Vietnam ranks 34th out of the 80 countries and territories in the 2017 global English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), announced by the EF Education First in Hanoi on November 17.

The results were officially released in the UK’s House of Commons in early November.

In 2016, Vietnam ranked 31st out of the 72 nations in English proficiency, according to Minh Tran, Senior Director of Research and Academic

Students in Dinh Bang 2, Tu Son township, Bac Ninh learn English with a foreign teacher. (Source: VNA)

He revealed that Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have the most proficient English speakers. The Southeastern region and the Red River Delta recorded the higher rate of English users than other regions.

From 2014 to now, with the increase of nearly three points (from 51.57 points to 53.43 points), Vietnam has been listed into the most improved group. To sustain this growth, the country needs to pay more attention to reforming the curriculum and improving the English skills of teachers.

The EF EPI 2017 rates 80 countries and territories based on data from more than one million adults who took the EF Standard English Test (EF SET), the world's first free standardized English test.

EF Education First is an international education company that focuses on language, academics, and cultural experience. Founded in 1965, EF's mission is "opening the world through education."/.

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