The Role of the National Language in the National Education System: International Experience and Implication for Vietnamese Language Teaching in Vietnam

Abstract

This paper examines the role of the national language in general education, moving beyond the view of language as a subject toward an understanding of language as a medium of learning across the curriculum. Drawing on experiences from several education systems, including Finland, France, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, the study suggests that academic language competence is an important factor in students’ learning outcomes. In the Vietnamese context, the study identifies a notable gap: although the 2018 General Education Curriculum has clearly established the important role of Vietnamese, its implementation in practice remains largely confined to the subject of Literature, with limited cross-curricular integration. Findings from a survey of 132 teachers indicate a considerable disconnect between theoretical awareness and classroom practice, particularly in the lack of language-support strategies in content subjects such as science. Based on these findings, the paper proposes several directions for shifting from “teaching Vietnamese” to “learning through Vietnamese,” with a focus on developing students’ academic discourse competence.