I. The power of the singular mandate
The first crucial decision made by Vietnam’s nascent state after achieving independence in 1945 was not the formation of an army or an economic plan. In the first government session, President Ho Chi Minh mandated a campaign to “Eliminate Illiteracy,” declaring: “An ignorant people is a weak people.”
This declaration struck at the national conscience, mobilizing tens of thousands of volunteers. A resource-poor government achieved a miracle: nearly eradicating illiteracy in North Vietnam within two years. This demonstrated that solving a single, critical social bottleneck creates immense, positive chain reactions.
This strategic focus is a universal lesson. In 2014, I witnessed a similar mandate when Narendra Modi became India’s Prime Minister. His first monumental action was to launch a $32 billion national campaign to build over 111 million toilets. This seemingly simple action was a strategic revolution: it solved health crises, protected women (who often dropped out of school due to lack of sanitation), and created a favorable environment for foreign investment. Modi’s mandate was clear: “Toilets before temples.”
II. The modern crisis: English as the new illiteracy
Returning to Vietnam’s education reform, the most disheartening statistic from a recent high school graduation exam showed that over 80% of students scored average (5) or below in English. After twelve years of mandatory English study, this figure means that effort has been virtually nullified.
In the 21st century, English illiteracy is the first and most critical barrier preventing Vietnam from becoming a developed nation.
We cannot afford this strategic failure. While our past success came from eradicating basic illiteracy, our future requires eradicating this functional language illiteracy.
III. The policy prescription: A threefold increase
The fundamental problem is one of dosage: the current official English class time in primary school is too little, too late, for students to internalize and use the language fluently.
I propose a small, targeted reform to initiate a “Literacy campaign 2.0”:
- Mandate early start: Begin teaching English formally in Grade 1.
- Increase intensity: Increase the number of English classes in primary school threefold—from the current 2 to 4 periods per week to a minimum of 6 to 12 periods per week.
To master a language, particularly early on, a child must be exposed to it as continuously as possible. The current duration is simply insufficient for immersion. The success of Ho Chi Minh City’s accelerated English programs, which added just two extra classes per week, proves that increased exposure yields dramatically better results.
IV. The economic case for action
This radical increase in class time is not prohibitively expensive; it is a vital cost-optimization strategy.
I have calculated that the additional cost is minimal: a maximum of 400,000 VND (≈$16 USD) per month per student in major cities, and half that in rural areas. If parents and the state split this cost, the state’s additional expenditure per student is marginal.
The resulting benefits are immense:
- Cost savings: Parents save trillions of VND currently spent on expensive external English tutoring.
- Quality leap: The increased class time will immediately incentivize schools and educators to adopt better curricula and more effective teaching methods.
If eliminating illiteracy in 1945 was pivotal to maintaining independence and development, then launching a “Bình dân học vụ 2.0” to eliminate English illiteracy will determine Vietnam’s educational and economic destiny for the next decade. This singular focus is sufficient to create our next great miracle.
