Vietnam to recognize Korea’s official language exam in university admissions

Applicants check their assigned test rooms at a Test of Proficiency in Korean exam site at Dai Nam University in Hanoi, Vietnam, May 11, 2025. Korea Times photo by Heo Kyung-ju

Vietnam will begin recognizing the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) in its university admissions process this year, expanding the reach of the Korean government’s official language certification in international higher education.

The Southeast Asian country is the second overseas jurisdiction after Hong Kong to adopt TOPIK as part of its university admissions process.

The approval was granted through a ministerial decision issued on Jan. 12 by Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training, according to Korea’s Ministry of Education and the National Institute for International Education on Tuesday.

Vietnam’s university admissions system is centered on a nationwide high school graduation exam, much like Korea’s College Scholastic Ability Test.

Students are required to take exams in mathematics and Vietnamese, along with two additional subjects chosen from a pool of nine — including foreign languages and history — for a total of four.

Under the new policy, TOPIK scores can replace the foreign language section of the high school graduation exam. Students who earn Level 3 or higher — indicating an intermediate level of Korean proficiency — will be exempt from one elective subject, with their converted TOPIK scores counted toward official exam results.

Since Vietnam’s high school graduation exam is held in late June, the use of TOPIK scores in the university admissions process will apply to students entering universities from September this year.

Vietnam introduced Korean as an optional foreign language in 2020, before elevating it to a primary foreign language and an official subject on the national high school graduation exam in 2021.

The Southeast Asian nation is also among the countries with the largest number of TOPIK test-takers. Of 566,665 applicants worldwide last year, 85,896 were from Vietnam — highest among countries that administer the exam overseas.

TOPIK exams held in Vietnam are overseen by central administrators dispatched from Korean Education Centers in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, with local police deployed at test sites to ensure a high level of security and prevent misconduct.

Vietnam ranked second among countries sending students to Korea last year with 75,144, narrowly behind China’s 76,541.

The growing enthusiasm for learning Korean is also closely tied to employment demand. In the local job market, Korean proficiency is often treated as a hiring advantage, with some positions offering wage premiums such as language allowances. As Korean companies continue to expand investment and production bases in Vietnam, demand has steadily risen for Korean-speaking workers across a wide range of on-site roles.

Interest in the Korean language is expanding globally, extending beyond Vietnam. Korean language classes are currently offered at 2,777 elementary, middle and high schools across 47 countries worldwide, with total enrollment reaching approximately 235,000 students.

Among these countries, 24 have adopted Korean as an official second foreign language, while 11 include Korean language proficiency as part of their university admissions process.

Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin said that the use of TOPIK in overseas university admissions signals the rising status of the Korean language and the growing credibility of the test.

“The ministry will continue to work closely with governments around the world to promote Korean language education overseas and provide full support for its expansion,” he said.