IELTS no longer earns bonus points: Is it still worth the investment?
EducationIELTS certificates will earn applicants fewer bonus points in Vietnam's university admissions from 2027, before the incentive is abolished entirely in 2028. However, education experts said the qualification can still offer advantages in admissions and university studies beyond additional points.
Vietnam to scrap IELTS bonus points in university admissions from 2028
EducationUniversities in Vietnam will no longer be allowed to award bonus points to applicants holding IELTS certificates or other foreign language qualifications from the 2028 admission cycle, under new regulations announced by the Ministry of Education and Training.
Vietnam’s science minister backs possible AI ban for younger students
EducationVietnam’s Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan has expressed support for restricting, and potentially banning, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) among younger students, amid concerns that excessive reliance on the technology could undermine their independent thinking, creativity and critical reasoning.
Ho Chi Minh City to tighten checks on foreign teachers at preschools
EducationHo Chi Minh City will scrutinize the professional qualifications, legal status, and preschool teaching skills of all foreign teachers and support staff involved in English familiarization programs for kindergarten children before they take part in teaching activities.
Administrative bottleneck halts parent-funded English classes in central Vietnam
EducationHundreds of first- and second-graders in Quang Tri Province, central Vietnam, have been abruptly stripped of their English lessons midway through the term, and their teachers laid off, not from a lack of funding, but because local authorities failed to issue guidelines on how to process teacher salaries.
Vietnam's National Economics University urged to rank among world’s top 150 universities by 2030
EducationPrime Minister Le Minh Hung attended a ceremony in Hanoi on November 11 marking the 70th anniversary of the National Economics University (NEU) (1956-2026), during which he asked the university to strive to rank among the world's top 150 universities in selected fields by 2030 and top 100 by 2035, and become an internationally renowned university by 2045.
Vietnamese school leaders welcome English-speaking requirement but seek practical training roadmap
Education 15:22 11/11/2026A new requirement for general education schools to have at least one principal or vice-principal able to communicate in English with foreigners has received support from school administrators in Ho Chi Minh City, but some are concerned about the challenges of learning a foreign language later in life and the need for a flexible training roadmap.
From software engineering to AI research: Syrian woman finds her calling in Vietnam
Education 14:50 11/11/2026A 23-year-old Syrian woman who came to Vietnam to study software engineering has developed a passion for artificial intelligence (AI) research, contributed to seven scientific publications and is preparing to pursue a PhD in AI in France after completing her master's degree at RMIT University Vietnam.
Vietnam's general education schools need English-speaking leaders to meet new standards
Education 20:32 10/11/2026General education schools in Vietnam must have at least one principal or vice principal able to use English to work with foreigners to meet level 1 or 2 standards under new requirements set by the Ministry of Education and Training for implementing English as a second language in schools.
Ho Chi Minh City reviews foreign teacher numbers at 194 non-public educational institutions
Education 23:01 09/11/2026Ho Chi Minh City's Department of Education and Training has ordered 194 non-public educational institutions to review the number of their foreign teaching staff and provide explanations for discrepancies in their reported figures, according to Nguyen Van Phong, the department's deputy director.
Nearly 20% of Vietnamese students report being bullied several times a month: PISA
Education 21:56 09/11/2026Nearly one in five Vietnamese students surveyed said they had been bullied a few times a month, according to the 2025 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), as mental health experts call for psychological support for both children who are bullied and those who bully others.
Can Vietnam curb students' social media addiction by regulating smartphone use at school?
Education 20:18 09/11/2026Vietnam's plan to regulate smartphone and social media use in schools has sparked debate over whether tighter controls can curb students' social media addiction, with teachers and parents backing restrictions while students and education experts favor digital skills education over outright bans.
Ho Chi Minh City parents worry as some schools face losing ‘international’ label
Education 18:26 07/11/2026Parents who pay large sums in annual tuition, up to tens of thousands of U.S. dollars, to send their children to schools self-designated as ‘international,’ ‘national’ and ‘Vietnam’ are worried about their schools’ future as Ho Chi Minh City education authorities review school names and require institutions with misleading names to change them by September 17, 2027.
Nearly 3,000 Hanoi students switch to online learning after deadly school fire
Vietnam News 09:48 06/11/2026Nearly 3,000 students at Kim Lien Middle School in Kim Lien Ward, Hanoi are temporarily switching to online learning after a fire at the school's temporary campus killed one person on Thursday, as authorities investigate the cause and review fire safety at educational facilities across the Vietnamese capital.
7th grader in Ho Chi Minh City awarded First-Class Labor Order
Education 21:47 05/11/2026Ta Ngoc Cat Tuong, a seventh-grade student in Ho Chi Minh City, has won numerous gold medals at international aerobic gymnastics competitions and been awarded the First-Class Labor Order by the State President of Vietnam.
Foreign teacher assault incident prompts language teaching partnership inspections in southern Vietnamese city
Education 16:01 04/11/2026Following an incident in which a foreign teacher was filmed assaulting four students at Viet Hoa Elementary, Secondary and High School in September, authorities in Can Tho City, southern Vietnam have ordered tighter supervision of foreign language teaching programs.
Ho Chi Minh City announces 20-year plan to make English second language in schools
Education 12:38 04/11/2026The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has announced a three-phase roadmap for implementing a project to make English a second language in schools, with the goal of gradually expanding English-language education across the city’s education system between 2026 and 2045.
Da Nang dissolves 122 non-compliant foreign language centers in January-October
Education 12:15 04/11/2026Da Nang City in central Vietnam disbanded 122 foreign language centers that failed to meet operating requirements from the beginning of the year to October 30, as part of a broader crackdown on violations following the prosecution of the director of an English center accused of illegally offering a foreign general education program.
King’s College Wimbledon Ho Chi Minh City celebrates topping out of campus at The Global City
Education 08:00 03/11/2026King’s College Wimbledon Ho Chi Minh City (King’s HCMC) held a topping-out ceremony at its campus in The Global City, marking the completion of the main structure of school buildings and the core structural works of the campus, a significant milestone in its development, the school said in a press release in October 25.
In Vietnam, school attendance becomes legal obligation, not just right
Education 16:39 01/11/2026The Vietnamese government’s Decree No. 353 officially takes effect on Sunday, establishing compulsory education requirements for elementary and secondary education, collectively referred to as compulsory education.
Over 96% of Ho Chi Minh City preschool teachers fall short of B2 proficiency
Education 15:30 31/10/2026Just 3.11 percent of preschool teachers in Ho Chi Minh City have attained B2-level English proficiency or higher, prompting the municipal Department of Education and Training to map out a training program to raise standards and allocate funding for its 2026-45 strategy to make English a second language.