The school system in Vietnam as in many other countries is strong on symbolism and weak on substance. Students who were graded 'level A' in English studies when asked simple questions sometimes will stare or smile and answer in such a way that one would think the student never studied English at all. The student will be happy to produce a large certificate of completion from a local public school but in reality be totally unprepared for a productive life. The public schools while long on seemingly conservative teachings (uniforms and many rules) in fact fall far short of the mark for educating the children to compete later in life. The same holds true for some of the very expensive International Schools.

All this creates a void in the education system and a few of these International Schools are taking steps to ensure the availability of a quality education, albeit for a price, and the Vietnamese are becoming highly aware of the competitive nature of the new global environment and what they lack in available mainstream schools they are making up for with extra hours spent reading, online and in local book stores and private schools.