Vietnam’s population was estimated at 85 million in 2007. The country has a surface area of 331,100 square kilometres and stretches for more than 1,600 kilometres along the edge of the South-East Asian mainland from the South China Sea to the Gulf of Thailand, with over 3,000 kilometres of coastline. At its narrowest, in the centre, Vietnam is only 40 kilometres wide and it is bordered on the north by China and on the west by Laos and Cambodia.
Vietnam's annual average GDP growth rate for the period between 1994 and 2004 was 7.3 per cent, reached 8.5 per cent in 2007 and started to decline in 2008 due to the credit crunch and its macro-level policies, which focus on curbing inflation rather than stimulating growth. Inflation has been restrained and is forecast to be 25 per cent and 17.5 per cent in 2008 and 2009 respectively, while GDP is advised to target at 6.5 per cent and six per cent in 2008 and 2009 respectively.
Over 60 per cent of Vietnam's population is under 35 years old. However, the vast majority of the country is rural and unable to afford study overseas or to access locally-delivered programmes in cities or via the Internet.
The numbers of those who are interested in and can afford overseas education are growing very quickly – an estimated 25,000 students are studying abroad each year. Those students are clearly clustered around a few cities where the wealth is concentrated. A shortage of places and variable quality of local provision at undergraduate level means that there is a great potential for first degrees and access to higher education.
The main markets for international students are the major cities, mainly Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and, increasingly, Haiphong, Danang and Can Tho. There is a tradition of studying abroad and no longer any cultural or political barriers to prevent it. Investment in children's education is given the highest priority and is seen as an acceptable way to spend new wealth.
Vietnam has become increasingly integrated with the world economy and became a member of the WTO in 2006. Exports have been the main drivers for growth and foreign investments have been buoyant in recent years. The Government’s Socio-Economic Development Plan 2006 to 2010 lays out a path of transition towards a market economy with a socialist orientation, aiming at attaining middle income country status by 2010. Other key players, including DFID and ADB, estimate middle income status will be achieved by 2013 and in the current global economic crisis this would seem sensible.
Vietnam is a one-party state in which the Communist Party remains the dominant political force, despite the modest downgrading of its role in the 1992 constitution.
The government operates at three levels – provincial, district and commune level – and each level has a People’s Committee (the executive arm) and a People’s Council (the legislative arm). The structure of the political framework is extremely comprehensive, but owing to the distance from central Government and the wide range of their powers and areas of influence, the People’s Committees operate semi-autonomously. Attitudes and the level of co-operation concerning aid or investment therefore vary from province to province. The central Government, however, retains overall control and is perceived as being stable, for the time being at least.
The end of sanctions by the USA, especially with regard to trade, has made the USA the top trading partner for Vietnamese exports. The historic relationship with the former colonial power, France, expresses itself through membership of the group of Francophone countries and Vietnam maintains friendly relations for trade and cultural exchanges with many countries of the European Union.
The Government is committed to continuing its overseas scholarships programme for future leaders and the UK is among the most popular destinations. The Government is also keen to encourage in-country programmes and support overseas campuses. Vietnamese institutions are very interested in franchise and split degree programmes with study abroad elements.
The structure of the formal education system comprises 12 grades. Primary education is from grade one to five, lower-secondary education including grades six to nine and the grades 10 to 12 are upper-secondary education.
The academic year is about 42 weeks long, running from September to January and February to May in two semesters. The school week is six days long for secondary pupils and five for primary. Most students go to school for half a day, as the demand for premises obliges most schools to teach in shifts.
In Vietnamese culture, education is highly prized and respected. There is a high adult literacy rate of 94 per cent, although the rate is much lower among ethnic minorities. Education is compulsory at primary and lower-secondary levels. In 2000, the Government announced that it had achieved universalisation of primary education, with over 90 per cent enrolment of all children in the 6 to 11 age groups. It now wants to make lower-secondary schooling compulsory and hopes to achieve universalisation by 2010 and of upper-secondary by 2020.
After the lower-secondary level, students may continue in general upper-secondary schools or enter a vocational school. Demand for the academic stream is much higher, as the vocational stream is perceived to offer inferior qualifications. Nevertheless, as a result of major changes to the system in 2005, interest in the new, standardised vocational courses is now rising, as they offer direct access to jobs as well as to the academic stream of higher education.
Vietnam has an extensive state-controlled network of schools, but the number of privately-run schools is also growing. Increasingly, schools seek to work with overseas institutions to improve their local provision and to better prepare students for overseas studies once they graduate.
Students are taught the national curriculum and it is planned that running alongside this will be internationally-recognised qualifications, including the International Baccalaureate (IB) and A-levels, that will receive support from the Government.
On completion of grade 12, students may apply for university or college or a vocational training school. Competition for the first two of these is fierce and admission is by entrance examination. The programmes offered are mostly associate degree and Bachelor’s degree courses at undergraduate level and Master’s and PhDs at postgraduate level.
The standard length of a non-specialised undergraduate degree is four years and technical degrees take five years; it takes six years to obtain a medical degree. At postgraduate level, it takes two years to get a Master’s degree and a further two years for a PhD (or four years from Bachelor’s degree to PhD), with extensions frequently permitted.
The private sector has grown significantly since 1989, with an encouraging policy from the Government. Students of private institutions have to pay full fees, while in the state sector, students now bear a significant share of the cost of education and have to pay for tuition fees (which are subsidised by the Government), books, uniforms and school supplies, costs which mount as the level of education advances and which undoubtedly influence participation rates at secondary levels in poorer areas.
The distribution of universities is heavily weighted in favour of the larger cities (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang, Can Tho and Haiphong), but there are branches of larger universities in smaller cities and towns, and colleges in all the provinces.
