Education opportunities in Vietnam
Published 27 October 2014
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1. Market potential
The Vietnamese education and training market is a priority market for UKTI Education owing to:
- Potential for significant future business
- Potential opportunities existing across several sub-sectors – including schools (K-12), technical and vocational education and training (TVET), higher education (HE) and English language training (ELT)
- UK education and training expertise being highly valued in Vietnam across a range of industries
2. Potential contract opportunities
Potential opportunities in Vietnam include:
- Establishing school curricula that deliver academic and cognitive skills
- Meeting the demand for private schools and tutoring Vietnam’s emerging middle class
- Supporting and strengthening teacher training systems including building teacher training institutions and developing ELT capabilities
- Supporting TVET initiatives including teaching and learning, and curricula development in schools, training centres and colleges
- Joint programmes with public and private-sector universities
View all education opportunities in Vietnam
3. Additional market information
3.1 Geographical considerations
Vietnam is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia with a coastline of 3,444 km. Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) is the commercial hub and is where most businesses have their largest presence. With a population of 89 million, Vietnam is the 42nd largest economy in the world. The country has undergone dramatic change since the decision in 1986 to reorient the economy towards a more market-driven model. Building on World Trade Organisation accession in 2007, Vietnam is now negotiating a free trade agreement with the European Union and is also in talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (a proposed regional free trade agreement that is currently being negotiated by 12 countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region).
Vietnam’s GDP is $170.6 billion (£106 billion). GDP increased 5.4% in 2013. An average of 6% growth a year is forecast from 2014 to 2017. Per capita purchasing power is around $3,600 (£2,240).
3.2 Education sector overview
Education accounts for circa 7% of GDP. The Vietnamese education and training sector is large, with almost 18 million students and more than 500,000 teachers and instructors. Vietnam offers free, compulsory education to all students aged between six and 14 and non-compulsory upper secondary education up to 17 years old. Basic general education at a primary and lower secondary level dominates the education profile of Vietnam’s workforce, however, almost half of technicians hold a professional vocational education and training degree and another 30% an HE degree. Despite the large increase in educational attainment in recent years, demand for well-educated workers remains high, reflecting the large skill shortages in areas including engineering, management and skilled manual trades.