Vietnam weighs 20-hour workweek for foreign students in education reform push

A proposed work limit for nearly 22,000 international students

Vietnam is considering allowing foreign students to take paid work for up to 20 hours a week during the academic term, creating its first nationwide framework with clear limits on international student employment. As of October 2, 2025, the measure is part of a draft resolution before the National Assembly, rather than an approved right to work.

The Ministry of Education and Training says the proposal would help students pay living expenses, gain workplace experience and become more involved in local communities. For students and their families, the practical attraction is straightforward: legal earnings could help cover rent and food while students continue their education.

Vietnam hosted nearly 22,000 international students by late 2024, its highest figure in nine years. About 80 percent came from neighboring Laos and Cambodia. The proposal would therefore affect a student population drawn largely from those two countries, while giving Vietnam another way to attract applicants from elsewhere.

Hanoi University, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, and the Academy of Journalism and Communication are among the institutions where many foreign students study. Technical and economic institutions, including Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Foreign Trade University, and Vietnam France University, are also drawing more international students.

Vietnam currently has no specific limit on working hours or formal framework for foreign students seeking paid employment. A national ceiling would give students, universities and employers a common baseline. It would also give authorities a basis for defining acceptable work during study and penalizing abuses.

The proposed limit concerns work during the academic term, when classes are taking place. Its scope matters because students would need to fit paid employment around lessons, assignments and examinations, rather than treat work as their main activity.

Why work rights matter in the competition for students

International student mobility has changed since the pandemic. Destination countries are competing more actively for students, while families weigh tuition fees, living expenses and immigration rules when choosing where to study. Clear permission to work has become a practical part of that decision.

Vietnamese officials describe the proposal as an effort to align with common practice abroad. They say a limit within the range used by other destinations would support fairness and reciprocity and make Vietnam more attractive as a place to study. A legal route into limited paid work would also signal that the country recognizes students' financial needs.

South Korea provides a nearby example of the competition. It recorded 204,000 student arrivals in the first half of 2025, a record, and is pursuing a target of 300,000 by 2027. Large numbers come from China and Vietnam. Universities outside the South Korean capital are adding language programs, job fairs and career support designed for foreign students.

Vietnam's proposal fits this regional effort to attract and retain talent. Countries that already permit some paid work can offer students a way to earn money alongside their courses. Vietnam would gain a similar recruiting tool if lawmakers approve the draft and authorities put workable rules in place.

How the 20-hour proposal compares abroad

The United Kingdom and the United States both allow student employment during teaching periods within a limit of 20 hours a week, although the kinds of work permitted differ. Vietnam's proposed ceiling matches that figure. Canada allows eligible students to work up to 24 hours a week outside their campus, while New Zealand plans to increase its limit to 25 hours in November 2025.

Those limits place Vietnam's proposal four hours below Canada's and five hours below New Zealand's planned ceiling. The broader pattern is to limit employment while classes are in session and allow more work during designated holidays, subject to the conditions attached to a student's immigration status.

The United States allows students with F1 status to work on campus for up to 20 hours a week while classes are in session. Curricular Practical Training and Optional Practical Training provide options for work connected to a student's field of study. These are routes for gaining relevant practical experience, and working without authorization can jeopardize a student's immigration status.

The United Kingdom's Student visa typically permits students on degree courses to work up to 20 hours a week during term and full time during official breaks. Canada's current ceiling follows a temporary relaxation of its rules in 2023 and early 2024. During scheduled breaks, such as summer holidays, many destinations allow full time work when students remain enrolled and the break belongs to the academic calendar.

Hong Kong uses a No Objection Letter linked to a student's visa to set out permission for work on campus, internships and summer jobs, together with limits and conditions. Institutions and employers are expected to follow those conditions, and violations can have immigration consequences. The Immigration Department of Hong Kong explains the requirements in its student work policy guide.

These systems share a basic purpose: provide a limited route to earning money while keeping education at the center of a student's stay. Vietnam's proposed 20-hour ceiling follows that approach, but the detailed rules would determine which opportunities students could actually take.

Which jobs and students would qualify?

