Vietnam is entering a new phase of its development. After decades of becoming one of the world’s leading manufacturing destinations, the country’s ambitions are shifting toward innovation, advanced technology, and a knowledge-based economy. Yet this transformation depends on more than infrastructure or investment. It requires a generation equipped to navigate uncertainty, embrace emerging technologies, and lead across cultures.
Few understand this challenge from both the educational and investment perspectives better than Mr. Jamie Large, Director of Ardingly College International Limited (ACIL), and Ms. Thao Trinh, Deputy General Director of Khoi Nguyen Investment Holdings (KNI). Together, they are helping bring Ardingly College Vietnam - the country's first British boarding school to life with a shared belief that preparing students for the future requires more than academic excellence alone.
In Episode 398 of Vietnam Innovators, host Tu An speaks with Jamie and Thao Trinh about why education must evolve alongside Vietnam’s economy, what “World Ready” truly means, and how boarding education, AI literacy, character development, and cultural identity can together prepare the next generation of global leaders.
Preparing Students For A Future That Can't Be Predicted
For decades, Vietnam’s education system has played a pivotal role in the country’s economic rise, producing generations of skilled workers who helped transform the nation into one of Southeast Asia’s leading manufacturing hubs. But as Vietnam sets its sights on becoming a high-income, innovation-driven economy by 2045, the demands placed on its future workforce are changing just as rapidly as the technologies reshaping the global economy. According to the World Bank, sustaining this transition will depend not only on infrastructure and investment, but increasingly on the quality of human capital and the country’s ability to nurture innovation.
That shift raises a fundamental question: What should education prepare students for when the future itself is becoming harder to predict?
For Mr. Jamie Large, Director of Ardingly College International Limited (ACIL), the answer begins with rethinking what schools are designed to do. Rather than focusing solely on transferring knowledge, education should cultivate the ability to think independently, adapt to change, and continue learning long after students leave the classroom.
While technical knowledge remains important, the ability to continuously acquire new skills may become an even greater competitive advantage. Artificial intelligence illustrates this challenge particularly well. As AI tools become more accessible, the question is no longer whether students should use them, but whether they can do so thoughtfully.
“The mindful use of AI is really important because, of course, it has great advantages, but we need to develop those thinking skills that enable learners to use AI rather than be used by it”. - Mr. Jamie Large
For KNI Investment Holdings (KNI), this changing educational landscape was one of the driving forces behind bringing Ardingly College Vietnam to the country. While the term international school has traditionally been associated with prestige, Ms. Thao Trinh, Deputy General Director of KNI, believes its meaning should evolve alongside society’s needs.
That need, she argues, extends beyond academic performance. Today’s students have grown up immersed in technology, making qualities such as resilience, independence, character, and emotional maturity more essential than ever.
Rather than viewing academic excellence and character development as separate goals, KNI and Ardingly College Vietnam see them as inseparable. Preparing students for an innovation economy requires more than helping them excel in examinations; it means equipping them to navigate ambiguity, embrace continuous change, and remain confident in making decisions when answers are no longer straightforward.
If those are the capabilities that define future-ready graduates, however, another question naturally follows: Can they truly be developed within the confines of the traditional school day?
The Most Valuable Lessons Don't End When Class Does
If adaptability, resilience, and leadership are among the defining skills of tomorrow’s workforce, then cultivating them requires more than a rigorous academic curriculum. That belief sits at the heart of Ardingly College Vietnam's educational philosophy. Rather than viewing boarding simply as accommodation for students, the school sees it as a fully integrated learning ecosystem where education continues long after formal lessons end.
For Jamie, the value of boarding education lies not in extending classroom hours, but in multiplying the number of everyday moments where students can grow. Whether it’s collaborating with peers, resolving disagreements, taking on leadership responsibilities, or simply learning to live as part of a diverse community, these experiences gradually build qualities that cannot be measured through exams alone.
