Below are regulations on the standards of foreign language proficiency for International tour guides effective in Vietnam as of August 20th, 2024.
Vietnam: Latest standards of foreign language proficiency for International tour guides (Internet image)
The Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (Hanoi, Vietnam) issued Circular 04/2024/TT-BVHTTDL on June 26, 2024, amending Circular 06/2017/TT-BVHTTDL guiding the Law on Tourism 2017 and Circular 13/2019/TT-BVHTTDL.
Circular 04/2024/TT-BVHTTDL has amended and supplemented Article 13 of Circular 06/2017/TT-BVHTTDL amended and supplemented in some points under Clause 10, Article 1 Circular 13/2019/TT-BVHTTDL on standards of foreign language proficiency for International tour guides as follows:
- A person who uses a foreign language proficiently as prescribed in Point c, Clause 2, Article 59 of the Law on Tourism 2017 is someone who meets one of the following standards:
Possess a graduation diploma from a college or higher in languages or foreign languages, foreign language translation, or foreign language pedagogy;
Possess a graduation diploma from a college or higher in a training program conducted in a foreign language. If the diploma or diploma supplement does not indicate the language of instruction, additional documents proving the language used for training are required;
Possess a graduation diploma from a college or higher abroad in a training program conducted in the official language of the host country. If trained in a language other than the official language of the host country, and the diploma or diploma supplement does not indicate the language of training, additional documents proving the language used for training are required;
Hold one of the valid foreign language certificates issued by an authorized organization or agency, including: A foreign language proficiency certificate from level 4 or higher according to Vietnam’s 6-level language proficiency framework; a foreign language proficiency certificate of equivalent level 4 or higher according to Vietnam’s 6-level language proficiency framework or equivalent to level B2 or higher according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, or meet the requirements specified in Appendix I attached to Circular 04/2024/TT-BVHTTDL.
- Degrees issued by foreign educational institutions must be recognized in accordance with the law on education, higher education, and vocational education.
The list of foreign language certificates issued by competent authorities in Appendix I attached to Circular 04/2024/TT-BVHTTDL is as follows:
No |
Language |
Certificate |
Level/grading scale |
1 |
English |
TOEFL iBT |
From 61 points or more |
IELTS |
From 5.5 points or more |
||
Aptis ESOL |
From level B2 and above |
||
TOEIC (4 Skills) |
- Listening and reading: 785 points or more. - Speaking: from 160 points or more. - Writing: 150 points or more. |
||
Pearson English International Certificate |
From level 3 and up |
||
B2 FCE |
|||
C1 CAE |
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C2 CPE |
|||
B2 Business Vantage |
|||
Linguaskill |
From 160 points or more |
||
2 |
Japanese |
JLPT 5-level certificate |
From level N2 and above |
NAT-TEST certificate |
From level 2Q and above |
||
TOPJ Certificate |
From Intermediate level B and above |
||
3 |
Chinese |
6-level HSK + HSK K certificate |
From HSK level 4 + HSK K from intermediate or higher |
TOCFL Certificate (4 skills) |
From level 4 and up |
||
4 |
German |
TestDaF |
From level 4 and up |
ÖSD Zertifikat B2 (ZB2) |
Writing test (reading - listening - writing): 42 points or more; Speaking test: 18 points or more. |
||
DSD II |
From level B2 and above |
||
Goethe-Zertifikat |
From level B2 and above |
||
5 |
French |
DELF Certificate |
From level B2 and above |
TCF Certificate (04 skills) |
From 400 points or more |
||
Diplome de Langue |
|||
DALF Certificate |
|||
8 |
Korean |
TOPIK certificate (Listening, Reading, Writing test) + Korean OPIc |
TOPIK from level 4 or higher and OPIc from Advanced Low or higher |
9 |
Russian |
ТРКИ Certificate |
From level ТРКИ-2 and above |
More details can be found in Circular 04/2024/TT-BVHTTDL which comes into force in Vietnam from August 20, 2024.
Address: | 19 Nguyen Gia Thieu, Vo Thi Sau Ward, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City |
Phone: | (028) 7302 2286 |
E-mail: | info@lawnet.vn |