Ho Chi Minh City leads breakthrough in English education

The city has also enabled first-grade students to study mathematics and science in English, an initiative that has shaped a new generation of globally minded learners.

Speaking at a ceremony celebrating 50 years of the city’s education and training sector on Thursday, Permanent Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong highlighted five prominent achievements.

Among them, he praised the city’s early and comprehensive preparation toward making English a second language in schools.

This includes implementing English-medium math and science programs and fostering numerous English-language playgrounds, competitions, and international exchange activities for students.

Ho Chi Minh City chairman Nguyen Van Duoc said that over the past five decades, the city’s education sector has achieved remarkable milestones.

One standout accomplishment was the early adoption of international-standard foreign-language and IT programs, he said.

Pioneering English instruction from grade 1

In 1998, the city became the first locality in Vietnam to introduce an enhanced English curriculum at the elementary level, starting with just 60 students.

At that time, the national curriculum only mandated English instruction beginning in grade 6.

The municipal Department of Education and Training later advanced even further with Project 5695, an integrated English program combining the Vietnamese and UK curricula for math, science, and English.

Approved in 2014, the project initially expanded to 18 elementary schools with 600 students, with EMG Education serving as the program’s strategic partner responsible for curriculum development and instructional deployment.

The integrated program introduced modern global teaching methodologies, built a strong pipeline of qualified educators, and applied the CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) approach to help students acquire both language and subject knowledge simultaneously.

High-tech education tools also played a key role in shaping the classroom experience.

The enhanced English curriculum marked a bold step forward, while Project 5695 was a true breakthrough.

For the first time in Vietnam, students at public elementary schools studied English, math, and science taught entirely by native-speaking teachers using a UK-standard curriculum.

Driven by parental demand and aligned with trends in globalization and international integration, these programs expanded quickly through voluntary enrollment.

Now, nearly 100 percent of students in the city begin English in grade 1, and the integrated English program has grown to more than 30,000 students across 160 elementary, middle, and high schools.

Fruitful results

Within just a few years, the municipal Department of Education and Training implemented international competency-based assessments in partnership with global organizations such as Pearson and ETS.

Although some parents initially worried that first graders might struggle to learn English, let alone math and science in English, the results over the past decade have proven otherwise.

Students joining the integrated program have consistently performed well in Pearson Edexcel assessments, with average pass rates over 10 years reaching 86 percent in the elementary-school level, 92 percent in middle schools, and 96 percent in high schools.

After over 10 years of the launch of Project 5695, many students have excelled in international academic competitions, with several earning top global scores in English-medium math and science exams.

Among them, five students achieved the highest scores in the world in international certification exams.

Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Education and Training Nguyen Bao Quoc noted that many students can now communicate fluently in English, especially in academic and scientific contexts, one of the clearest indicators of the program’s success.

A total of 119 students have received Pearson Edexcel’s Excellence Awards for outstanding achievement.

Ho Chi Minh City has consistently ranked among the top performers nationwide in the national high school graduation exam.

For eight consecutive years, the city has held the highest English scores in the country, a record achievement.

These outcomes provide momentum for the city's broader ambition: establishing English as a second language in schools, in alignment with goals set by the Politburo and the newly-approved national Project 2371.

Building English-rich environment

Nguyen Phuong Lan, CEO of EMG Education, said that the organization continues to innovate by integrating cutting-edge educational technologies such as 3D learning models, virtual laboratories, and metaverse-based classrooms.

These tools ensure that students have access to the most advanced learning materials and are equipped with the skills necessary for future global integration.

A defining feature of Project 5695 is its emphasis on creating an immersive English-use environment both inside and outside the classroom.

Project-based learning, STEM activities, group assignments, presentations, and student-produced films give learners continuous opportunities to apply English in meaningful, real-world contexts.