Academic Writing: EFL curriculum

Students name: Duong Hoang Phuc

Instructor: Nguyen Thi Boi Hoang

What are the problems in the EFL curriculum in

Vietnam?
The issue of language teaching and learning has long been of great
interest and concern among learners, parents and educators alike.
Many countries across the world, including Vietnam, have witnessed
significant changes over the past fifty years. However, with regards to
the teaching context in Vietnam, there are still limitations in the
implementation of the focus of the EFL curriculum.
In the first place, the overuse of L1 in teaching has led to poor
application of English among the majority of students. This is not a
problem reserved to remote to remote areas where there is a serious
lack of qualified teachers and facilities, but it is also an insurmountable
obstacle in big cities such as Ho Chi Minh City. There are different
explanations as to why such a sad situation has been happening. First,
L1 is the easiest and most labor-intensive tool to convey the lessons to
students.

Second,

most

teachers

find

it

challenging

to

make

themselves understood mostly because of their lack of active

vocabulary and structures.
In addition, until recently, almost all exams in English focus on
advanced grammar, leading to students only spending time sharpening
their exam-taking strategies and grammar throughout ten years of
learning English, students are forced to copy vocabulary items by
copying them again and again, to work on grammar exercises every
day so that they are used to the forms of the language. However, little
emphasis is put on listening and speaking, thus producing generations
of learners of English who fail to communicate with foreigners when
they happen to meet them in the street.
1

Academic Writing: EFL curriculum

Students name: Duong Hoang Phuc

Instructor: Nguyen Thi Boi Hoang

In summary, the lack of practice from the part of teachers at high

schools and the focus on grammar of their lessons contribute in part to
the students failure to apply their knowledge to the real world.