Lawmakers and regulators would need to decide whether Vietnam's limit applies only to jobs on university campuses or also to employment elsewhere. Campus work could include assistantships, tutoring and research support. Permission to work outside a campus would open a different range of opportunities with local businesses.

The draft's implementation choices also include the types of work allowed, the treatment of academic breaks and public holidays, and whether different conditions apply to language students, pathway programs and short courses. Pathway programs prepare students to enter a later course of study, making eligibility rules relevant to people who have not yet started their main degree.

Those details, along with the approval date, have not been specified. Students, universities and employers would need them before they could plan working schedules or recruitment around the proposed right to work.

A clear national framework would reduce uncertainty about acceptable employment. Its usefulness would depend on whether students can understand the conditions, employers can apply them and universities can check that work remains compatible with study.

How authorities could monitor hours and protect students

Universities often help regulate student employment by checking enrollment, academic standing and working hours. In Vietnam, those checks could connect permission to work with continued participation in education and help identify students whose jobs are interfering with their courses.

Other countries connect employment to identification numbers used for tax and social insurance. Examples include the Social Security Number in the United States and the Social Insurance Number in Canada. Such numbers help place workers within formal payroll and administrative systems.

Hong Kong's No Objection Letter offers another model by putting immigration permission and employment conditions in writing for students and employers. Vietnam could draw on these practices to create a system that is straightforward to use while preserving limits on work.

Wage protection would be as important as tracking hours. Employers who pressure students to exceed legal limits or pay less than lawful wages are a common risk in student labor markets. A transparent schedule of penalties, accessible reporting channels and shared oversight by labor and education authorities could help deter abuse without creating heavy paperwork for businesses that follow the rules.

Students would benefit from knowing both what they are allowed to do and where to seek help. Clear employment conditions and complaint procedures would give them a way to challenge excessive hours or unlawful pay, rather than leaving them to negotiate alone with an employer.

What students, universities and businesses could gain

Students could use limited paid work to reduce financial pressure on their families and cover more of their living expenses. Employment could also develop teamwork, time management and communication in a second language, skills that employers seek and that students can carry into later jobs.

Work experience would let students test career interests and strengthen their resumes. A job that relates to a course could help connect classroom learning with practical tasks, while other employment could still provide experience of workplace expectations and local life.

Universities would gain another tool for recruiting international students and a reason to strengthen relationships with nearby employers. Career centers could connect students with campus jobs and vetted opportunities elsewhere, supporting student satisfaction and retention.

Employers could gain access to multilingual workers able to communicate across cultures. Such skills can be useful in customer service, tourism, technology support and other services where language ability adds value. Students could also provide a flexible pool of educated workers during busy hours.

Communities could benefit as international students become more involved through work and service. The ministry's aim of helping students integrate would depend partly on whether employment creates useful contact with local people and gives students a manageable role alongside their studies.

Lessons from student employment in Japan and South Korea

Vietnamese students working in Japan have reported heavy debts to recruiters, long shifts beyond legal limits and poorly paid jobs that disrupt their studies. Advocacy groups and researchers describe an education migration industry that can draw students into insecure work with little protection.

Weak oversight, intermediaries driven by profit and unclear rules can turn the promise of education abroad into pressure to earn money. For a student already carrying recruitment debt, demands for more work may compete directly with attendance, assignments and examination preparation.

South Korea shows another problem: access to employment does not always mean access to useful experience. Many foreign students describe difficulty finding work related to their studies and jobs that make limited use of their skills. Some say internships became translation or clerical assignments instead of practical experience in their chosen fields.

Even highly qualified graduates in South Korea struggle to secure lasting jobs. Their experience reflects gaps between education, immigration policy and employer practices. Vietnam's universities would therefore have reasons to assess the quality of opportunities, as well as whether the hours are legal.

Vietnam could address these risks through clear working limits, wage enforcement and university checks on academic performance. Transparent job advertisements, standard contracts in multiple languages and complaint hotlines would make it easier for students to understand an offer and report problems.

Publicizing penalties for employers who break the rules could discourage abuse. Giving responsible employers access to recruitment fairs and campus partnerships could encourage better practices while helping students find businesses prepared to respect both their work rights and their education.

