This relatively small nation has experienced remarkable suffering due to wars with France, America, Japan, and China, in addition to a brutal civil war. Nonetheless, the end of the millennium brought winds of change to Vietnam, and ELIC now has the opportunity to make a significant contribution to its modernization program.

Like other recently-open countries, Vietnam has embraced English as a way of entering into the international mainstream of the 21st century. In 1993 the Ministry of Education invited ELIC to send the first teachers to the country’s most prominent universities and since 1994 ELIC has been helping to advance and update the English education in universities across the country.

With a VERY young population (52% under 24 years old!) the Vietnamese are developing and growing by taking advantage of one of the longest periods of peace the country has known for centuries. High quality English training is a primary tool needed for the surge of investment happening in Vietnam. With 22 teachers (plus 14 other non-teaching spouses and children) on 8 campuses in Vietnam, ELIC is poised to be on the cutting edge of meeting Vietnam’s voracious desire for English language training in the years ahead. The need is great.

"The people of Vietnam have such an eagerness and openness to meet foreigners and share their culture with us. They look into our lives with curious hearts wondering why we do things the way we do, why we make the choices we make, why we serve our spouses and spend time with our family. They wonder why we would give up the comforts of America to travel around the world and be away from our families, to receive only a little salary, just to be with them."
Jason Fizzard, Quy Nhon University




A student’s note to
David Schaller, Vietnam Country Director:
"It’s always a great pleasure to see your heart-warming family. You really inspire me to decide to be a teacher – a really good teacher. Thank you very much again and again."