Bringing Finnish Early Childhood Education to Vietnam: Why It’s Not as Easy as Copy-Pasting

Finland’s early childhood education (ECE) is famous for its stress-free, play-based approach, making it a dream model for many educators worldwide. Who wouldn’t want a system where kids learn happily through play, teachers are trusted and respected, and parents don’t lose sleep over homework?

Vietnam, on the other hand, loves academic achievement. Here, a 3-year-old who doesn’t know the alphabet is at risk of being labeled as “falling behind.” Bringing Finnish education into this environment is like trying to introduce sushi to a die-hard pho lover—it sounds great in theory, but there are some real challenges. Let’s take a look at why applying Finnish early education in Vietnam is not as easy as flipping a switch.

1. Play-Based Learning vs. “My Kid Must Know 100 English Words Before Age 4”

Children's social skills are developed through play

In Finland, a 5-year-old’s daily schedule looks something like this:

• Morning: Play with blocks, explore nature, and create stories.

• Afternoon: Dress up as pirates and hunt for “treasures” (which are usually lost socks).

• Evening: More play. Maybe a little painting. Maybe rolling in the mud.

Meanwhile, in Vietnam:

• Morning: Memorize 10 new vocabulary words.

• Afternoon: Write letters and read poetry.

• Evening: extra classes in mental math and intensive English,… why not?

Vietnamese parents love results. They want to see tangible progress—letters learned, numbers counted, songs memorized. The idea that a child can “just play” all day and somehow become smart is hard to accept.

Imagine a Vietnamese parent watching a Finnish classroom on camera: “Wait… where’s the workbook? Where’s the teacher? Why is my child building a tower with toilet paper rolls?!"

Convincing parents that play is learning will take more than just research papers—it’ll take real-life success stories and a lot of patience.

2. Parents Want Harvard, Not Happiness

Nim and her mother are talking with Ms. Poli at the project exhibition

In Finland, parents believe that childhood should be carefree. No pressure, no stress —just happy little humans figuring out the world at their own pace.

A lot of parents in Vietnam still desire their kids to become excellent students, and they will be very anxious if all the kids around their kids are much better than their kids in grades.

A typical Finnish preschool parent: “I just want my child to be happy.”

A typical Vietnamese preschool parent: “I just want my child to get into Harvard.”

This obsession with early academics makes it really hard to implement Finnish methods in Vietnam. Schools that try to eliminate formal lessons in favor of play often get questioned by parents:

📌 “So… what exactly is my child learning if they’re just playing all day?”

📌 “Will they still get into a top primary school?”

📌 “Can you guarantee my child won’t be behind other kids?”

If Finnish education were a product, Vietnamese parents would probably ask for a refund after one semester:

📞 "Hello, I enrolled my child in your school, but he still doesn’t know how to spell ‘dinosaur.’ Please explain."

Changing this mindset is one of the biggest hurdles in bringing Finnish education to Vietnam.

3. Teachers Need More Freedom (and Less Micromanagement!)

What would it be like making a snowman in the middle of Saigon?

Finnish teachers are like chefs in a fine-dining restaurant—they create unique learning experiences based on what children need. They don’t follow strict lesson plans, and they’re trusted to make decisions.

Vietnamese teachers, however, often feel like they’re on a reality TV show with a panel of judges. Everything they do is watched, analyzed, and sometimes even criticized.

👩🏫 Finnish teacher: “Today, the kids wanted to explore bugs, so we spent the morning looking for insects in the garden!”

👩🏫 Vietnamese teacher: “I have a strict curriculum to follow. If I spend 30 minutes on bugs, parents will ask why we’re not practicing phonics.”

Imagine a Finnish teacher and a Vietnamese teacher switching places:

📌 Finnish teacher in Vietnam: “Wait… I have to get approval just to let kids finger-paint?”

📌 Vietnamese teacher in Finland: “Wait… I don’t have to write a detailed lesson plan for every 15-minute activity?!”

For Finnish ECE to work in Vietnam, teachers need more trust and flexibility—but that means changing the whole education culture, which isn’t easy.

4. No Tests? No Homework?

In Finland, preschool kids don’t take tests. They aren’t graded. They don’t bring home piles of worksheets. Instead, they learn by playing, exploring, and interacting with the world.

Meanwhile, in Vietnam, even preschoolers have homework.

🎒 "Mom, I've got three pages of homework due today."

👩👧 "I know you can handle it. I'll do a page first as an example for you."

Vietnamese parents and schools love measuring progress. A system with no tests or homework feels too abstract, and many worry that their child will fall behind.

A Vietnamese parent visiting a Finnish preschool:

👀 “So where do you keep the test papers?”

👩🏫 “Oh, we don’t test young children. We observe them instead.”

🤯 “What?! How do you know if they’re learning anything?!”

To introduce Finnish education successfully, Vietnam needs to rethink what “success” means for young children.

5. Nature-Based Learning vs. “My Child Might Get Dirty”

The vegetable garden is a place where children can find something interesting

Finnish kids spend hours outdoors every day, even in freezing weather. In Vietnam, outdoor play is often limited—especially in cities—because of safety concerns, air pollution, and the simple fact that many parents don’t like their children getting dirty.

Finnish child: “Look, I found a worm!”

😨 Vietnamese parent: “Drop it immediately! Wash your hands 20 times!”

A Finnish teacher introducing outdoor learning in Vietnam:

🌳 “Today, we will explore the garden!”

👩👦 Vietnamese parent: “Garden? Like… with dirt? And bugs? No, thank you.”

Encouraging nature-based learning means changing both school infrastructure and parental attitudes, which takes time.

Conclusion: It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint

Bringing Finnish early childhood education to Vietnam isn’t about copying and pasting a foreign model—it’s about adapting its best parts to fit Vietnamese culture.

✔️ We can introduce more play-based learning while still preparing children for primary school.

✔️ We can teach parents that early academics aren’t everything—but it takes time to shift mindsets.

✔️ We can train teachers to be more flexible—but they need the right support and freedom.

Education is not one-size-fits-all. The real goal isn’t to make Vietnam exactly like Finland—it’s to create a better preschool experience for Vietnamese children, one step at a time.

And who knows? Maybe one day, instead of asking "What did you learn today?", Vietnamese parents will start asking "Did you have fun today?" ❤️