000 additional preschool English teachers and 10,000 primary English teachers, plus training for at least 200,000 teachers across subjects by 2030.
• Parents welcome broader access but want reliable teaching that reduces the need for private lessons.
• Early exposure can support pronunciation and confidence when lessons provide playful, regular communication.
• Rural, mountainous and remote schools need targeted teacher support, equipment and accessible materials.
• Wider reforms include a national textbook set from 2026, free textbooks by 2030 and education spending of at least 20 percent of state expenditure.
• Progress should include listening, speaking, teacher retention, family costs and children's enjoyment, alongside school targets.