The problem: a school that opens before its licence is a school that closes
British-branded international schools and joint training programmes are among the most visible UK investments in Vietnam — and among the most licence-sensitive. Education with foreign capital runs on a dedicated licensing track: the wrong entity type, an unapproved curriculum, or Vietnamese students enrolled beyond permitted ratios can each independently shut an operation down. The legal setup must precede the marketing campaign, not follow it.
The legal basis
- Foreign cooperation and investment in education: governed principally by Decree 86/2018/ND-CP (as amended), which sets the forms of foreign-invested educational institutions — from short-term training centres to international schools and joint programmes — and the conditions for each: facilities, teaching staff qualifications, curricula and financial capacity.
- Licensing ladder: investment registration first, then establishment approval and operation licensing from the competent education authorities (provincial or ministerial depending on level). Each rung has its own dossier; skipping one invalidates the next.
- Programme control: foreign curricula must be appraised and approved; Vietnamese compulsory content (Vietnamese language, history, geography and related subjects for Vietnamese students) must be taught as required. Enrolment ratios for Vietnamese nationals in foreign-invested general education are regulated — verify the current ratios before setting admissions targets.
- Ongoing compliance: periodic reporting, quality accreditation cycles and tuition-fee transparency duties continue after opening; education licences are supervised, not granted-and-forgotten.
A licensing sequence that works
First, choose the vehicle deliberately: a training centre, an international school and a joint programme are different licences with different capital, staffing and curriculum conditions — reclassification mid-way costs a year. Second, lock the curriculum package early: get the foreign programme documents ready for appraisal while the investment file is in motion, because curriculum approval is routinely the longest pole in the tent. Third, build the Vietnamese-content teaching capacity from day one rather than bolting it on before inspection. Fourth, model admissions against the regulated ratios before signing any enrolment commitments with parents. Throughout, keep one regulatory counsel owning the whole ladder — split advice across firms is how steps get missed.
Frequently asked questions
Can a UK university open a full branch campus in Vietnam?
The framework provides for foreign-invested higher-education institutions, but the conditions — capital, facilities, staffing, programme accreditation — are substantial and the approvals run to ministerial level. It is possible and has been done; it is not a fast process.
Can we teach entirely in English with no Vietnamese content?
No, where Vietnamese students are enrolled: the compulsory Vietnamese curriculum content applies. Design the timetable with it integrated from the start.
What sinks most British education projects in Vietnam?
Three things: underestimating the licensing timeline, marketing enrolments before licences are secured, and treating the Vietnamese-content requirements as an afterthought. All three are avoidable with proper sequencing.
This article has been quality-reviewed by the FLAW AI Legal Council