Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Van Son and Lao Ambassador to Vietnam Khamphao Ernthavanh during their working session in Hanoi on June 2. (Photo: MoET)
Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) is preparing necessary conditions to make Lao one of eight foreign languages taught in general education schools across the country, alongside English, Russian, French, Chinese, German, Japanese and Korean.
MoET Minister Nguyen Kim Son was speaking during his meeting with Lao Ambassador to Vietnam Khamphao Ernthavanh in Hanoi on June 2.
Son shared that the project will first be piloted in border areas, and later expanded nationwide when there are sufficient teaching resources and qualified teachers.
He expressed hope that Laos would continue to provide support, including textbooks, language teaching, teacher training, and the implementation of the project to integrate the historical relationship between Vietnam and Laos into educational curricula in both countries.
He also proposed that the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports consider including Vietnamese as an elective subject in Laos’ high school graduation exam, and allow the use of Vietnamese language textbooks developed by Vietnam in Lao schools that are interested.
According to the Minister, the two countries have closely cooperated in effectively implementing the project on enhancing the quality and effectiveness of Vietnam–Laos cooperation in education and human resource development for the 2021–2030 period. The two sides plan to host conferences and workshops in both Laos and Vietnam this year to assess five-year results and propose directions for 2026–2030.
Both sides are also working together to strictly implement the training cooperation protocol between the Vietnamese and Lao governments, including regulations on student selection criteria and measures to improve training quality.
Lao Ambassador Khamphao Ernthavanh, for her part, expressed appreciation for the support of Vietnam, especially the Ministry of Education and Training, in developing Laos’ human resources. She highlighted the importance of Vietnamese support for Lao students studying in Vietnam, many of whom have gone on to hold key positions in Laos after graduation.
The ambassador expressed hope that Vietnamese schools would continue to strengthen student management and organise meaningful educational activities to better engage Lao students and encourage adherence to school rules.
According to the Lao Embassy in Vietnam, nearly 11,000 Lao students studied in Vietnam last academic year - the highest number among any destination for Lao students globally.
