Ho Chi Minh City to make English second official language in schools by 2045

Ho Chi Minh City is laying the groundwork to make English a second official language in its schools by 2045, with a detailed roadmap to achieve this ambitious goal. This initiative builds upon the city's long-standing commitment to enhancing English proficiency, which began with the launch of an intensive English language program in 1998, making it the first locality in Vietnam to do so. The southern metropolis has consistently been a pioneer, implementing an integrated English-Vietnamese curriculum in public schools in 2014, allowing students to study subjects like mathematics and science in English. This program has shown encouraging results in equipping students with both subject knowledge and language skills, fostering their ability to use English naturally as a second language. English education has been expanded across all levels, from preschool to high school. Over 206,800 preschool children, more than half of those enrolled in early childhood education institutions, are now participating in English familiarization programs. At the general education level, English is taught under the 2018 national curriculum, while over 90% of public schools offer enhanced English or bilingual programs. Many schools also teach mathematics and science in English through Project 5695 or socialized education programs involving native-speaking teachers. Beyond increasing English teaching hours, a growing number of schools have begun piloting lessons in other subjects taught in English, helping students develop confidence and familiarity with the language through everyday classroom use. Marie Curie High School, for example, has created an English-speaking environment across its campus with bilingual signs and administrative documents, enabling daily interaction with English for both teachers and students. Despite these achievements, the municipal Department of Education and Training acknowledges that expanding English education evenly across the city remains challenging. Differences in infrastructure, digital facilities, access to English-speaking environments, and resource mobilization exist among localities. At the preschool level, English programs are largely delivered through socialized services, and some public preschools lack full-time English teachers. The city has also made significant progress in preparing its teaching workforce. Surveys show that over 80% of primary and secondary English teachers have reached at least Level 4 under Vietnam’s foreign language competency framework. In contrast, over half of English teachers at the high school level have attained Levels 5 or 6. The city has also assessed teachers' English proficiency in public schools to support long-term planning for training, recruitment, and personnel deployment. According to the municipal Department of Education and Training, however, the shortage of qualified English teachers remains the biggest obstacle. The number of teachers capable of delivering subjects in English is insufficient in both quantity and quality. The English proficiency of school administrators and teachers of other subjects also needs improvement. Policies on recruitment, professional development, and incentives for teachers require refinement. As the Ministry of Education and Training finalizes national standards for this initiative, Ho Chi Minh City is completing its own project on English as a second language in schools, with a vision extending to 2045. The roadmap is divided into three phases. Between 2026 and 2030, the city will focus on building foundational elements, aiming for 40% of educational institutions to establish English-speaking environments and 20% to teach selected subjects in English. From 2031–2035, the city plans to expand implementation, with all education personnel meeting English proficiency standards and half of schools delivering programming in English. By 2045, it aims for 60–70% of educational institutions to implement integrated English programs. To achieve these goals, Ho Chi Minh City plans to introduce special mechanisms to attract high-quality English language teachers and native-speaking educators, promote public-private partnerships, modernize teaching materials, expand digital learning resources, and accelerate the application of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in education, creating a learning environment where English can increasingly be used as a natural second language.