Oxford EMI in Viet Nam

The Oxford EMI team spent two weeks in Viet Nam in October to build relationships with key stakeholders, and exhibit and speak at conferences to demonstrate ways in which we can support internationalisation targets across the country.

Tom Spain and Julie Dearden on the Vietnam National Forum EMI panel

Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has set ambitious internationalisation targets, including attracting more international students, climbing the global university rankings, and significantly expanding English Medium Instruction (EMI) degree programmes.

To support these strategic goals, the Oxford EMI team spent two intensive weeks in Viet Nam this October. We met with national policymakers, university leaders, and frontline academics across the country to explore the local context, build strategic partnerships, and showcase how we support EMI teachers. The goal is to produce high-quality English-speaking graduates with the skills needed for the global workplace of the future.

Vietnam Education Forum

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thu Thuy (MOET) speaking at the Vietnam education forum 2026

As part of the UK – Viet Nam Education Mission, our journey began in Hanoi at the Vietnam Education Forum, organised by our partners at the British Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (BritCham). The forum brought together senior university leaders, government officials, and international delegations to discuss the future of UK-Viet Nam higher education collaboration and launch the findings from their Education Market Report.

In discussion with forum attendees, the Oxford EMI team emphasised why EMI is essential for Vietnamese universities looking to strengthen their global ties, attract international partnerships, and elevate their academic standing.

We shared our experience and proven strategies to train university lecturers, helping them gain the linguistic confidence and modern teaching techniques needed to teach complex, academic subjects in English. Oxford EMI argued that by focusing on teacher development and quality assurance, Vietnamese universities can ensure that their degree programmes prepare students to join an increasingly international workforce.

IECEE 2026 conference in Hanoi

Oxford EMI team members join the IECEE 2026 the closing ceremony

Continuing in Hanoi, the team took part in the two-day IECEE 2026 (International Conference on Education Cooperation in the Digital Era and Education & EdTech Exhibition).

It was a pleasure to join DfE Minister Baroness Smith and Professor Sir Steve Smith in meetings with Professor Hoang Minh Son, Minister of Education & Training, and Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thu Thuy, Director General, Department of International Cooperation, MOET.

The Oxford EMI stand at IECEE

Julie Dearden in discussion with Baroness Smith and Professor Sir Steve Smith

As institutions across Viet Nam adapt to rapid technological change, our discussions with key stakeholders at this event focused on the essential role EMI plays for institutions looking to connect their courses with the global academic community. We discussed how universities can use ongoing teacher training and observation frameworks to maintain consistent quality assurance, support busy faculty, and create dynamic learning environments that benefit both domestic and international students.

Vietnam National Forum 2026 English Medium Instruction

UEH and Oxford EMI delegates at the Vietnam National Forum on English Medium Instruction

On October 17th, the focus shifted south to Ho Chi Minh City for the Vietnam National Forum on English-Medium Instruction, hosted by the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH).

The event convened over 120 senior delegates. including representatives from MOET, the British Council, university presidents, deans, researchers, and key policymakers. Centred on the theme “English-Medium Instruction: A Strategic Driver for Vietnam’s National English as a Second Language Initiative,” Oxford EMI Director Julie Dearden and Head of Training Tom Spain provided the plenary, joining other high-level speakers:

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Thu Thủy, Director General of the International Cooperation Department (MOET)
Dr. Nguyễn Thị Mai Hữu, Head of the National Foreign Language Project Management Board (MOET)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bùi Quang Hùng, President of UEH

Julie and Tom’s plenary stressed the importance of going beyond theoretical benefits and tackling the hard operational realities of training subject specialists to deliver technical curricula in English without diluting academic standards.

Putting the theory into practice

Course Participants on the Oxford EMI course at UEH

Prior to the forum, Oxford EMI Head of Training Tom Spain delivered an intensive, in-person training course for faculty from UEH and partner institutions.

As with all of our courses, this focussed on keys areas of successful EMI delivery, including:

Understanding EMI in the global and Vietnamese context
Delivering engaging, interactive classes
Asking questions that require higher-order thinking
Scaffolding learning through peer discussion

We’ll be sharing more about this course in a future post.

We were also delighted to meet previous course participants from our online trainer-led courses, which have trained over 100 lecturers this year as part of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Oxford EMI and UEH.

Toward a sustainable national network

A standout outcome of these events was advancing the groundwork for the Vietnam English-Medium Instruction Network.

Rather than working in institutional silos, universities across Vietnam, from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, are moving toward a collaborative national framework designed to:

Standardise quality assurance and peer-observation benchmarks in EMI classrooms.
Coordinate faculty development across STEM, business, and humanities faculties.
Align institutional roadmaps directly with MOET’s long-term bilingual education policies.

As Vietnamese universities continue to expand their global research footprints and student exchanges, our October visit has made one thing clear: successful internationalisation begins in the classroom, one well-supported lecturer at a time.

Looking forward

Our thanks to all the organisers and everyone we met at these events. We look forward to continuing to expand our collaboration with higher educational institutions in Viet Nam and with MOET as they strive to meet the nation’s ambitious goals.