Workshop “EMI in Higher Education: Challenges and Innovations”

On the afternoon of May 29, 2026, at its headquarters, the Banking Academy of Vietnam (BAV) organized a scientific seminar titled “EMI in Higher Education: Challenges and Innovations,” attracting the participation of scientists, lecturers, and experts interested in solutions to improve the effectiveness of teaching specialized subjects in English.

Việt Nam•28/05/2026

Overview of the Conference

The workshop was attended by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Thi Hoang Anh - Vice Director of the Academy; the leadership, lecturers, and students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages; and representatives from other units, lecturers, and students of the Academy who are interested. Notably, the workshop included special guests: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Thi Thanh Thuy - Head of the Faculty of Foreign Languages for Economics , National Economics University; and Dr. Dang Thi Minh Tam - Deputy Head of the English Language Department, School of Foreign Languages and Tourism, Hanoi University of Industry.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Thi Hoang Anh - Deputy Director of the Academy, delivered the opening remarks at the Workshop.

In her opening remarks at the workshop, Associate Professor Pham Thi Hoang Anh emphasized that, in the context of globalization and internationalization of higher education , the implementation of specialized courses taught in English, or EMI, is becoming an important trend at many higher education institutions. According to the Vice Director of the Academy, EMI not only contributes to improving students' foreign language skills, professional expertise, and international integration capabilities, but also creates momentum for innovation in teaching methods and enhances the quality of training.

The workshop took place against the backdrop of Vietnam's education policy increasingly emphasizing the role of English in schools. Decision No. 2371/QD-TTg dated October 27, 2025, of the Prime Minister approved the Project "Making English the Second Language in Schools in the period 2025-2035, with a vision to 2045". The Ministry of Education and Training set the goal for higher education to develop an effective English-speaking environment in teaching courses, modules, and credits; in training and developing teachers and lecturers; and to develop higher education into a leading pillar of the English-speaking ecosystem.

Furthermore, Government Decree No. 222/2025/ND-CP on teaching and learning in foreign languages in educational institutions, effective from September 25, 2025, shows that the policy framework for organizing foreign language teaching and learning is continuously being refined. This is an important basis for BAV to develop a suitable implementation roadmap, ensuring requirements for training quality, lecturer competence, learning materials, and learning conditions.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Thi Hoang Anh - Vice Director of the Academy, presented commemorative gifts to thank the guest speakers for attending the conference.

At the workshop, presentations focused on practical issues of EMI in Vietnamese higher education. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Thi Thanh Thuy presented a paper titled “Reconsidering EMI in Vietnamese Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Challenges, Misconceptions, and the ESP-to-EMI Transition Model,” analyzing common challenges and misunderstandings in EMI implementation in the age of artificial intelligence, and proposing a transition model from English for Specific Purposes to EMI that is more suitable for the Vietnamese university context.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Thi Thanh Thuy - Head of the Faculty of Foreign Languages for Economics, National Economics University, presented a paper at the Conference.

Dr. Dang Thi Minh Tam introduced an innovative approach to EMI teaching through the flipped classroom model. Her presentation emphasized the role of technology, learner engagement, and changes in classroom organization to enhance knowledge acquisition in an English-language teaching environment.

Dr. Dang Thi Minh Tam - Deputy Head of the English Language Department, School of Foreign Languages and Tourism, Hanoi University of Industry, presented a paper at the Conference.

From the perspective of specialized training at BAV, Dr. Dinh Thi Thanh Long presented a paper titled "English as a Medium of Instruction in Higher Education: Implications," analyzing the impacts, requirements, and implications for training, teaching, and curriculum development when implementing EMI at universities.

Dr. Dinh Thi Thanh Long - Deputy Head of the Department of International Trade - Faculty of International Business, BAV, presented a paper at the Conference.

Notably, the workshop also included research participation from students. Students Dang Doan Trang and Dinh Duc Thien, under the guidance of lecturer Duong Thi Thanh Hoa, presented a paper entitled “Exploring First-Year Students' Readiness in an EMI Course: A Qualitative Study”. The research focused on surveying the readiness of first-year students to participate in an EMI course, and subsequently proposed solutions to help learners adapt more effectively to an English-language learning environment.

A group of English Language students from BAV presented their paper at the conference.

Recent studies and academic exchanges have shown that EMI is an important tool in the internationalization of higher education, helping training programs approach international standards, expanding academic cooperation, and enhancing the competitiveness of learners. However, EMI also poses many challenges, especially regarding the language proficiency of lecturers and students, the ability to acquire specialized knowledge in a second language, appropriate learning materials, and ensuring equity in access to education.

During the discussion, many opinions suggested that to effectively implement EMI, educational institutions should not only view English as a tool for delivering lectures, but also need to build a suitable academic ecosystem. This includes a clear training roadmap, improving the foreign language proficiency and pedagogical methods of lecturers, supporting students with academic English, developing learning materials, and applying technology in a controlled manner.

The delegates attending the workshop took a commemorative photo.

Starting from a specialized topic in higher education, the workshop showed that EMI is becoming a broader issue with significant implications for human resource quality, integration capacity, and the innovation process in training at Vietnamese universities. Therefore, the implementation of EMI needs to be carried out cautiously, with a roadmap, based on the actual capabilities of lecturers and students, and the quality assurance conditions of each training institution.

The workshop serves as a significant academic forum, contributing to the promotion of research, sharing of experiences, and proposing solutions to improve the quality of EMI implementation in higher education, meeting the requirements of integration and educational reform in the current period.

Here are some photos from the workshop: