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Vietnam makes English compulsory from Grade 1
As Vietnam integrates more deeply into the global economy, English proficiency has emerged as a key challenge. According to the 2024 Education First English Proficiency Index, Vietnam ranked 63rd out of 116 countries, falling into the “low proficiency” group.
In response, the government has announced a new policy making English a mandatory subject from Grade 1, marking a strategic step to enhance language capability, labour skills, and global competitiveness in the Asia-Pacific era.
This initiative aligns with Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính’s view that investing in education and human capital is crucial for Vietnam to escape the middle-income trap and achieve its ambition of becoming a high-income, developed nation by 2045. Policymakers have set a long-term goal of allocating 20% of the national budget to education, alongside measures such as raising teachers’ salaries and waiving tuition fees for all public-school students.
The combination of earlier English instruction, higher education spending, and workforce reform underscores Vietnam’s determination to build a more skilled, globally ready population.
