On November 26, the Ministry of Education and Training stated that the draft circular on promulgating the foreign language competency framework for Viet Nam is currently open for wide public consultation.
The new draft circular has been developed to replace Circular 01/2014/TT-BGDDT dated January 24, 2014, meeting the current requirements for reforming foreign language teaching and learning. This draft circular introduces several key revisions, aligning the framework with modern trends in language education.
According to the Ministry of Education and Trainning, the framework has been updated in line with the criteria and content of the 2020 Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), helping to ensure strong compatibility with language education standards widely adopted around the world.
Skill-based competency descriptors for each language domain have been expanded and specified in greater detail, providing a precise, practical and reliable reference for education authorities, curriculum developers, assessment coordinators, publishers, teachers and learners in approaching advanced and internationally-recognised benchmarks.
The draft also adds a preliminary Level 1 (Pre-A1), expanding the framework to cover the full spectrum of language proficiency – from early familiarisation through to high mastery – while meeting the current demand and teaching trend for younger learners (early years and primary levels) across Viet Nam.
At the same time, the new competency framework creates a supportive legal corridor for education institutions to deepen international collaboration and integration, while ensuring consistency between domestic teaching practice and the assessment standards of international examination boards and global publishers that reference the updated framework, particularly for English proficiency benchmarks.
The new Circular is expected to take effect from January 1, 2027, replacing Circular 01/2014/TT-BGDDT which previously promulgated Viet Nam’s six-level foreign language competency framework.
