EMI Programs in a Vietnamese University: Language, Pedagogy and Policy Issues

Abstract

English medium instruction (EMI) programs, where discipline content is taught through English, have been mandated in a number of Vietnam’s universities as part of the government’s National Foreign Languages 2020 project and their Higher Education Reform Agenda. The aim is to promote international exchange, increase revenue, raise the quality and prestige of educational programs, and provide a well-qualified, bilingual workforce for Vietnam’s rapidly-developing economy. Three main types of program are delivered: those from overseas institutions that are delivered onshore by overseas staff; overseas programs taught under franchise by local staff; and domestic programs that are informed by offshore curricula but modified for local requirements. But as with many Asia-Pacific countries, Vietnam’s EMI drive has been beset with issues at the macro- (governmental), meso- (institutional) and micro- (classroom) levels. Policy on EMI is mandated and regulated in an ad hoc fashion; institutions struggle to adapt programs designed in Anglophone countries to local requirements; classroom academics wrestle with increased preparation loads, the limits of their own English language proficiency and that of their students. This chapter examines these issues, providing illustrative detail through a case study of EMI implementation at a Vietnamese higher education institution. Recommendations are then made for improved implementation and practice.