Schools in Vietnam to have English as compulsory second language by 2035

Move aimed at shaping a globally competent generation ready for international integration

- Nga Pham

HANOI - “The English language helps me talk to people from different countries,” said 11-year-old Kim Long. “I also love it because I can read lots of books and comics, and watch football on YouTube, too,” he rattled on in fluent English.

The boy - who is in Grade 5 (the equivalent of Primary 5 in Singapore) — and his peers in Nguyen Binh Khiem Elementary School, in Cau Giay, Hanoi, have been learning English since first grade. At school, the pupils have daily English classes. They also take part in games, sing and watch videos in English.

This primary school is not the norm in Vietnam - at least, not now. But by 2030, the government hopes, every child will have the opportunity to learn English from the age of six, as Kim did.

Currently, English is mandatory only from Grade 3. Some schools with enough qualified teachers and facilities can offer it from Grade 1, but only as an elective with two lessons a week.

Recently, the Vietnamese government announced a nationwide plan to establish English as a compulsory second language in all schools by 2035, and a mandatory subject from Grade 1 by 2030.

Nguyen Binh Khiem’s vice-principal Pham Thi Bich Ngoc told The Sunday Times that the school has incorporated the English language into its first-grade curriculum for the past five years.

“Currently, although English is still an elective subject in Grades 1 and 2, the school has built an integrated English programme to help students become familiar with the language naturally from the very beginning,” said Ms Ngoc. “Our goal is to develop communication reflexes, confident listening and speaking skills, and a love of learning English in young children.”

In Vietnam, more than 90 per cent of students attend government or public schools.

Primary or elementary schools have pupils from Grades 1 to 5. Middle school is for Grades 6 to 9, and high school for Grades 10 to 12, and then students may head on to university.