Under the draft circular, compulsory subjects and educational activities would include Vietnamese, mathematics, ethics, nature and society, physical education, music, fine arts and a foreign language.
If English is chosen as the first foreign language, pupils would begin studying it in Grade 1. Other foreign languages would be taught from Grade 3.
Schools would be allowed to choose the first foreign language, including English, based on their teaching capacity.
A second foreign language would remain optional and could be introduced from Grade 6, depending on pupils' needs and schools' capacity.
The ministry said prioritising English as the first foreign language would support its goal of making English a second language in schools while allowing other foreign languages to remain part of the national curriculum.
The proposal is also intended to avoid disruption for pupils and schools and prevent the perception that English would become the only foreign language available.
English has been part of the compulsory curriculum from Grade 3 since the 2022-2023 school year.
