Circular No. 16/2025/TT-BGDĐT stipulates on the linkage to organize foreign language proficiency certificate examinations.

CIRCULAR

REGULATIONS ON COLLABORATIVE ORGANIZATION OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE CERTIFICATION TESTS

Pursuant to the Education Law dated June 14, 2019;

Pursuant to the Government Decree No. 37/2025/NĐ-CP dated February 26, 2025, stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Education and Training;

Pursuant to Decree No. 86/2018/NĐ-CP dated June 6, 2018 of the Government on cooperation and investment by foreign entities in the field of education; Decree No. 124/2024/NĐ-CP dated October 5, 2024 of the Government amending and supplementing certain articles of Decree No. 86/2018/NĐ-CP dated June 6, 2018 of the Government on cooperation and investment by foreign entities in the field of education;

Pursuant to Decree No. 143/2025/NĐ-CP dated June 12, 2025 of the Government on decentralization and delegation of authority in the field of state management by the Ministry of Education and Training.

At the proposal of the Director of the Quality Management Department;

The Minister of Education and Training issues this Circular regulating collaborative organization of foreign language certification tests.

Article 1. Scope of Regulation and Applicability

Article 1. This Circular regulates collaborative organization of foreign language certification tests, including: Objectives of collaborative test organization; foreign language certification; ensuring safety and quality in collaborative test organization; responsibilities for ensuring safety and quality in collaborative test organization and responsibilities of supervisory agencies.

2. This Circular applies to:

a) Educational institutions, training organizations, or organizations established and operating legally in the field of education in Vietnam (hereinafter referred to as domestic test organizing units);

b) Agencies, organizations, or foreign language proficiency assessment centers established and operating legally abroad (hereinafter referred to as foreign language proficiency assessment centers);

c) Organizations and individuals related to collaborative test organization activities for foreign language certification in Vietnam.

Article 2. Interpretation of Terms

In this Circular, the following terms are understood as follows:

1. Certificate issuing unit of foreign countries is the foreign language proficiency assessment center responsible and authorized to issue foreign language proficiency certificates.

2. Collaborative test organizing unit is the domestic test organizing unit that has agreed upon or entered into a cooperation contract with the foreign language proficiency assessment center, primarily responsible for organizing foreign language certification tests in Vietnam.

3. Coordinating test organizing unit is the domestic test organizing unit that has a written agreement or cooperation contract with the collaborative test organizing unit to ensure one or more matters: registration for the test, provision of venue, facilities, equipment, and personnel.

Article 3. Objectives of collaborative test organization

Objectives of collaborative test organization include the following parties:

1. The Vietnamese party is the collaborative test organizing unit as stipulated in Clause 2 of Article 2 of this Circular.

2. The foreign party is the certificate issuing unit of foreign countries as stipulated in Clause 1 of Article 2 of this Circular or the foreign language proficiency assessment center authorized or permitted by the certificate issuing unit of foreign countries to organize certification tests.

Article 4. Foreign Language Proficiency Certificates

1. Foreign language proficiency certificates are documents confirming the results of foreign language proficiency tests issued by the certificate issuing unit of foreign countries to test takers. Foreign language proficiency certificates are not part of the national education system's certification.

2. Foreign language proficiency certificates do not include certificates assessing language proficiency in other subjects taught in foreign languages or certificates assessing language proficiency in specialized fields for professional practice in foreign languages.

3. Foreign language proficiency certificates are legally recognized in their home country when authorized by the competent authority of that country to organize certification tests; or used to review immigration, citizenship, entry visa applications for citizens of countries requiring residency, employment, research, study, and meeting input and output standards in international student training programs where the language of the certification test is the official language.

4. Foreign language proficiency certificates have widespread global recognition when recognized or used according to Clause 3 of this Article or organized in many countries around the world.

5. Approval of collaborative test organization for foreign language proficiency certificates does not include recognition of the levels of such certificates equivalent to the levels of the six-level Vietnamese Foreign Language Proficiency Framework for use within the national education system.

Article 5. Ensuring Safety and Quality in Organizing Joint Examinations

The implementation of joint examinations for foreign language proficiency certificates in Vietnam must ensure safety and quality, specifically as follows:

1. Adhere strictly to the regulations of the foreign party regarding the following contents:

a) Examination organization work: test security; examination procedures, facilities, equipment, examination venues; management staff, invigilators, graders, support staff, technical personnel, and other relevant matters;

b) Management of income and expenditure; record keeping; accountability;

c) Other provisions of the foreign language assessment institution (if any).

2. Clearly define and ensure full implementation of the responsibilities and authorities of the parties involved in the joint examination, the units organizing the examination (if any), the management staff, invigilators, graders, support staff, technical personnel in the examination organization and certification issuance processes; the responsibilities and authorities of the examinees.

3. Establish regulations on facilities, equipment, human resources, and measures to prevent cheating throughout the examination process; ensure full compliance with anti-cheating regulations throughout the examination process; prevent proxy testing and other forms of cheating.

4. Conduct examinations safely and seriously; ensure fairness and objectivity in evaluating between different examination sessions and among examinees; prevent leakage of examination questions.

