On April 15, 2025, Foreign Language Specialized School (FLSS), under the University of Languages and International Studies – Vietnam National University, Hanoi (ULIS – VNU), officially started building a plan to become an English as a Second Language (ESL) school.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Do Tuan Minh – Chairman of the ULIS Council, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha Le Kim Anh – Vice President of ULIS, the school board, heads of departments, and the teacher group in charge of developing the project. Ms. Nguyen Huyen Trang – Principal of the Foreign Language Secondary School (UMS) – also joined to share experiences.

Dr. Minh emphasized the importance of turning FLSS into an ESL school in the current context of global integration and education reform. This direction follows national policies and continues the success of the ESL model piloted at UMS. “We are not going ahead of our time. We are moving in line with what society needs today,” he said.

At the meeting, Dr. Minh suggested some key steps, such as organizing English training courses for subject teachers, encouraging teachers to apply ESL in their lessons, creating a library of English learning resources, and using AI tools to support teaching innovation.

Ms. Nguyen Huyen Trang shared that at UMS, clear goals, good communication, and building the habit of using English in daily activities were key to success. Despite challenges with language skills, teachers were willing to adapt. UMS has applied CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning), integrated tests, and published internal ESL bulletins.

Leaders and department heads at FLSS showed strong support for the project. Ms. Le Thi Thanh Ha, head of the Social Sciences Department, said using English in Literature lessons is possible and meaningful.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha Le Kim Anh proposed four priority solutions: improving English skills for teachers, offering second-degree English classes, using English in daily school news broadcasts, and promoting student involvement in the ESL project.

At the end of the meeting, Dr. Minh asked FLSS to complete the project plan with clear actions for each school year. He also emphasized the importance of internal communication and staff training. FLSS and UMS will jointly organize a national workshop to share experiences in implementing the ESL school model.