Pedagogical Approaches
in Viet Nam
Nguyen Ngoc Anh
Introduction
Viet Nam has achieved remarkable progress over the past 20 years in
improving access to basic education. However, the quality of education in
the country remains of great concern to educators and policy-makers.
Pedagogy is considered a crucial factor in determining the quality of education
(Alexander, 2008), and many educators propose that priority should be given
to improving pedagogical practices. The Government of Viet Nam likewise
considers the reform of pedagogy important for the improvement of the
quality of general education (Resolution No 40/2000/QH10 of National
Assembly, 2000). In this context, this chapter examines current pedagogical
practices in Viet Nam and considers ways to orient pedagogy in the future.
Background
Country context
Viet Nam has a population of 88.78 million and has 54 ethnic groups, of
which the Kinh is the largest, making up around 86 per cent of the country’s
population (Central Population and Housing Census Steering Committee,
2010). The national language is Vietnamese.
The people of Viet Nam experienced two wars in the past century, the wars
liberation from French colonialism (1946–1954) and American imperialism
(1954–1975). These wars caused great destruction in the country, including
the education system, with the result that the literacy rate was only around
18 per cent in 1979 (IndexMundi, 2014).
In 1986, Viet Nam began implementing the policy of Doi Moi, which has
transformed the nation’s economic institutions and external relations and has
led to three decades of rapid economic growth and very significant declines
in poverty, with the poverty rate falling from 58.10 per cent in 1993 to 9.45