Vietnamese Teachers' Day, 20 November

Long before there was a Teachers' Day, the Vietnamese gave teachers a special place in life. The Temple of Literature was built in Thăng Long in 1070, and in 1076 the Imperial Academy was founded, regarded as the country's first university. Under the Trần dynasty the teacher Chu Văn An became famous for his learning and integrity, trained many distinguished students and is still revered as a model teacher.

A folk saying puts it plainly: the first day of Tết is for father, the third for the teacher, placing teachers right after parents. Proverbs such as "no one succeeds without a teacher" and "whoever teaches you even one word, or half a word, is your teacher" remind learners never to forget those who taught them. That tradition of honouring teachers is the foundation of Teachers' Day today.

To cross the river you build a bridge; to have your child learn well, you must cherish the teacher.

Vietnamese folk verse

In August 1957, in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, a conference of the World Federation of Teachers' Unions, known as FISE, adopted the Teachers' Charter. The document set out the rights, duties and standing of teachers and called for a progressive, democratic education open to every child. The Vietnam Education Trade Union was a member of FISE and attended the conference.

The conference also chose 20 November each year as International Teachers' Charter Day. That is why Vietnam honours its teachers on 20 November, unlike World Teachers' Day, which UNESCO has promoted on 5 October since 1994.

On 20 November 1958 the Teachers' Charter Day was celebrated for the first time in northern Vietnam. Schools flew flags, pupils brought flowers and ceremonies spoke of the teacher's role in rebuilding the country after the war. In many liberated areas of the South, teachers stayed with their classes and taught reading in extremely hard conditions.

On 28 September 1982 the Council of Ministers issued Decision 167-HĐBT, officially naming 20 November each year Vietnamese Teachers' Day. Since then 20 November has been the great festival of the education sector, a day to honour teachers and to reward those who have contributed the most.

The state awards the titles People's Teacher and Meritorious Teacher to recognise long and outstanding service. In 2025 the National Assembly passed the Law on Teachers, in force from 1 January 2026, setting out the rights, duties, pay and benefits of teachers and the protection of their professional standing.

Today a teacher is not only someone at the front of a school or university classroom. Vocational instructors, a first mentor at work and a patient manager who explains each task are teachers too. That is why many working people use 20 November to send a word of thanks to whoever taught them their trade.

In the weeks before 20 November pupils compete for good marks and prepare wall newspapers and performances as gifts for their teachers. On the morning itself, schoolyards fill with flowers, áo dài and handmade cards. Parents thank their children's teachers, and former classes arrange to return to school and visit their old form teachers.

For working people, 20 November is a time to scroll through contacts and call a primary school teacher, message a thesis supervisor or invite a mentor at work for coffee. A sincere word of thanks, often worth more than any gift, is how the tradition of honouring teachers lives on in modern life.