Key Requirements for Establishing a Foreign Language Center
Conditions for the Director of the Center:
The Director of a foreign language center must meet the following standards:
a) Possess good personal integrity;
b) Have management capacity;
c) Hold a degree in foreign languages, or hold a university degree in another field together with a foreign language certificate at level 3 or higher under the Vietnamese Six-Level Foreign Language Proficiency Framework, or equivalent (applicable to directors of foreign language centers);
d) Have experience in the field of education and training.
Curriculum and Teaching Materials
Foreign language centers may use programs issued by the Ministry of Education and Training; self-develop or select programs and materials from domestic or international universities, colleges, or educational organizations, provided they meet learner needs and the center’s capacity to deliver.
Teacher Standards
Teachers at foreign language centers include full-time teachers, contracted teachers, Vietnamese teachers, native-speaking teachers (for each specific foreign language), and foreign teachers.
- Vietnamese teachers are qualified to teach foreign languages if they meet one of the following standards:
a) Hold a college degree or higher in foreign language pedagogy;
b) Hold a college degree or higher in foreign languages and possess a teaching methodology certificate. - Native-speaking teachers of foreign languages must:
Hold a college degree or higher and a relevant foreign language teaching training certificate. - Foreign teachers are qualified to teach foreign languages if they meet one of the following standards:
a) Hold a college degree or higher in foreign language pedagogy;
b) Hold a college degree or higher in foreign languages and a relevant teaching training certificate;
c) Hold a college degree or higher, together with a foreign language proficiency certificate at level 5 or higher under the Vietnamese Six-Level Foreign Language Proficiency Framework, or equivalent, and a relevant foreign language teaching training certificate.
Facilities Requirements
The center must obtain a Fire Prevention and Fighting Safety Certificate or Fire Safety Acceptance Report from the competent authority.
(This is a prerequisite condition when selecting a location for a foreign language center. A large and well-designed building is not sufficient – if the premises are a ground-level property, attention must be paid to cubic capacity and the number of floors, and official confirmation of fire safety must be obtained from the local police authority where the center is located.)
In addition, the following documents are also required: lease agreement for the premises; application for establishment; project proposal for establishment; written confirmation of investment capital for the center; draft charter on the organization and operation of the center; staff list and personnel dossiers including curriculum vitae.
Legal Basis:
- Articles 6, 13, and 18 of Circular No. 21/2018/TT-BGDĐT promulgating the Regulation on Organization and Operation of Foreign Language and Informatics Centers;
- Decree No. 125/2024/NĐ-CP dated October 05, 2024.
