Establishing foreign language centers is a need that many foreign investors want to fulfil in Vietnam. Vietnam’s strengthening of global integration promotes people’s exchanges and discovery of new cultures. Thereby contributing to the creation of a large number of customers desiring to learn languages in addition to their mother tongue.
Many English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean … centers have opened to catch up with and meet trend. To do this, businesses and individuals are required to meet the legal status, conditions, knowledge, etc. to establish foreign language centers.
Gateway to Vietnam outline the legal implications of establishing foreign language centers as follows:
1.1. Facilities
The center must provide adequate facilities, equipment, teaching materials, and financing sources to ensure training quality that conforms with the center’s development plan and scale of operations.
1.2. Teachers
The center will employ administrative officers, teachers, and employees that meet statutory qualification and operational requirements.
1.3. The director of the foreign language center
The director of the language center – directly managing the center is legally accountable under the law and supervisory authorities for all activities of the center – must satisfy all the following requirements:
2.1. Authority for establishing a foreign language center
The Director of a university, academy, the principal of a university or college of pedagogy are accorded authority to issue the decision on establishment of a center that is located within its campus;
The head of a social organization, socio-professional organization, or economic organization authorized by law to establish a training center is vested with authority to decide on a dependent foreign language centre;
The Director of the Department of Education and Training is vested with the authority to grant a decision on the establishment of the dependent center; or approval of the establishment of centers of higher education institutions, academies, universities, or college of pedagogy that is located off the campuses of these higher education institutions, academies, universities or pedagogy colleges, and those prescribed in Point b.
2.2. Application package:
a) Request form for the establishment of the foreign language center;
b) Proposal for the establishment of the foreign language center and/or computer training center that specifies the following content – centre’s name; location; necessity and legal grounds for the establishment of the center; objectives and mission of the center; training curriculum and scale; facilities; organizational structure; CV of the recommended Director of the centre;
c) The draft statutes of operations of the foreign language and computer training center.
2.3. Implementation procedures:
The organization or individual will send 1 complete set of application documents to the competent person that is vested with the authority to establish a foreign language center;
Within 10 business days from the receipt of all required valid documents, the competent authority – vested with the power to establish the foreign language – is responsible for the evaluation and inspection in accordance with applicable law;
Within 5 business days, the competent person will issue a decision on establishment or approval of establishment. In the vent that establishment of a center is not approved, a written notification – including reasons for not establishing – will be generated.

3.1. Authority to license educational operations
a) The Director of the Department of Education and Training is vested with the authority to approve the educational operations of foreign language centers prescribed in Items b and c Clause 1 Article 47 Decree 46/2017/ND-CP;
b) The Director of a university, academy, or the Dean of a university or college of pedagogy is accorded the authority to issue the decision to license educational operations of foreign language centers operating within the campus of such university, academy, or college.
3.2. The application package consists of
a) Request form for a license to perform educational operations;
b) Copy of the master register, certified copy of the original or the copy enclosed with the original for verification of the decision of establishing the foreign language center issued by a competent person;
c) Regulations on educational activities of the center;
d) Report on facilities, equipment, curriculum, and teaching materials; administrative officers and teachers; written evidence of the legal right to use land and house, and sources of financing for operations of the center.
3.3. Implementation
The center will submit 1 set of application documents directly to or via postal service to the competent authority;
Within 5 business days from receipt of the required valid documents, the competent person will accept the documents. Applications not meeting the requirements, will be returned to the center with a written notification outlining what needs to be corrected;
Within 10 business days from the receipt of the required valid documents, the relevant unit will verify whether or not the center meets all the requirements as prescribed and record the result;
Within 5 business days from obtaining the result, the competent person will grant an approval for the center to conduct educational activities. A refusal, will be accompanied by a clearly written notification.
The establishment of a foreign language center is a complicated procedure. Your interest in establishing a foreign language center may require a consultation regarding the implementation procedure. You are encouraged to contact us via number +84 916-545-618 or by email hung.le@cnccounsel.com and thanh.tran@cnccounsel.com