Meta-cultural competence plays a significant role in fostering deeper cultural awareness in EFL contexts, where learners are expected not only to acquire cultural knowledge but also to critically reflect on and interpret diverse cultural perspectives. However, existing studies have largely focused on surface-level cultural instruction, leaving the role of meta-cultural competence in cultural awareness education underexplored, particularly in Vietnam. This study aims to examine the level of students’ cultural awareness and explore the relationship between meta-cultural competence-based instruction and different dimensions of cultural awareness among EFL learners at a Vietnamese university. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected from 247 English-major students through a structured questionnaire. Descriptive results indicated moderate to relatively high levels of cultural awareness, with reflective awareness showing the highest mean (up to 3.85), while analytical and interpretive dimensions remained moderate. Correlation analysis revealed significant positive relationships between meta-cultural instructional practices and all dimensions of cultural awareness, particularly reflective awareness (r = .318, p < .001) and analytical skills (r = .287, p < .001), while interpretive awareness showed a weaker but still significant relationship (r = .162, p < .05).