The US is the market leader, followed by Australia, and the UK ranks third on the list of popular English-speaking countries receiving Vietnamese students. The number of Vietnamese students in the UK, however, has been growing quicker than that in Australia in recent years. The US has achieved its market position through being more active in promoting its education (i.e. visa staff at their Embassy and Consulate have participated in institutional promotional presentations). In addition, they have relaxed their visa procedures, whereas UK visas have been tightened up (e.g. no more visa processing in Ho Chi Minh City and increased visa fees).
In-country delivered programmes with overseas qualifications have become more popular. An Australian institution, RMIT, has campuses in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and there are more and more programmes jointly run by local and overseas institutions. Other competitors, such as France, the Netherlands and Belgium (with courses delivered in English), are also attractive.
Emerging Asian countries (Japan and Korea) which are a short distance away, culturally more familiar and cost less, are potentially strong competitors. With similar competitive advantages, Singapore, Malaysia and China are increasingly becoming popular, especially for trans-national education (TNE) programmes.
The main demand in Vietnam comes from school-leavers seeking entry to higher education. Vietnamese students are attracted to the full range of pathway programmes that boarding schools, further education colleges, schools and universities in all competitor countries can offer. This includes school-leaving qualifications, such as A-levels, the International Baccalaureate, international foundation programmes and HNDs.
Most undergraduates are those who progress from pathway programmes.
The one-year Master's course has increasingly become an outstanding feature that attracts interest among Vietnamese students. Split degrees in the postgraduate sector present a real market opportunity, especially in collaboration with a reputable Vietnamese institution.
The greatest demand has been for business / management and finance. Tourism, IT, applied / life sciences and, especially, engineering, are also popular. Given Vietnam's development priorities and job market predictions, these trends look set to continue.
With a goal to have 20,000 more PhD graduates by 2020, the Government supports studying abroad and has been rolling out overseas scholarships programmes for future leaders, both at central and provincial levels, and the UK is among the most favoured destinations.
Vietnam has set an objective to upgrade its higher education system toward international standards by 2020; as a result, the Government now strongly encourages collaboration with overseas campuses in research collaboration and collaborative programme delivery. Vietnamese institutions are very keen on franchise and split degree programmes with study abroad elements.
To date, over GBP 150,000 has been allocated to enhance collaboration projects between UK and Vietnam higher and further education institutions in collaborative programme delivery, research collaboration and vocational partnerships under PMI2.
PMI2 is part of the UK Government’s strategy to confirm the UK’s position as a leader in international education and sustain the growth of UK international education delivered both in the UK and overseas, as well as the development of mutually beneficial educational partnerships.
These collaboration projects specifically aim to:
- build capacity for Vietnamese universities and colleges in delivering joint courses at degree and master levels in a number of subjects, including media management, computing, banking and finance, hospitality and tourism management and electrical engineering and electronics
- build capacity for Vietnamese universities and colleges in education leadership and management
- introduce modern UK teaching and practical learning methodology to Vietnamese partners
- improve English language learning for university / college staff and students
- develop curriculum and build teaching capacity in vocational ICT programmes
- build research capacity for Vietnamese universities and colleges in aquaculture and fisheries.
Recently approved projects include:
Research co-operation
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Can Tho University (College of Aquaculture and Fisheries) |
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Promoting sustainable high quality river catfish seed production in Vietnam |
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Collaborative programme delivery
Vocational partnership
In Vietnam, the British Council's support to UK institutions in enhancing sustainable partnerships under PMI2 include:
- brokering relationships between UK and Vietnamese universities and colleges by:
- visits by senior members of staff to 26 selected universities / colleges in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang and Can Tho to understand areas of possible collaboration with UK partners and to communicate PMI2 objectives
- organising two PMI2 ‘speed dating’ meetings in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City during the Education UK Exhibitions in 2007, with the participation of 33 Vietnamese universities and colleges in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City
- organising a five-day scoping visit for FE colleges in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in January 2008
- leading on a PR campaign to communicate the strategic alliances and partnership strand of PMI2 and celebrate UK HE and FE institutions’ success in winning PMI2 seed funding for collaboration partnership projects with Vietnam in 2007 / 2008 and 2008 / 2009 on the occasion of the Education UK Exhibition in 2008 in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
There are two British Council offices in Vietnam, in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, with the main office in Hanoi (the capital city and main UK market). Both offices have public access. The Teaching Centre has been expanding rapidly since 2005 and education as a whole is a British Council priority. The demand for UK qualifications is booming, especially for IELTS. The British Council in Vietnam has a co-ordinated marketing approach in schools and universities which maximises return on investment.
The education promotion team began operating in late 1999 and held its first education exhibition the following year. As well as an annual education exhibition, we have organised a number of further education inward missions and outward missions for education agents. We prioritise outreach work and have set up school co-coordinators in feeder schools and universities.
Our marketing strategy focuses on PR campaigns on employability, quality and accessibility of UK education, more utilisation of alumni as advocates for UK education, working with feeder schools and universities (competitions and presentations aimed at raising awareness about the UK and UK education), establishing and strengthening the capacity of the education agent network and further improving our branded publication suites and bilingual education UK website.
In May 2008, a lecture tour to 19 top engineering universities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City was jointly organised with the Sterling Group with a view to promoting UK engineering excellence in research and teaching.
As a result of increased Internet penetration, we have enhanced exploiting web-based media for PR activities. The most popular webpages among Vietnamese teenagers have been contracted to promote UK education to high school students by delivering the latest news about UK educational events and stories about UK achievement in education and about how Vietnamese students are succeeding in the UK and in Vietnam.
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