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Purpose: This study aims to investigate specific professional competencies of teachers to implement education for sustainable development (ESD) in the contexts of Vietnam. Design/methodology/approach: The authors carried out a Delphi study with eight ESD experts in Vietnam to collect their expertise viewpoints regarding teachers' ESD professional competencies. Findings: In total, 13 competencies related to three dimensions (content knowledge/cognitive, pedagogical and pedagogical content knowledge, motivation and volition) were highlighted by ESD experts. Research limitations/implications: The proposed teachers' competencies were based on the ideas of a small group of experts, and the results need to be tested, refined and confirmed by further work. Besides, in this study, we have not defined the levels of achievement for each competency as well as developed assessment tools. Practical implications: The specific professional competencies for teachers can be considered as a foundation for developing educational offers focusing on promoting the specific teachers' professional competencies in basic ESD training. Originality/value: Studies on educators' professional competencies for ESD mostly were conducted in western countries. However, competencies do not exist independently; instead, they should be considered in specific contexts of teaching, school, culture and society. This research is among one of the first studies that contextualizes teachers' competencies in a non-western context.