In October 2025, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training organized training on innovating English teaching methods and solutions to make English the second language in schools for more than 600 staff of the cultural and social department of 126 communes and wards, along with more than 800 managers and teachers of key English of public and private primary schools in the area.
Previously, Hanoi also decided to raise international English standards in person for about 1,900 English teachers.
Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training Tran Luu Hoa said that it is necessary to change the mindset of English teaching and learning in general schools, from imparting knowledge to developing language proficiency in practice.
Ms. Tran Luu Hoa affirmed that the teaching staff is the decisive factor in this transformation process. Each teacher must not only be the one to implement the program, but also be the core of innovation in pedagogical thinking, teaching methods and class organization methods - thereby spreading the spirit of innovation to colleagues and students in their unit.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy - Director of the Department of Education and Training of Quang Ninh province, in October 2025, the Department issued a document guiding the teaching and learning of foreign languages in general schools, requiring preparation of conditions to implement the Project to make English the second language in schools.
Accordingly, in the 2025 - 2026 school year, primary schools that are qualified to implement optional English teaching and learning for grade 1 and 2 students should be encouraged to pay attention to ensuring connectivity with foreign languages that are mandatory from grade 3.
For schools without teachers to implement elective English teaching in grades 1 and 2, it will create conditions for students to access and get acquainted with English through teaching videos in the Primary English Learning System to prepare for preparation.
Encourage teachers to self-study and self-focus on English; encourage schools to organize English training classes for teachers of subjects to improve their capacity, be able to use English in teaching hours and move towards teaching in English...
Applying information technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to support self-study of English and design teaching materials in English. Use AI to support language for teachers and students to translate professional terms, translate, pronounce terms...
According to Director of the Department of Education and Training of Quang Ninh province Nguyen Thi Thuy, one of the current difficulties is the addition of English teachers to preschools due to staffing and contract quotas.
Not to mention, the teaching staff must also be standard; the content and methods must be suitable for age, conditions, with the goal that students must listen and speak well, not be heavily grammarized and learn just for the exam as at present. In Gia Lai, most schools organize English teaching starting from grade 3 according to the 2018 General Education Program, with 4 periods/week.
Mr. Ngo Van Vung - Vice Principal of Nguyen Van Troi Primary and Secondary School, Ia Mo Commune, Gia Lai Province - said that in October 2025, the provincial Department of Education and Training sent an official dispatch guiding English teaching to students, starting from grade 1, to help them create interest, get acquainted, and naturally reflect on English communication every day.
According to Mr. Vung, English teachers must teach vividly, easily understood, combined with music and images to make it easy for students in border areas to absorb and recognize. Because they are not only learning English but also Vietnamese. However, the school currently lacks facilities and equipment, as well as the number of English teachers with only one person in charge of teaching for many classes.
In 2025, Gia Lai province will simultaneously start construction of border schools in the form of boarding and semi-boarding, with many multi-functional classrooms for students, according to Conclusion No. 81-TB/TW dated July 18, 2025 of the Politburo. Nguyen Van Troi Primary and Secondary School hopes to be equipped with additional English teaching equipment next year, when the school's completion date is set for August 30, 2026.
Recruiting qualified teachers, meeting professional requirements
Speaking to Lao Dong Newspaper reporter, Mr. Phung Hai Nam - Principal of Van Hoa Primary School (Yen Bai Commune, Hanoi) said that making English a compulsory subject right from grade 1 is a correct and necessary policy, contributing to the formation of a generation of students with proper foreign language training, with a solid foundation for international integration. According to him, when they are exposed to English early, children not only absorb it faster but also develop communication skills, open thinking and confidence in a modern learning environment.
To effectively implement the implementation process in practice, according to Mr. Nam, it is necessary to synchronously solve the following problems: The teaching staff must ensure both quality and quantity; the conditions for teaching facilities; along with the awareness of parents. "The biggest problem that the education sector must solve is to recruit enough teachers with good expertise, especially in pronunciation, avoiding the situation of bilingual learning but the quality is not as expected" - Mr. Nam added.
From the perspective of a parent, Ms. Le Thi Ha (Ba Vi commune, Hanoi) said that the current English textbook in the school is still heavily grammarised, while learning English really requires reflex, which is rich in accents and standard pronunciation - factors that the current textbook has not focused on.
Therefore, parents believe that, along with a suitable curriculum, selecting teachers with sufficient qualifications and meeting professional requirements is also a key factor.
Huu Chanh
About 22,000 English teachers are needed
It is estimated that the project will affect about 50,000 educational institutions nationwide with nearly 30 million children, students, and about 1 million managers and teachers at all levels of education and training.
The Ministry of Education and Training believes that for preschool education, to successfully implement the project, there needs to be 1 position as an English teacher at each preschool education institution. Thus, it is expected that there will be additional positions for preschool English teachers in public preschools nationwide by 12,000 people.
For primary schools, to implement compulsory English teaching from grade 1, an additional staff of nearly 10,000 English teachers will be created in primary schools across the country.
In addition, it is necessary to train and foster English and professional competence and pedagogical skills for at least 200,000 English teachers from now until 2035 to meet the needs and goals of the project.
Three main stages of the Project
The Project to make English the second language in schools for the period 2025 - 2035, with a vision to 2045, proposes three main stages for implementation:
Phase 1 (2025 - 2030): Will build a foundation and standardize so that English is used regularly and systematically in the educational environment. 100% of general education institutions nationwide are required to teach English from grade 1. At the preschool level, 100% of educational institutions in cities and urban areas in favorable areas ensure implementation conditions for children to be familiar with English.
Phase 2 (2030 - 2035): Will expand and enhance, promoting the use of English more regularly.
Phase 3 (2035 - 2045): Completing and improving English to be used naturally, developing an ecosystem of English use in the environment of education, communication and school administration.
Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi deploy English teaching from grade 1
In Ho Chi Minh City, for many years, it has piloted teaching English to first graders. Before the merger of provinces, about 99% of first graders had studied this subject. At Phan Van Tri Primary School (Cau Ong Lanh Ward), first and second graders have been introduced to English with 6 periods/week. According to the school, teaching at this stage is designed in the direction of "learning while playing, playing while learning", through singing, physical exercise, storytelling and natural interaction, without focusing on recognizing the face of words or grammar to avoid overloading and causing language disruption for children.
Ms. Ngo Tu Nhat Linh, a teacher at Phan Van Tri Primary School, shared that it is appropriate to let students access English from grade 1 onwards. "Age 4-6 is a very good stage for learning language. Children learn early and react faster, and the foundation will be more solid in the future, said Ms. Linh. Similarly, at Hiep Tan Primary School (Phu Thanh Ward), Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet, principal, said that the organization for students to get acquainted with English from grade 1 has been implemented stably for many years. Ms. Minh Nguyet said that first graders are taking 2 elective English lessons under the 2018 General Education Program, in addition, the school also implemented an additional English program to communicate with foreign teachers and a Math - Science program in English depending on parents' registration needs. According to Ms. Minh Nguyet, the participation rate is quite high.
For the two optional English classes of the 2018 program, 100% of first graders participated. For the English communication program alone, about 90% of students register. In general, parents agree and support the policy of giving their children early access to foreign languages, said Ms. Minh Nguyet.
Similarly in Hanoi, some schools in Hanoi have begun to pilot teaching of Math, Science, and Technology in English, aiming to make English the second language in schools. In the coming time, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training and pedagogical universities will continue to coordinate and evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot, thereby expanding the model to other levels of education when the conditions for teachers, learning materials and facilities are fully met.
TUONG PHUC
