This paper describes a proposal for a study on autonomy in language learning to be carried out with students and English teachers at a Vietnamese university. It focuses on teachers' views of the concept of teacher autonomy and its relationship to learner autonomy. In the East Asian context, the idea of teacher autonomy, seen by many as a key approach to promoting learner autonomy, is relatively unfamiliar and thus little investigated. The paper will conclude with implications for professional development for language teachers in the East Asian region.