English assessment in Vietnam: status quo, major tensions, and underlying ideological conflicts

This article reveals some major and interrelated tensions between policy intentions and implementation of English assessment in Vietnam via a critical review of policy, research, and media documents. Arguably, the overarching contradiction is that while Vietnam’s English assessment appears tightly regulated, there are limited attempts to enforce the promulgated regulations. Hence, despite the call for formative and alternative assessment, summative tests remain predominant across levels of education. Likewise, discrete-point and/or indirect testing continues to prevail regardless of the authorities’ endorsement of communicative language assessment. Furthermore, although the government has commissioned and approved domestic standardised tests, the Vietnamese public and institutions apparently prefer international testing products. The article argues that besides frequently cited reasons, the tensions can be attributed to the clashes between the country’s three dominant ideologies (Confucianism, socialism, and neoliberalism). Finally, the article concludes with implications for developing the English assessment system in Vietnam and similar contexts.