A wider plan for education and skilled workers

The proposed student work rule belongs to a broader effort to modernize Vietnamese education and expand international partnerships. The Ministry of Education and Training is advancing a reform package that includes making lower secondary education compulsory by 2030 and moving toward universal upper secondary education by 2035.

The package also calls for more flexible university programs, closer links with industry and partnerships with leading global institutions. These changes aim to raise educational quality and connect courses more closely with the skills employers need.

Foreign experts and scientists with doctoral degrees are another focus. The ministry has proposed a visa lasting five years and an exemption from work permits for those who teach or conduct research at Vietnamese universities and colleges.

That proposal would make it easier for laboratories, research centers and elite academic programs to recruit mentors who can train students and build research groups. Together with student work rights, it is intended to strengthen research capacity and broaden Vietnam's connections with global academia.

Vietnam's planned railway expansion adds urgency to the demand for skilled workers. The country is planning a major expansion of its rail network, including a high speed line running from north to south, and expects to train about 140,000 workers in phases through 2045.

Meeting those needs will require closer coordination among universities, vocational schools, employers and government agencies, as well as international cooperation to transfer technology. Making campuses more welcoming to foreign students and experts fits that wider effort to build skills.

What campuses and employers would need to prepare

Universities would be on the front line of implementation if lawmakers approve the proposal. Student handbooks, orientations on labor law and simple approval procedures could help students understand the rules before accepting employment. Career centers could expand vetted job boards and give priority to campus roles that build skills.

Students would also need support with resumes and interviews. Plain language guides could explain how to find legal work, obtain tax numbers and balance paid hours with coursework. Universities could work with local labor offices and tax authorities to provide workshops and clinic days, while alumni and senior students could mentor newcomers.

Employers would need contracts that state hours and wages, payroll systems that track student hours and training for managers on the legal ceiling. Clear routes for escalating complaints and a commitment to prevent discrimination in hiring would help make workplaces safer and more welcoming.

Preparation would need to connect recruitment with compliance. A student should be able to understand an advertised role, see the hours and pay in a contract, and know whom to contact when the actual conditions differ.

The dates shaping the proposal

Vietnam's work proposal sits alongside changes abroad and longer education and workforce targets at home. The immediate comparison is New Zealand's planned increase in November 2025, while Vietnam's own draft is still awaiting approval.

• 2023 and early 2024: Canada temporarily relaxed its rules on student work before setting its current limit of 24 hours a week for eligible employment outside campuses.
• Late 2024: Vietnam hosted nearly 22,000 international students, its highest total in nine years.
• First half of 2025: South Korea recorded 204,000 student arrivals, a record.
• October 2, 2025: Vietnam was considering a draft resolution allowing foreign students to work up to 20 hours a week during the academic term.
• November 2025: New Zealand plans to raise its weekly limit during term to 25 hours.
• 2027: South Korea's international student target is 300,000.
• 2030 and 2035: Vietnam's education reform proposal aims for compulsory lower secondary education by 2030 and universal upper secondary education by 2035.
• Through 2045: Vietnam expects to train about 140,000 railway workers in phases.

For international students already in Vietnam, the immediate issue is the proposed legal route to paid work. For universities and employers, the next task would be turning an approved ceiling into clear eligibility conditions, reliable monitoring and jobs that fit around education.

Key Points

• Vietnam is considering paid work of up to 20 hours a week for foreign students during the academic term.
• The proposal would create the country's first nationwide framework with clear limits on international student employment.
• Nearly 22,000 international students were in Vietnam by late 2024, with about 80 percent from Laos and Cambodia.
• The proposed ceiling matches common limits in the United Kingdom and United States. Canada permits 24 hours for eligible work outside campuses, and New Zealand plans 25 hours from November 2025.
• Details about eligible students, permitted jobs, campus boundaries, holidays and enforcement still require decisions.
• The ministry also proposes visas lasting five years and work permit exemptions for foreign experts and scientists with doctorates working in higher education.
• Experiences in Japan and South Korea point to risks from debt, excessive hours, low wages and jobs unrelated to students' skills.
• The wider reform agenda connects education quality, international partnerships and Vietnam's demand for skilled workers.