Vietnam is entering a new phase in its education journey, building on a decade of reform and setting ambitious goals for the future. With a strong focus on teaching quality and student outcomes, schools across the country are exploring proven frameworks that can turn national vision into classroom reality.

“I would like to commend Ngyuen Sieu School for seeking accreditation as a High Performance Learning School, which aligns with its commitment to teaching excellence and student-centred learning.”

Ian Frew, British Ambassador to Vietnam

A Decade of Reform and Rising Ambition

In 2013, Vietnam embarked on one of the most ambitious education reforms in its history. Resolution 29 marked a deliberate turn from rote memorisation toward creativity, competence, and global readiness, an acknowledgment that a nation’s prosperity depends on the capability and confidence of its learners.

The results over the past decade have been remarkable. Literacy now exceeds 97 per cent; preschool education has been universalised; and Vietnamese students have achieved strong performances in international benchmarks such as PISA. Higher education has expanded rapidly, supported by new legislation promoting institutional autonomy and quality assurance.

And yet, progress has not been even. As Assoc. Prof. Tuyet Thi Minh Tran (2024) observes, the system still wrestles with uneven implementation, teacher shortages, and a lack of sustained professional development. The next stage of reform depends on bridging that gap, on translating visionary policy into consistent, high-quality practice across every classroom in the country.

The Vision to 2045

In 2025, Vietnam set itself an extraordinary national goal through Resolution 71-NQ/TW to become one of the world’s top twenty education systems by 2045. The ambition is both bold and deeply human. It recognises that no matter how advanced a curriculum, how generous a budget, or how ambitious a policy, no education system can outgrow the quality of its teachers.

It is through teachers, their skill, curiosity, and professional pride, that Vietnam’s next leap in learning will be achieved. Empowering them with evidence-based tools, continuous development, and global collaboration will be the decisive factor in whether the 2045 vision becomes reality.

High Performance Learning: A Partnership for Sustained Excellence

High Performance Learning (HPL), founded by Professor Deborah Eyre, offers Vietnam a clear and proven way to take that next step. Built on international research into cognition and performance, HPL provides schools with a structured framework to develop both advanced cognitive skills and the values, attitudes, and attributes that underpin academic and personal success.

Its strength lies in its partnership model. HPL does not offer short-term interventions or isolated training events; it builds long-term capacity. As the Education Endowment Foundation reminds us, “effective professional development typically includes both up-front training and follow-on supporting activities. Most effective professional development lasts at least two terms, and often longer.” HPL embodies that principle, establishing multi-year cycles of training, coaching, reflection, and shared practice that make professional growth part of a school’s culture rather than an occasional exercise.

In a Vietnamese context, where teacher quality has been identified as both the greatest strength and the greatest constraint on reform, this sustained approach aligns perfectly with national priorities. It translates the ambition of reform into the daily rhythm of professional life.

High Performance Learning is shaping teaching quality and student success for 2045
High Performance Learning is shaping teaching quality and student success for 2045

Case Study: Nguyen Sieu School, Hanoi

The transformative potential of HPL is already visible in Vietnam. Nguyen Sieu School in Hanoi was the first institution in the country to adopt the HPL framework, embedding its philosophy across curriculum, assessment, and leadership practice. Since then, its progress has been striking. Academic results have risen above global averages in IGCSE and A-Level examinations; students have secured exceptional SAT scores and scholarships to leading international universities; and the school has developed into a regional centre for teacher training and professional mentorship.

During its 2025 accreditation visit, assessors noted that:

“The tangible positive impact on students is evident. HPL is actively shaping their development, fostering academic confidence, advanced cognitive skills, and valuable attributes, leading to impressive outcomes for all students, including improved exam results, significant awards, and unprecedented scholarship success. Students actively apply HPL skills in various contexts.”

HPSA Accreditation Feedback, 2025

This feedback reflects more than student achievement; it signals a cultural shift, a school in which teachers think deeply about learning, students take ownership of their progress, and excellence becomes habitual rather than exceptional.

“I would like to commend Ngyuen Sieu School for seeking accreditation as a High Performance Learning School, which aligns with its commitment to teaching excellence and student-centred learning.”

Ian Frew, British Ambassador to Vietnam

A Shared Vision for the Future

Vietnam’s decade of reform has established strong foundations. The country has built access, modernised its legal framework, and raised international recognition. What comes next is more subtle but no less vital, embedding the habits of high performance in every school, for every learner.

High Performance Learning provides a way to achieve that goal, not through replacement, but through reinforcement, not by adding another initiative, but by making existing aspirations achievable. It offers a framework that is both global in reach and local in relevance, supporting Vietnam’s schools to fulfil the promise of Resolution 71 and position the nation among the world’s leading education systems.

With a philosophy that every child is capable of high performance, and a partnership model rooted in sustained professional growth, HPL stands ready to help Vietnam turn vision into reality, one confident, capable learner at a time.

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