“The resilience that’s built is not in a brutal, immediate way. It’s graduated... it protects them, it nurtures them, but it also nudges them to the point where they’re growing the most”, Jamie explains.
This philosophy is closely tied to the British concept of pastoral care - a cornerstone of boarding education that extends beyond academic support to encompass students’ wellbeing, emotional development, and personal growth. While the term has no direct Vietnamese equivalent, Thao Trinh believes it captures an aspect of education that is becoming increasingly relevant in today’s rapidly changing world.
Instead, the focus expands to capabilities that many employers and increasingly, educators, now recognize as essential: emotional regulation, effective communication, collaboration, empathy, and self-awareness. Organizations such as the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) have similarly argued that social and emotional competencies contribute not only to stronger academic outcomes, but also to improved wellbeing, healthier relationships, and greater long-term career success.
That observation ultimately influenced KNI’s vision for Ardingly College Vietnam. Beyond importing a British educational tradition, the goal is to create an environment where students have the space to build friendships, develop confidence, learn from different cultures, and discover who they are, not only as learners, but as individuals.
This philosophy also explains why the school chose Lao Cai as its home. While the location may seem unconventional for Vietnam’s first British boarding school, both KNI and Ardingly view the surrounding natural landscape as part of the educational experience itself. Research from the University of Illinois, for example, suggests that spending time in green environments can improve attention, reduce mental fatigue, and support children’s cognitive development.
Ultimately, if classrooms teach students what to learn, then the moments beyond them often shape who they become. And for KNI and Ardingly College Vietnam, that distinction may prove just as important in preparing students for the future.
Global Citizens Still Need Strong Roots
As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, preparing students for an international future often begins with a familiar aspiration: raising global citizens. Yet for KNI and Ardingly College Vietnam, global readiness is not about encouraging students to leave their identity behind. Instead, it is about helping them develop the confidence to engage with the world while remaining grounded in who they are.
For Ms. Thao Trinh, this distinction is fundamental. While today’s students may grow up speaking multiple languages, studying abroad, or eventually working across borders, she believes these experiences should strengthen—not replace—their connection to their own culture.
“Students are able to communicate in English, in Chinese, in different languages. They're well travelled, they understand the world very well. But maintaining who they are: their national identity, their language, their history is such an important trait in education” - Ms. Thao Trinh
That philosophy is reflected in how Ardingly College Vietnam approaches international education. Alongside academic achievement and leadership development, students continue learning their mother tongue, exploring Vietnamese history and geography, and celebrating traditions such as Tết and the Mid-Autumn Festival. The intention is not simply to preserve cultural heritage, but to help students understand that global perspectives and local identities can coexist.
“Social education is a big part of that: understanding how you relate to a changing world and people around you who are different to yourself, and enjoying that complexity instead of being thrown by it”, Mr. Jamie expressed.
Interestingly, both guests arrive at this philosophy through different lenses. Jamie speaks as an educator with decades of experience in British boarding schools, while Thao approaches it as an education investor focused on Vietnam’s long-term development. Yet their perspectives converge in a shared belief that preparing globally competitive graduates is ultimately about developing character.
That shared vision is perhaps best captured through two complementary metaphors.
- For KNI, it is “roots and wings” - grounding students in their identity while empowering them to explore the world.
- For Ardingly College, it is the image of the pelican - a bird that ventures far before returning home.
Neither metaphor suggests choosing between home and the world. Instead, both emphasize that the confidence to explore often begins with knowing where one belongs.
As Vietnam continues its transition toward an innovation-driven economy, conversations about education often revolve around new technologies, emerging industries, and the skills needed for tomorrow's jobs. Those conversations are important. Yet this discussion between KNI and Ardingly College Vietnam suggests that the country’s future may ultimately depend on something even more fundamental: educating young people who are intellectually curious, emotionally resilient, culturally grounded, and prepared not only to succeed in a changing world, but also to shape it.