If you want to learn more about the Vietnamese education system, you have searched for the right guide. Below, we will show you the fundamental components of the education system in Vietnam, giving you a general understanding. Vietnamese education is developing rapidly and has distinctive features, particularly in the field of custom writing and the examination process at various entrance stages.
Vietnam Education System
The Ministry of Education and Training arranged an education system in Vietnam and applied nationwide. According to UNESCO statistics, up to 2009, more than 90% of the population is literate. Now, let’s look at the components of Vietnam’s education system.
1. Pre-schools in Vietnam
Pre-school in Vietnam is not compulsory. You can let your children go to school or stay at home at this stage.
Nursery school
Nursery school is a place to babysit children when their parents go to work to make a living. A child can go to nursery school when he/she reaches three months old.
Kindergarten
When the child reaches 3, parents will take him/her to kindergarten, where he/she is expected to get familiar with going to school from 7 AM to 3 PM, from Monday to Friday. This routine will be maintained until the child reaches 5. At this stage, teachers in kindergarten will teach children to sing, dance, draw, and do some simple activities by themselves. Teachers also teach children letters and simple mathematics. Nowadays, since English is becoming more and more popular, English is added as a subject in kindergarten, too. Kids will be taught to familiarize themselves with simple and popular phrases, colors, numbers, shapes, etc.
2. General training in Vietnam
When the child is 6, it’s time to go to school officially. A conventional classroom of general training consists of about 30 to 40 students with one class monitor, 2 to 3 sub monitors, and a homeroom teacher. Students wear uniforms to school. The uniform design differs from each school. Generally, an average person will spend twelve years studying from grade 1 to grade 12, including primary, secondary, and high school, before studying higher education or vocational training.
Primary schools in Vietnam
Primary school lasts for 5 years, from grade 1 to grade 5. In primary school, students will study literature, mathematics, history, geography, etc., taught by one teacher, the homeroom teacher. Other subjects, such as art, music, physical education, etc., are taught by different teachers. Students finishing the primary level will continue to study the secondary level. There is no entrance exam to go to secondary school.
Secondary schools in Vietnam
Secondary school lasts for four years, from grade 6 to grade 9. One big difference between a primary and a secondary school is that different teachers teach different subjects. One of the teachers will be the homeroom teacher. Besides, teaching, the homeroom teacher is responsible for taking care of students in other aspects, such as administrative or consulting tasks. When students finish secondary school, an exam will take place all over Vietnam to assess students’ proficiency, which is the entrance exam to high school. This entrance exam is currently applied to both public and private schools. Otherwise, you can stop general training there and start vocational training.
High schools in Vietnam
High school lasts for 3 years, from grade 10 to grade 12. In high school, subjects such as art and music are eliminated. Students will be instructed to do career orientation and will focus on the subject in which they major. When students finish high school, they must take a university entrance exam. Like high school, a university entrance exam is currently applied to public and private universities. Regarding this exam, students will choose the major that they want to study at university and take the exams that are associated with the major. In recent years, many changes have been made to this exam regarding the exam form, questions, structures, quizzes, etc.
3. Vocational training in Vietnam
In Vietnam’s education system, vocational training is designed to teach students a job such as a carpenter, barber, or tailor. Students, after finishing vocational training, are expected to have basic skills for a job. Then, he/she can work with an experienced senior to hone their skills, or they can start their own business. This training is divided into two types: short-term training and long-term training. Short-term training lasts less than 1 year, while long-term training lasts 1 to 3 years.
4. Tertiary education in Vietnam
Tertiary education encompasses bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees. A bachelor’s degree often lasts 4 years in Vietnam, depending on the subject of study. However, for some specific majors, such as medical study, a bachelor’s degree could last 6 years or more. After students finish their bachelor’s degree, they can choose to be officially a part of the labor market or study more. Students often need to spend 2 years for a master’s degree and 4 years for a Ph.D. degree.
Thanks to the Internet, learning has been made more accessible than ever before, and aside from going to school, students can also choose to learn from home as much as possible. Using online platforms such as Custom Essay Meister to assist with their schoolwork, Vietnamese students can advance much faster in their learning progress.
5. Continuing education in Vietnam
These centers were established to bring education to all walks of life. If your studying unexpectedly ceases for specific reasons, you can register for a course at these centers and return to study at any time. These centers are meant to eliminate the illiteracy rate in society to encourage people to learn whenever they are ready to.
School Schedules in Vietnam
In Vietnam, a school day starts from 7 AM to 11 AM, from 1 PM to 4 PM or 5 PM, from Monday to Friday, and Saturday morning for some schools. Students will also have a 30-minute break in the morning and the afternoon.
A school year often starts in September and ends in May the following year. In a school year, there are some holidays that students are allowed to take one or several days off, such as Tet holiday, Independence Day, World Labor Day, Hung Kings Commemoration Day, and Teachers’ Day.
Summertime often lasts 3 months, from the start of June to the end of August. However, in recent years, a school year is likely to start earlier in August because other holidays will last longer. Summer schools and extra classes like evening classes are voluntary and have been discouraged by the government in recent years.
A school year in Vietnam is often divided into 2 semesters. A test will be in the middle and end of the semester to test students’ processes and consider their eligibility to study in the next grade. In the last 3 years, the Minister of Education and Training has applied a new assessment system in primary schools. Particularly, teachers will write comments for the students instead of grading them. This is to diminish the pressure of studying for primary students. Nevertheless, this system is still in need of improvement for better outcomes.
Tuition Fees in Vietnam
Public schools
Primary students are exempt from tuition fees. This is to motivate children to go to school and be literate and be able to do simple math after finishing 5 years of primary school. In Vietnam’s education system, primary school is mandatory. Students in other education levels (from pre-school to tertiary) have to pay about VND 100,000 to VND 200,000 per month for tuition fees and a little more for other expenses, such as lunch, facility fees, etc.
- Nursery: VND 200,000/month
- Kindergarten: VND 160,000/month
- Secondary: VND 100,000/month
- Highschool: VND 120,000/month
This number was applied in the 2016-2017 school year. And the authority is considering exempting fees for secondary schools in 2019. The college and university costs range from VND 5,000,000 to VND 51,000,000/year in the 2017-2018 school year.
Private schools
Tuition fees at private facilities vary according to each school. For general education, the lowest price could be VND 1 million/month for half-day classes, VND 2 million/month for full-day classes, and VND 3 million/month for boarding school, while the highest price could be up to VND 48 million. Students who study in private schools, especially international schools, usually pay much more than students in public schools. Instead, they are provided with a more modern facility and an environment more open to international concepts.
Summary of the Education System in Vietnam
Education has always been considered crucial and is the foundation of being successful in the future. Like many other parts of the world, highly educated people are respected in Vietnam. In recent years, Vietnam has deployed many innovations to update and upgrade the quality of education. Vietnam’s education system is expected to develop more and more since it is deemed the cornerstone of a prosperous nation.
You may also want to check out other information on other aspects of Vietnamese society: