VietTESOL International Convention 2026

As Vietnam moves toward an ambitious vision of positioning English as a second language within its education system, questions arise not only about curriculum, assessment, and teacher preparation, but also about learners’ readiness to engage with English beyond the traditional English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom. A key aspect of this readiness concerns whether learners perceive themselves as legitimate users of English and feel empowered to use the language confidently in diverse communicative contexts. This study examines Vietnamese university students’ sense of ownership of English and considers its implications for Vietnam’s emerging ESL-oriented future. The investigation focuses on learners’ perceptions of English, their confidence and legitimacy as users of the language, and the ways these perceptions are reflected in their learning and communication practices. Drawing on a mixed-methods design, the study analyzes questionnaire responses from 521 English-major students and focus-group interviews with 22 participants at a Vietnamese university. The findings indicate that the majority of learners view English as a global resource that should not be restricted to native speakers and generally endorse more inclusive understandings of language ownership. However, these perceptions frequently coexist with strong concerns about grammatical correctness, native-like pronunciation, and external evaluation. While participants demonstrated considerable agency in managing their learning, their willingness to communicate often remained constrained by linguistic insecurity, self-monitoring, and fear of making mistakes. The results suggest that learners may be ideologically receptive to more pluralistic views of English, yet not fully prepared to enact such perspectives in practice. The study argues that learner readiness for an ESL-oriented future extends beyond language proficiency and involves developing a stronger sense of legitimacy, confidence, and communicative agency. Implications are discussed for curriculum design, classroom practices, assessment, and teacher education in the context of Vietnam’s ongoing educational transformation.