According to the Vietnam Economic Times, the Vietnam Business Forum (VBF)’s Education and Training Working Group raised their concern about the Decree No.73 which restricts the number of Vietnamese students to attend international schools (at 10 to 20 per cent) in Vietnam. The restriction results from the concern of some authority that a large number of local students studying at international schools would affect the Vietnam’s cultural identity.
However, if students are not allowed to take international education in the country, they could spend more to go study abroad. Every year there are over 110,000 Vietnamese students taking overseas study, spending a total of over US$3 billion. This shows the high demand in receiving international education of Vietnamese students.
The Decree No.73 has created barrier both in attracting foreign direct investment in the education sector and opportunity for local students to have access to international and quality education.
The VBF’s Education and Training Working Group suggests the Decree No.73 should change in providing license, transitional provisions, conditions for approving educational activities, facilities and equipment, the extension of the operation term of educational institutions, and the minimum qualifications of instructors. Otherwise, this law would have negative impact on its country’s economy which is in severe need of high quality labour force.
Commentary
Challenges in Vietnam higher education reform continues to contribute to high demand for study abroad of Vietnamese students. A World Education Services (WES) research report in May 2015 ranked Vietnam second in the top 4 emerging markets for International Student recruitment.
There is a trend of Vietnamese students choosing to study in East Asia countries with key motivations being lower cost (as compared to other regions), and geographic proximity and cultural familiarity. Currently, largest host countries in the region for Vietnamese students include Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, and Malaysia. Japan and China also receive a high number of Vietnamese students, although many are on scholarships and study in the local languages, this does reflect the market’s high demand for affordable education in the East Asia region.
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