Over the past two decades, we have witnessed the strong development of the Vietnamese economy and society. There are many explanations for this ascent, and education has played a vital role.

Over those 20 years, ILA has placed important milestones in education and has strongly contributed to Vietnam's progress and development.

Education for life

In the late 1990s, Vietnam was given great development opportunities when the doors to global integration and trade opened.

However, at the same time, people realized that to meaningfully communicate and participate on the world stage they needed to speak fluent English. Obviously, the then English class model with Vietnamese teachers and static curricula could not meet the high expectations and needs of the society.

It was at this time that ILA was born with the mission 'Education for life' - bringing international standard English classes to Vietnam, and the first 100 percent native English teachers into the classroom.

This marked a turning point for learning foreign languages in Vietnam and ILA quickly became a name that captured much attention. From a single classroom, ILA soon rose to become one of the leading English educational brands in Vietnam.

Right from its establishment, ILA was determined to focus on two things: building an international standard education system and developing high-class teachers.

“We are constantly investing in our curriculum, and studying the trends of modern education around the world. ILA prepares roadmaps of new study programs so we are able to meet the needs of society and equip students to confidently step into the world," said ILA’s CEO Tran Xuan Dzu. 

"A future of new jobs and change will require truly new people."

In 2018, ILA invested VND60 billion into research and development - a significant amount for educational programs. This large investment was to support ILA research teams to travel and study advanced education around the world.

ILA continually conducts independent assessments of teaching and development and hires world-leading consultants to study and report on modern educational trends in order to have an informed and objective view to continuously improve.

All the investment and vision have brought ILA success, with the most significant outcome being a generation of students who are mature and able to confidently integrate into the world.

“Studying at ILA, students always feel like they are stepping into an inspiring world of learning. Fun learning - learning fun. Every single day going to class is a wonderful journey taken with teachers, friends, homework, projects, exams, and this never gets dull over time as technology helps us to always access smarter knowledge," said Quang Huy, one of the first-ever students at ILA.

Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all

In the past month, in addition to health and safety, children's learning has been a concern of most Vietnamese parents.

ILA - an enthusiastic educational institution with many years of experience in using technology in teaching - has responded promptly to this concern by implementing an 'Online Learning Ecosystem,' including ILA @ Home and online classes called ILA @ Live, exclusively for ILA students.

This system provides a space where they not only learn English with their teachers and friends but also practice self-study skills and explore other activities with family members through ILA @ Home.

Since its launch, this ecosystem has consistently received positive feedback from parents.

“It is very great support. Children are still learning with their teachers, also there are lots of videos, exercises and different activities for them to do at home without getting bored. I can also be involved with my children and learn how to support them at home,” a parent said.

This proves that success comes from a high level of professionalism, smart deployment of resources, deep research, and most importantly empathy for the needs of the students and respect for the first and best teacher that any child has - their own family.

This 'ecosystem' has received support not only from parents and students but also from ILA teachers and staff.

"The high standards at ILA constantly make me want to teach better. Because of the constant expectations of high quality, I have developed a lot in my career. Only in ILA, I have learned specific courses on cultural differences and how to teach Vietnamese children. We are really proud of this ecosystem. At this challenging time, ILA still provides the best conditions to focus our expertise on students and parents," said Joel Swagman, one of the ILA's oldest and most experienced teachers.

Obviously, the calm and thoughtful development of ILA's online learning platform addresses three difficult issues simultaneously: maintaining the joy of learning for students, bringing assurance for parents, and maintaining the energy and enthusiasm of all employees.

Welcome to a challenging 2020 and rest assured that ILA will confidently accompany parents and students in overcoming COVID-19 with enthusiastic teachers and teaching assistants to continue the 'Education for life' journey.

"Life is like riding a bike. To keep the balance, we have to keep moving," said Albert Einstein, one of the world's most respected innovators and compassionate educators.

The two decades of ILA's movement has created significant milestones for English education in Vietnam and contributed to helping the country's young generation be more confident and able to change the world through both deep skills and a true understanding of global citizenship.