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How School Works in Vietnam

How Vietnam's school system is structured by age and grade, a short history, and a respectful classroom activity comparing it with school in the US.

Vietnam’s school system has five years of primary school, four years of lower secondary school and three years of upper secondary school, similar to grades 1 through 12 in the United States, but organized a little differently.

Comparing school systems is a good way to see how different countries balance the same basic goal: teaching children to read, do math and prepare for adult life. This page looks at how Vietnam structures its schools, a short history of the system, and an activity homeschooling families and classrooms can use for comparison.

How is school structured in Vietnam?

Vietnamese students move through preschool, five years of primary school, four years of lower secondary school and three years of upper secondary school. This section covers the standard public school path. It does not cover private international schools, which follow different calendars and curricula.

Preschool programs can enroll children well before they start primary school, and public kindergartens serve children from about age 3 to 6 to prepare them for first grade (Scholaro Education System Database). Primary school, called tiểu học, begins at age 6 and covers grades 1 through 5, teaching Vietnamese language, math, science, history and physical education (Middlebury College, Education in Vietnam).

Lower secondary school, called trung học cơ sở, covers grades 6 through 9, for students roughly ages 11 to 15. Upper secondary school, called trung học phổ thông, covers grades 10 through 12, for students roughly ages 15 to 18 (Nuffic, Dutch organization for internationalization in education). Most students move into regular upper secondary school without a separate entrance exam, though some specialized high schools for gifted students do require one. Primary school is compulsory nationwide, and Vietnam has been working to make lower secondary school universal as well.

After upper secondary school, students who want to attend university take a national entrance exam. Their score, combined with their high school record, decides which university and program they can enter (Middlebury College, Education in Vietnam). This exam plays a role similar to college entrance tests in other countries, though the format and stakes are different, and this page does not cover how individual universities weigh the score.

How does Vietnam’s school year compare to schools in the United States?

Both countries require children to start school around age 6 and both organize learning into grade levels, but Vietnam’s classes stay together as one group for the whole year and its teachers rotate between rooms, while many U.S. schools do the reverse. This section compares general structure only. It does not cover regional differences within either country, since both nations have wide variation from school to school.

In many Vietnamese classrooms, the same group of students stays together with one homeroom class while different subject teachers come to them, whereas American students more often change classmates as they move between classes and school years. Vietnamese classrooms also tend to emphasize listening, note-taking and group harmony, while many American classrooms put more weight on individual discussion and questions. Neither approach is right or wrong. They reflect different ideas about how children learn best, and both systems are still developing as education researchers study what works.

A short history of schools in Vietnam

Vietnam’s education system has changed enormously over the past century, moving from a small number of elite schools to a nationwide public system. This section gives a brief outline. It does not cover the full political history of the country.

Under French colonial rule, schooling was limited and mostly reached wealthier families in cities. After independence, Vietnam built out primary education across the country, and today nearly all children attend at least primary school. The government continues to invest in expanding access to secondary and higher education, particularly in rural provinces, according to World Bank research on Vietnam’s education system (World Bank, Vietnam’s Human Capital). Vietnam’s strong results on international reading and math assessments, relative to its income level, have drawn attention from education researchers around the world.

Try it: compare your school day with a student in Vietnam

This activity asks students to compare, not to judge one system as better. This section is meant for a classroom or homeschool discussion. It does not require any special materials.

  • List the subjects you study in a typical week. Which ones would a student in Vietnam also study, based on the subjects named above?
  • Vietnamese primary students usually stay with the same classmates all five years. How would that change how you get to know your classmates?
  • Vietnamese classrooms often expect students to listen and take notes rather than discuss freely. What is one thing you like about your own classroom’s approach, and one thing you might want to try from the other approach?
  • Write two questions you would want to ask a student your age in Vietnam about their school day.

For more comparisons of daily life, school and traditions around the world, visit our world cultures section. Vietnam sits in Southeast Asia, a region you can locate on a map in our geography section.

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