ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the cultural content in two globally published EFL textbooks used for Vietnamese tertiary education. It relates research into the importance of cultural competence as a factor in English language education and to what extent cultural knowledge is presented in Vietnamese tertiary EFL textbooks. This analysis of these EFL textbooks, conducted from an Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) perspective, serves as the reference to elaborate teachers’ performances of the enacted Vietnamese tertiary English curriculum. Many factors can influence the teaching of culture by EFL teachers: their perception of the relation between language and culture, teachers’ teaching method, students’ English proficiency, teaching contexts, and teaching materials. This chapter reports on the analysis of the cultural content of EFL textbooks in Vietnamese higher education to understand if, and to what extent, the teaching of cultural competence by Vietnamese tertiary teachers is influenced by the textbook content. Some recommendations for Vietnamese textbook writers and teachers are made to develop cultural competence in students and equip them with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for intercultural communication.
