Teaching in English is increasingly expanding in universities.

Nowadays, teaching in English is no longer strange in university lecture halls in Vietnam. The increasing number of students who are good at foreign languages ​​has helped schools to implement a variety of foreign language teaching programs. English is gradually becoming the official language of instruction in many schools.

Teaching in English for regular programs

Unlike the past, when teaching in English was only known for international joint programs, it is now widely implemented in many universities. Although it has different names, the form of teaching in English is currently applied to regular programs awarded degrees by Vietnamese public universities.

For example, the University of Economics and Law (Ho Chi Minh City National University) currently has only one standard training program, differing only in the language of instruction, Vietnamese and English. The school has 9 majors that are taught simultaneously in both languages. With the training program in English, students are not only taught in English, but also the textbooks, lectures and reference materials are presented in this language. Master Cu Xuan Tien, Head of the School's Admissions and Student Affairs Department, said that the program is designed to attract international students, while helping domestic students improve their foreign language proficiency.

Students of Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics use textbooks from foreign universities in their studies.

PHOTO: TK

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (Ho Chi Minh City National University) also has 27 majors and majors taught entirely in English. Students need IELTS 6.0 or equivalent to study. In addition, the school also has a Japanese-oriented program in computer science and mechanical engineering, where students study some majors in Japanese in the third and fourth years.

Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics (UEH) currently has two programs taught in foreign languages. The semi-English program has a minimum of 15 credits in English, with an entry requirement of students achieving an average score of 7 in English in grade 12 or an English test score in the high school graduation exam. The full English program is taught entirely in English (except for 11 credits in political theory, physical education, and national defense education), for students with an IELTS score of 5.0 or equivalent.

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technical Education has 18/51 training programs taught simultaneously in both Vietnamese and English. Ton Duc Thang University also has 11 training programs taught in English, with graduates achieving international English proficiency level B2 (international English certificates equivalent to IELTS 6.0). The program is designed to train global citizens who can work or study further around the world immediately after graduation...

Dr. Le Hoang Dung, Vice Principal of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City), said that in addition to foreign language programs for both standard and international standard programs, the school has strengthened and promoted international standard programs for other majors, focusing on using English as the main language to teach specialized subjects. The goal is to help students not only master specialized knowledge but also be able to use English fluently and confidently in international academic, research and working environments. For example, for some majors (such as international relations, journalism, multimedia, tourism, etc.), English courses are closely integrated into the curriculum, including general English, academic English and specialized English courses.

There are schools where 1/4 of students study entirely in English.

Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Mai Huong, Head of Brand Management - Communications Department of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (Ho Chi Minh City National University), said that teaching in English was first implemented in 2006, then expanded to many majors with different programs. "Up to now, about 1/4 of the entire school's students study entirely in English. The school strives to increase this rate to 1/3 of the entire school by 2030. Currently, students in the English program need to meet the entrance standard of IELTS 6.0. This means that about more than 1/4 of students entering the school have achieved IELTS 6.0 or higher," Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Mai Huong informed.

The rate of students with high English scores upon admission is also increasingly recorded at other universities. For example, statistics from the University of Economics and Law (Ho Chi Minh City National University) this year show that up to 8,849 candidates applying for admission to the school submitted IELTS certificates of 5.0 or higher (an increase of 3.7 times compared to last year). Of these, 6,853 students scored 6.0 or higher (an increase of more than 5,000 cases compared to 2024). The scores that many candidates achieved were 5.5 - 7.0. Similarly, Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics also recorded that more than 50% of students admitted to the school this year had international English certificates equivalent to IELTS of 6.0 or TOEFL iBT of 73 points or higher.

Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities has been developing programs taught in English.

Photo: Ly Nguyen

Strong internationalization

Associate Professor Dr. Bui Quang Hung, Vice President of Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics, said that since 2011, the school has begun implementing an internationalization strategy in its activities from training, research to school administration. Particularly in teaching activities, programs are internationalized by using textbooks from the top 100 universities in the world. Students are taught directly using foreign textbooks, and teaching activities, projects, and topics are all in English. Even the graduation defense council has the participation of foreign professors. "The school is continuing to promote this internationalization in its development strategy for the period 2025 - 2030," the Vice President of Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics added.

To teach in English, not only learners but also lecturers must meet this standard. Therefore, the leader of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technical Education said that with the orientation of making English a widely used language in schools from an early age, there are many synchronous solutions. One of them is to improve the foreign language proficiency of the teaching staff. In parallel with foreign language training for the current staff, the school focuses on recruiting lecturers who have graduated from foreign schools. "In the school's recent recruitment rounds, most of the selected lecturers have graduated from abroad," said this leader.

Dr. Le Hoang Dung also said that in the current context, international integration and internationalization are extremely necessary requirements, an opportunity to improve the capacity of both teachers and learners. In particular, internationalization of higher education plays an important role in improving the quality of education, training global citizens; at the same time, improving Vietnam's ranking in the world in the field of education. Currently, the school has been developing English-taught programs (English-enhanced programs and international standard programs), exchanging lecturers and students through academic exchange programs, cultural exchanges. All of these have created a diverse picture of the school's internationalization programs and activities.

Public universities teaching entirely in English in Ho Chi Minh City

Currently, there are a number of universities in Vietnam that use English as the official language in school. For example, the International University (Ho Chi Minh City National University) is a public university, a member of Ho Chi Minh City National University. Since its establishment in 2003, this university has used English in all teaching, training and research. According to regulations, students need to achieve IELTS 6.0 or equivalent to study the school's official program. Lecturers also need to graduate from postgraduate programs from standard training programs in countries where English is the main language.

Vietnam-Germany University also teaches entirely in English. Students need to achieve IELTS 6.0 or equivalent to be eligible to study the school's official program. Established in 2008, this public university is built on the Intergovernmental Agreement between Vietnam and the Federal Republic of Germany.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/day-hoc-bang-tieng-anh-ngay-cang-mo-rong-trong-truong-dh-185250902183257493.htm