Given the role of languages in disseminating knowledge, this study explored the positioning of Vietnamese researchers in relation to the foreign language they used for research. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with six participants who were researchers in social sciences. Findings revealed that senior researchers positioned Russian and French as an ebbing tradition while the mid-career researcher considered Chinese providing less access to research. In contrast, early-career academics saw English as bringing great opportunities to their career despite expressing their anxiety about their proficiency in using English for publication. We argue that although disseminating knowledge in English amongst younger generation researchers is important, senior researchers in educational systems influenced by multiple languages should still be encouraged to capitalise on their existing multilingual capacity, using their preferable foreign languages to disseminate knowledge globally. Instead of solely conforming to the hegemony of English, policies and practices of research should consider multilingual sources in policymaking process.