The Test of Proficiency in Korean will be accepted in Vietnam’s college admissions process, South Korea's Ministry of Education said Tuesday.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training signed a ministerial decision on Jan. 12 allowing TOPIK scores to be used as an elective grade in their university admissions, according to the Education Ministry. This marks the second overseas case in which TOPIK has been incorporated into university admissions, following Hong Kong in 2025.
Vietnamese students sit for a nationwide standardized exam upon graduating from high school each June. The exam consists of four subjects: math and Vietnamese, along with two electives, including seven foreign languages.
Under the new decision, students may replace their foreign language elective score with their TOPIK results. Students who score Level 3 or higher on TOPIK will be allowed to waive one elective subject, the ministry said.
Vietnam has offered Korean as a high school elective since 2020 and began including it as an option in the national graduation exam in 2021.
In Vietnam, TOPIK is administered 10 times a year by Korean Education Centers in seven regions nationwide, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh.
The examinations are overseen by officials dispatched from Korea, with local police present at test sites, as part of what the ministry described as the Southeast Asian country’s “highest-level” system for preventing and managing cheating.
Korean language education is currently offered in primary and secondary schools across 47 countries worldwide. Among them, 24 countries have formally adopted Korean as a second foreign language, and 11 reflect Korean language proficiency in their college admissions processes.
“The use of TOPIK in overseas college admissions demonstrates the rising stature of the Korean language and the reliability of the test itself,” said Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin.
“The ministry will continue to work closely with foreign governments to expand Korean language education and provide full support for its global dissemination.”
seungku99@heraldcorp.com
