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- HANOI, 6 October 2026 — The British Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (BritCham Vietnam) today hosted the Vietnam Education Forum 2026 (VEF 2026) in Hanoi. Building upon the inaugural edition in 2025, this year’s flagship gathering convened nearly 200 senior government officials, policymakers, leading academics, and industry executives from both Vietnam and the United Kingdom. Organised around the central theme “Quality & the Future of Education”, the forum facilitated rigorous strategic dialogue across a plenary morning session and focused afternoon breakout symposia.
- Elevating educational standards to cultivate high-calibre human capital alongside the United Kingdom
- The forum takes place at a pivotal juncture as Vietnam accelerates fundamental educational reforms, heightens quality accreditation criteria, and recognises workforce upskilling as an essential cornerstone for the future economy, notably underpinning the development of international financial centres. Leveraging its global pre-eminence in financial and professional services, centuries of academic excellence, and world-renowned accreditation benchmarks, the United Kingdom continues to partner with Vietnam to enhance pedagogical quality, introduce transnational education programmes, and forge robust university-industry collaborations. VEF 2026 delivered actionable market intelligence, high-level panel debates, and pragmatic frameworks to develop highly skilled knowledge workers equipped for international financial centres and value-added service sectors.
- Underscoring the shared bilateral commitment to educational advancement, the forum welcomed distinguished keynote addresses from Mr Denzel Eades, Chairman of BritCham Vietnam; His Excellency Iain Frew, British Ambassador to Vietnam; and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thu Thuy, Director of the Department of International Cooperation under the Ministry of Education and Training.
- Representing the Ministry of Education and Training, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thu Thuy, Director of the Department of International Cooperation emphasised:
- “The Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and the United Kingdom is entering a period of strong and constructive development. In this context, education and training cooperation has consistently been identified as one of the key, strategic, and sustainable pillars.
- Today, the Vietnam Education Forum 2026 serves as a vivid testament to the strong commitment and proactive efforts of both our business communities and educational institutions.
- Going forward, educational cooperation between Vietnam and the United Kingdom is not only an exchange of knowledge. It represents a bilateral relationship aimed at cultivating shared benefits based on mutual complementarity.
- On behalf of the United Kingdom, His Excellency Iain Frew remarked:
- “Education has always been at the heart of our partnership. Together, we have expanded English language learning, strengthened higher education links, developed transnational education programmes, enhanced skills and vocational training, and supported research and innovation partnerships.
- This commitment will be further demonstrated by the upcoming visit to Hanoi of Baroness Smith of Malvern, UK Minister of State for Skills, and Sir Steve Smith, the UK’s International Education Champion, for MOET’s International Conference and Exhibition on Education from 8-9 October 2026. Their visit reflects our shared ambition to deepen educational cooperation and further strengthen partnerships between government, institutions, and industry.
- As Vietnam advances towards becoming a high-income, innovation-driven economy, education will play a critical role in developing talent for sectors such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, digital technology, green energy, healthcare, and financial services.
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- The UK stands ready to support Vietnam on this journey. Through world-class institutions, expertise in quality assurance, research excellence, and international collaboration, we are committed to helping learners, educators, and institutions thrive in the future economy.”
- Market intelligence and three strategic morning panel discussions
- The morning plenary opened with the official launch of the Vietnam Education Market Report, delivered by Ms Sylvia Putri, at Decision Lab, offering comprehensive market analytics and emerging structural trends across the Vietnamese education sector. This was followed by a keynote address by Professor Mary Stiasny, Pro Vice Chancellor Emerita, University of London, who explore how education systems around the world are responding to a period of rapid change, and what that means for quality, access and the future of learning.
- The proceedings continued with three strategic panel discussions addressing the sector’s most pressing priorities.
