Market report Vietnam

Market Report Vietnam – The Vietnamese Study Abroad Market

In this Market Report on Vietnam we cover socio-economics, educational context and student mobility trends. Vietnam remains one of the most important study abroad recruitment markets in Asia. The country has a population of approximately 101,3 million people (2025), making it the world’s 15th most populous nation and the third largest in Southeast Asia after Indonesia and the Philippines. Vietnam has a relatively young population, with around 17% aged between 17 and 25, and more than one third under the age of 30, ensuring a deep and sustainable recruitment pipeline.

Vietnam continues to perform strongly as a student-sending country. Outbound mobility has grown steadily over the past decade, and Vietnam is now the largest source of international students in Southeast Asia, with more than 137,000 Vietnamese students studying overseas across all destinations. Demand for international education is underpinned by strong family investment in education, rising household incomes and capacity constraints in domestic higher education.

The most popular study destinations for Vietnamese students are Japan, the United States, South Korea, Australia and Canada. Intra-Asia mobility plays a particularly important role, with Japan and South Korea attracting large numbers of Vietnamese students due to geographic proximity, relatively lower costs and post-study employment opportunities. At the same time, English-speaking destinations remain highly attractive for undergraduate and postgraduate study.

World Education News and Reviews (WENR) reported as early as 2012 that “Vietnam is one of the top four emerging countries from which to recruit international students.” Since then, outbound mobility has expanded significantly. Vietnamese enrolment in U.S. higher education institutions has continued to grow over the long term, and Vietnam consistently ranks among the top sending countries to the United States. Vietnamese students now represent the sixth largest international student cohort in the U.S., with more than 23,000 students enrolled, the majority at undergraduate level.

Australia and Canada have also experienced strong growth in Vietnamese enrolments over the past five years, with Vietnam ranking among the fastest-growing source markets for both countries. Australia, in particular, has seen Vietnam emerge as one of its top Asian recruitment markets, while Canada continues to benefit from strong interest driven by post-study work opportunities and immigration pathways.

Demographic and economic fundamentals support continued growth. Around 40% of Vietnam’s population is under the age of 25, and the country has the fastest-growing middle class in Southeast Asia, projected to reach between 33 and 44 million people by the mid-2020s, depending on the estimate. Tertiary enrolments within Vietnam have increased rapidly, tripling between 2010 and 2020, reflecting rising educational aspirations and increased participation in higher education.

Taken together, these trends indicate that Vietnam will remain one of the leading global study abroad sending markets for years to come. For institutions and recruitment partners, Vietnam represents a high-volume, long-term strategic market with strong demand for undergraduate degrees, pathways programmes, and increasingly postgraduate and transnational education options.

Vietnamese Education System

Secondary education

Basic (i.e. junior) secondary education (trung hoc co so) lasts for 4 years and is intended for children aged 11 – 15. Pupils can move on to long – term vocational training courses of 1 to 3 years in length, at vocational training schools. The Bang Tot Nghiep Nge certificate allows students to enter the labour market as educated workers.

Admission to upper secondary education requires that pupils pass an entrance examination. General secondary education (trung hoc pho thong, also called ‘upper secondary education’) lasts for 3 years and is intended for children aged 15 – 18. Student s who complete this general education program are awarded the Bang Tot Nghiep Pho Thong Trung Hoc (Certificate of secondary school graduation). Until around 1997 this certificate was called the Bang Tu Tai or Baccalaureate. The certificate grants admission to higher education in Vietnam. (Source: wenr.wes.org)

Higher Education in Vietnam

Higher education is provided by universities, colleges and academic research institutes. Vietnam has various types of universities: open universities, technical universities, agricultural universities, medical universities and universities of economics. In 2013, Vietnam had 376 higher education institutions: 150 universities (Truong dai hoc) and 226 junior colleges (Truong cao dang).

Currently bachelor’s programs usually have a nominal du ration of 4 years, and award the Bang Tot Nghiep dai hoc (University Graduation Certificate). After completing a bachelor’s program, students can take an entrance examination and continue on to a 2 – year master’s program. Only students who completed their Bachelor full – time are eligible. The certificate awarded is a master’s degree (Bang Thac si). (Source: Nuffic)

Types of Higher Education Institutions in Vietnam

The types of HEIs in Vietnam include junior colleges (trường cao đẳng – community colleges, teacher training and other specialized colleges), mono-specialized universities (đại học đơn ngành), multi-disciplinary universities (đại học đa ngành), and postgraduate research institutes (học viện). According to Vietnam’s 2005 Higher Education Law, HEIs are public, private, or people-founded (tuition-funded institutions run by nongovernmental organizations like trade unions, cooperatives or youth organizations). There are also two public Open Universities (HCMC Open University and Hanoi Open University), which offer programs for students who scored too low in the high school exams to be admitted to regular universities. Open programs (mộ rồng) may also be offered at other universities.

The two biggest university systems in Vietnam are the Vietnam National University, HCMC and Vietnam National University, Hanoi – both public institutions with multiple mono-disciplinary member universities. VNU in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), the country’s largest city, has a total enrollment of approximately 61,500 full-time students and offers at least 120 bachelor’s programs, as well as a large variety of master’s and doctoral programs. VNU-Hanoi is smaller with about 34,000 students, according to the MOET. It reportedly has an acceptance rate of about 30 percent and charges tuition fees of USD $1,000 annually for bachelor’s programs. (source: wenr.wes.org)

Latest Vietnam Higher Education study abroad stats

Vietnam is ranked 9 in the world for outbound tertiary student mobility. Around 5% of Vietnam’s tertiary level students are enrolled on courses overseas, with over 90% of these outbound students self-funding their studies. At this point a total number of 137,022 students from Vietnam are studying for a tertiary degree (in higher education) abroad. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics these are the most popular study abroad destinations:

IB schools in Vietnam

If you are recruiting undergraduate students you may want to consider visiting IB schools in Vietnam. IB schools have an international curriculum taught in English. The quality of these schools is excellent. There is quite a large expat community in Vietnam’s major cities Ho Chi Minh, Saigon and Hanoi. School principles are often happy to receive you and let you present your school to the students. Here’s a list of IB schools in Vietnam.

• American International School – Ho Chi Minh City – ais.edu.vn
• Australian International School – Ho Chi Minh City – aisvietnam.com
• British International School – Ho Chi Minh City – bisvietnam.com
• Canadian International School – Ho Chi Minh City – cis.edu.vn
• European International School – Ho Chi Minh City – eishcmc.com
• Hanoi International School – Hanoi – hisvietnam.com
• Renaissance International School – Saigon – renaissance.edu.vn

Scholarships for Vietnamese students