Article 6. Responsibilities for Ensuring Safety and Quality in Joint Examination Organization

1. General responsibilities of the parties involved in the joint examination

a) Organize foreign language proficiency certificate examinations ensuring safety and quality according to the approved project; prevent cheating and proxy testing. In case of changes from the approved project, the parties involved must report in writing to the competent authority for review and decision-making;

b) Fulfill the responsibilities of the parties involved as stipulated by the Government's regulations on foreign cooperation and investment in education; ensure the rights and interests of those taking foreign language proficiency certificate examinations;

c) Ensure the protection of personal data of examinees and participants in the examination organization. Absolutely prevent disclosure or misuse; do not use biometric data of examinees outside the purpose of preventing cheating and proxy testing.

2. Responsibilities of the unit issuing foreign language proficiency certificates

a) Ensure open, safe, serious, and objective examination organization, accurately assessing the foreign language proficiency of examinees, adhering strictly to the regulations of the foreign language assessment institution;

b) Maintain test confidentiality; ensure fairness and objectivity in evaluation between different examination sessions and among examinees; absolutely prevent any leakage of examination questions;

c) Coordinate with the joint examination organizing unit to ensure the public disclosure of information related to the joint examination organization of foreign language proficiency certificates on the electronic information website and be responsible for the accuracy of such information; ensure the rights and interests of examinees;

d) Provide clear and complete methods for checking examination results; be responsible for receiving and processing inquiries from examinees about their right to take the examination, examination results, and certificate issuance; be responsible for verifying examination results and issuing certificates when requested by the competent state management authority.

3. Responsibilities of the joint examination organizing unit

a) Publicly disclose in Vietnamese and be responsible for the accuracy of the disclosed information on the joint examination organizing unit’s electronic information website immediately after approval, extension, adjustment decisions, and during the implementation process. Disclosed information includes: Decisions of the competent authority approving, adjusting, extending, or terminating the joint examination; information about the approved foreign language proficiency certificate: name, model, validity period of the certificate, value and scope of use of the certificate worldwide and in Vietnam; examination schedule (including time and location); registration procedure, examination organization procedure; examination rules or regulations, sample test questions; rights and responsibilities of examinees; examination fees, other types of fees (if any); methods for checking examination results; telephone number, email, hotline (if any) for receiving and handling related issues, ensuring the rights and interests of examinees;

b) Be responsible for organizing examinations and supervising and inspecting the examination organization process for foreign language proficiency certificates at approved examination locations to ensure safety, quality, seriousness, and objectivity;

c) Archive records of joint examination organization activities and foreign language proficiency certificate issuance. Be responsible for verifying foreign language proficiency certificates issued to examinees at approved examination locations. Timely provide relevant documents related to examination organization and certificate issuance; evidence of safe, quality, and non-fraudulent examination organization when requested by the competent state management authority;

d) Receive and handle issues related to certificates and examinees; reflect and propose solutions related to examination organization and certificate issuance;

đ) Implement reporting systems and update databases on joint examination organization and foreign language proficiency certificate issuance according to government regulations. Information updated in the database follows the format in the Appendix of this Circular. Database updates are conducted before June 15 and December 15 each year.

4. Responsibilities of the examination coordination unit

a) Coordinate with the joint examination organizing unit to ensure safety and quality in examination organization according to agreements or cooperation contracts with the joint examination organizing unit;

b) Fulfill the responsibilities specified in point a and point đ Clause 3 of this Article when responsible for registration and ensuring the rights and interests of those registering for the examination.

Article 7. Responsibilities of Management Authorities

1. The Ministry of Education and Training shall manage the activities related to the linkage for organizing foreign language proficiency certificate examinations according to the Government's regulations; publicly announce and update on the Ministry’s electronic information website the list of units approved, adjusted, extended, or terminated from linking to organize foreign language proficiency certificate examinations by the Minister of Education and Training.

2. People's Committees of provinces and cities shall manage the activities related to the linkage for organizing foreign language proficiency certificate examinations within their jurisdiction according to the Government's regulations; publicly announce and update on their electronic information websites the list of units approved, adjusted, extended, or terminated from linking to organize foreign language proficiency certificate examinations within their jurisdiction.

3. Departments of Education and Training shall be responsible for advising the People's Committees of provinces and cities on managing, inspecting the activities related to the linkage for organizing foreign language proficiency certificate examinations within their jurisdiction, handling violations if any; guiding the parties involved in implementing the provisions of Article 6 of this Circular.

Article 8. Effectiveness and Responsibility for Implementation

1. This Circular shall take effect from October 12, 2025.

2. This Circular replaces Circular No. 11/2022/TT-BGDĐT dated July 26, 2022 issued by the Minister of Education and Training regarding the linkage for organizing foreign language proficiency certificate examinations.

3. The Heads of the Office, the Director of the Quality Management Department under the Ministry of Education and Training; the Chairpersons of People's Committees of provinces and cities, Directors of Departments of Education and Training; relevant organizations and individuals shall be responsible for implementing this Circular./.