- The first panel, focusing on Vietnamese education and the national quality agenda, was moderated by Mr Chris Jeffery, Chair of the BritCham Education Working Group, featuring senior representatives from the Ministry of Education and Training, Prof. Rick Bennett, Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President of British University Vietnam (BUV), the UK Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), and City St George’s, University of London.
- As Chair of the BritCham Education Working Group, Mr. Chris Jeffery noted:
- “The Education Working Group is delighted to be able to host the second Vietnam Education Forum. Education is a key element joining our two countries, and this is shown by the broad range of involvement from kindergarten, language learners, language teaching qualifications, A Levels, vocational and professional, as well as higher education.
- Members of the Chamber bring and enable quality learning and international awards whilst ensuring talent develops in Vietnam during and after studies. The Chamber is proud of its development of the Forum, its annual education survey working alongside the embassy, consulate general, ministry, and British Council, supporting sustainable and quality-led partnerships.”
- The second panel, chaired by Ms Carly Barber, Head of Brighton College Vietnam, examined the strategic milestones and structural impediments surrounding educational internationalisation, drawing insights from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) South-East Asia, Manchester Metropolitan University, the British Council, and the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.
- The third panel, moderated by Mr Matt Ryland, Executive Director of BritCham Vietnam, evaluated sustainable pathways to enhance graduate employability alongside senior leaders from Prudential Vietnam, Unilever Vietnam, Standard Chartered Bank Vietnam, and Staffordshire University.
- K-12 career readiness and foundational education in the era of artificial intelligence
- In the afternoon, the forum held two parallel thematic breakout sessions, combining targeted keynote presentations with open consultative colloquia to examine execution models.
- The first session, hosted by British University Vietnam (BUV), opened with an address by Mr Paul Bennett, Chief Marketing Officer at BUV, analysing the divergence between parental expectations, real-world corporate recruitment criteria, and career readiness originating at the K-12 schooling level. “Employability can no longer be defined as preparing a student for one job. Parents want their children to have the freedom to choose, while employers need graduates who can create value. That means universities should build capability more deliberately, combining academic depth with professional skills, human capability, real-world experience and international exposure,” shared Mr. Paul Bennett.
- The second session, hosted by City St George’s, University of London, addressed the fundamental curriculum required in an artificial intelligence-driven society, led by Professor Baba Sheba, Director of Digital Transformation. The symposium examined core competencies required of modern learners, curriculum design priorities, revised assessment models, and institutional capacity-building for educators, balancing effective technological integration with human agency, cultural preservation, and equitable educational access.
- Across its core thematic pillars, market data, academic quality, future learning frameworks, and technology-driven workforce capability, the forum reaffirmed its role as an impactful bilateral nexus linking governments, higher education institutions, professional bodies, and enterprise leaders to bolster the enduring educational partnership between Vietnam and the United Kingdom.
- The Vietnam Education Forum 2026 was organised in close partnership with the British Embassy in Hanoi, supported by Platinum Sponsor British University Vietnam (BUV), Diamond Sponsors City St George’s, University of London and Prudential Vietnam Assurance Private Limited, alongside Gold Sponsors Decision Lab and Uniadmission.
- Catalysing the UK Education Delegation to Hanoi
- VEF 2026 marks the opening engagement of the official UK Education Mission’s visit to Hanoi. As part of this bilateral initiative, the British Embassy, the British Consulate-General, and BritCham Vietnam will participate in the International Education Collaboration in the Digital Era & EdTech Expo 2026 (IECEE 2026).
- Scheduled for 8 – 9 October 2026, IECEE 2026 features a dedicated UK Pavilion, supported by British University Vietnam (BUV) and includes institutions such as the British International School (BIS) HCMC and City St George’s, University of London, bridging an international policy conference with an educational technology showcase. Against the backdrop of rapid digital transformation, the event establishes a dedicated dialogue platform for multi-stakeholder collaboration, while exhibiting innovative pedagogical models and emerging EdTech solutions to foster an enduring digital ecosystem and broaden global educational partnerships.
