Implementing Project-Based Learning in the Vietnamese Classroom Context

Abstract

Project-Based Learning stands as a transformative pedagogical approach globally, championed for developing 21st-century competencies such as critical thinking, collaboration, and creative problem-solving. Its introduction into the Vietnamese educational landscape is not merely an adoption of a foreign methodology but a complex process of adaptation within a unique and deeply rooted sociocultural and institutional context. This article examines the implementation of PBL in Vietnamese schools through the lens of this contextual interplay. It argues that while the national educational reforms, notably the 2018 General Education Program, provide a strong policy mandate for student-centered methods like PBL, the practical enactment in classrooms is mediated by enduring cultural norms, systemic constraints, and the professional readiness of educators. The analysis draws upon existing literature, policy documents, and observable trends to explore the synergistic alignment and the points of tension between PBL’s core principles and traditional Vietnamese educational practices. It investigates the significant challenges, including the examination-driven culture, large class sizes, resource limitations, and teacher capacity. Concurrently, it identifies emergent opportunities within the reform framework, the digital transition, and the evolving expectations of parents and society. The article concludes that successful implementation necessitates a nuanced, context-sensitive model of PBL - one that respects the value placed on knowledge mastery while strategically scaffolding the shift towards applied competence. It calls for a systemic support strategy focused on sustained, practical teacher professional development, incremental curricular redesign, and a recalibration of assessment paradigms to truly realize the potential of PBL in fostering the agile, innovative learners that Vietnam’s future demands.