Vietnam to pilot Chinese, Japanese and Korean education for preschoolers

The policy is part of a foreign-language education strategy for 2025–2035, approved on Dec. 16 by Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long, with a long-term vision extending to 2045.

Under the plan, preschoolers will be gradually exposed to Chinese, Japanese and Korean on a pilot basis. English will remain the dominant foreign language at this level, with about 57% of nearly 470,000 preschool children currently accessing English instruction, according to the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences.

At the general education level, students will continue to have options to study Chinese, Russian, French, German, Japanese or Korean at schools that meet teaching requirements. Schools are also encouraged to integrate foreign-language learning with other subjects to improve practical use.

From 2025 to 2030, the education sector will also develop language programs for countries in the ASEAN region, prioritizing Lao and Cambodian instruction at schools in border areas.

At colleges and universities, foreign-language teaching will be adjusted to better match learners' needs and real-world demand.

The government says the plan aims to create a generation of young people with strong language skills to support innovation, sustainable development and competitiveness in both domestic and international labor markets.

Key measures include expanding the foreign-language teaching workforce, recruiting foreign teachers, updating curricula and textbooks, reforming testing and assessment, applying digital technology and strengthening international cooperation.

The initiative follows another government plan issued in late October to make English the second language in schools between 2025 and 2035, with English compulsory from Grade 1 by 2030. The Ministry of Education and Training expects all students to study English as a second language by 2035.