Viet Nam is scaling up mother-tongue-based bilingual instruction, supporting ethnic minority children to learn in both their mother tongue and Vietnamese. Vietnamese is the official language of instruction at all education levels, including preschool. This creates a significant barrier for children from ethnic minority communities, particularly those living in mountainous and remote areas, who may not speak Vietnamese at home. Teacher training has given teachers the tools to change their teaching practice, using everyday classroom items and local resources to create phonological games, and teaching through play, integrating Vietnamese naturally into daily routines. This shows positive results: Children respond more quickly, participate enthusiastically and become more confident using Vietnamese.