Vietnam’s Ministry of Education has found that 146,600 English language learners in Vietnam have International English Language Testing System–known more commonly as IELTS–certificates that were ‘inappropriately issued’. In short, a change in regulations meant that foreign language certificate issuers would need to get approval from the Ministry of Education to issue IELTS certificates. It looks as though there was some confusion around this and as a result two of the biggest IELTS certificate providers–IDP and the British Council–were not approved to issue IELTS certificates between January and November of 2022.

It has not been clear what will happen to the bulk of these certificates, however, the initial  56,200 reported earlier this month were given the okay by the Ministry of Education on May 9 anyway.

Red tape, regulatory requirements, and working with the local authorities can be challenging in Vietnam’s education sector. That said, Vietnam’s booming economy has seen huge numbers of foreign firms enter the market and foreign tourists visit the country. This has created a huge demand for English language courses and the proliferation of English language learning centres around the country–it may have its challenges, but it can also be very profitable.

For more information see: How to Start an English Centre in Vietnam: Ultimate Guide 2024