Erasmus+ National Policy Reviews 2026 – Vietnam

Contributor ENFP for VIETNAM: BUI LAN HUONG
Deputy Head of International Relations Division – International Cooperation Department
Ministry of Education and Training

This national policy review provides a detailed analysis of Vietnam’s educational policies and their alignment with the Erasmus+ programme. It offers official, first-hand information on the country’s engagement with Erasmus+ from 2021 to 2025, highlighting opportunities for improvement and identifying strategies to enhance integration and outcomes. Prepared and submitted by the Erasmus+ National Focal Point, this review contributes to ongoing efforts to strengthen international cooperation and to maximise the benefits of the Erasmus+ programme in Vietnam.

Reviews of policies, initiatives, projects and/or stakeholders

From 2015 to 2025, the EU implemented the Erasmus+ programme directly with higher education institutions in Vietnam, specifically:

- The International Credit Mobility (ICM) student exchange programme: From 2014-2025, Vietnam facilitated the study abroad of over 3,700 Vietnamese students, researchers, lecturers, and education administrators in Europe.

- The Erasmus Mundus Joint master’s degrees (EMJMD) programme: From 2014-2025, Vietnam participated in 36 collaborative projects with European universities, and 427 scholarships were awarded to Vietnamese students.

- Capacity Building for Higher Education (CBHE) Programme: From 2014-2025, the EU provided funding for 99 CBHE projects to Vietnamese educational institutions, research centres, ministries, and government agencies.

- The Jean Monnet Programme provided funding for initiatives that promote excellence in teaching and research in the field of European Union studies, worldwide. Funding areas are diverse and may include establishing short curricula on EU studies (Jean Monnet Module), developing lectures with an EU specialisation, or establishing a specialist committee on the EU. Since 2015, Vietnam has participated in five projects under this action.

Vietnam has achieved many remarkable results in the Erasmus+ programme, ranking as the leading Asian country receiving the most CBHE projects and one of the top three countries with the most ICM exchange programmes, as selected by the EACEA.

Projects within the framework of the Erasmus+ Programme have played a crucial role in strengthening capacity, improving the quality of higher education, promoting international exchange and university autonomy experiences, and sharing research experiences and results between universities and research institutes in Europe and Vietnam, as well as enhancing cooperation and cultural understanding between the two sides.

Legislative reforms and/or policies that have been put in place in the last three years or those that are still being discussed

Over the past three years, Vietnam has implemented a series of significant education policies and reforms aimed at improving educational quality, promoting learner-centred approaches, and enhancing equity and accessibility across all levels of education. These policies reflect the government’s strategic orientation toward comprehensive educational reform in response to socio-economic development, digital transformation, and global integration.

Vietnam's overarching policy direction is articulated in the Education Development Strategy to 2030, with Vision to 2045 (Decision No. 1705/QD-TTg, approved January 2025). This strategy establishes ten key tasks that create a direct policy corridor to Erasmus+ cooperation:

Institutional perfection and management innovation - creating conditions for higher education institutional autonomy consistent with Erasmus+ governance modernisation priorities.
Digital transformation and technology application - explicitly aligning with Erasmus+ digital priority.
International integration - directly supporting CBHE, ICM, and Jean Monnet Actions.
Teacher development - foundational to capacity building and professional development.
Equity and access - alignment with Erasmus+ inclusion priorities.
Research, innovation, and knowledge transfer - supporting Erasmus+ research collaboration objectives.
Green economy and environmental sustainability - alignment with Green Deal priority.

Politburo’s Resolution 71 on Education and Training Breakthroughs (Aug 2025): a major political directive defining ambitious goals for the education system through 2035 and 2045, aiming for Vietnam to be among the top 20 in the world in education quality and equity. It emphasises innovation, digital learning, quality governance, and alignment of education with socio-economic development.
Revised Education Law (effective Jan 2026): Introduced a unified national textbook set to ensure equal quality nationwide. The lower-secondary graduation certificate was abolished: students completing grades 6–9 now receive a principal-signed completion certification rather than a diploma. Degrees and certificates may be issued in digital form with equal validity. The 2018 General Education curriculum has been fully rolled out (grades 1–12), and a reformed high-school exam (from 2025) will test competencies (critical thinking, not just rote knowledge).
Revised Higher Education and Vocational Laws (effective Jan 2026): Amendments aim to modernise universities and TVET. Proposals focus on granting more autonomy (finance, governance) to universities, setting clear research/IP rules, and positioning HEIs as innovation hubs. Vocational law reforms better align TVET with labour markets and global standards, strengthening school-enterprise links, diversifying training models, and improving credit recognition for mobility.
Law on Teachers (effective Jan 2026): Vietnam’s first standalone teachers’ law sets professional standards and rights. It raises base pay (the highest grade on the public pay scale) and provides new allowances (hardship, seniority, housing, health checks). It also mandates stronger accountability (ethics standards) and incentives for rural postings (additional pay, early retirement).
Management and Personnel Policies: A Decentralisation Resolution (Dec 2025) gives provincial education departments authority to hire, transfer and promote teachers within their territory, while local communes manage their own preschool and general education staff. This aims to speed up staffing and reduce bureaucratic delays. MOET also reformed teacher careers: in late 2024, it eliminated competitive promotion exams in favour of performance reviews.
Free Tuition Policy: Following the Politburo’s Feb 2025 approval, all public preschool through high school students (approx. 23.2 million children) will pay no tuition from the 2025/26 year onwards. Early pilots (2024) in 10 provinces and Ho Chi Minh City illustrate the scheme. This pro-equity move removes financial barriers, directly supporting Erasmus+ goals of inclusiveness.

Overall, education policies implemented in Vietnam over the past three years demonstrate a strong commitment to comprehensive reform, quality improvement, and inclusive development. Through curriculum innovation, digital transformation, and institutional reform, Vietnam’s education system continues to evolve to meet the demands of a rapidly changing global environment. The Vietnam National Assembly has approved three revised laws on Education, Higher Education and Vocational Training. These will be in effect from 1 January 2026.

Initiatives and/or programmes that have been launched in the past three years

The Strengthening Autonomy in Higher Education Project (SAHEP) is a major higher education reform initiative in Vietnam from 2018 - 2023, financed by loans from the World Bank (WB).
The Partnership for Higher Education Reform (PHER) funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is a strategic initiative in 2022-2027 aimed at enhancing the quality, governance, and international competitiveness of Vietnam’s leading higher education institutions, namely Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU-Hanoi), Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), and the University of Danang. USAID also funded another project (Higher Education Policy Support - HEPS) during 2023-2028 to support the leadership role of the MOET in perfecting the legal framework to promote the development of Vietnamese higher education.
Erasmus + Projects (CBHE) supported Vietnamese universities to enhance the quality and cooperation in higher education programmes/research in various fields between Vietnamese and European universities.
The 2022–25 National Digital Education Project funds IT infrastructure and e-learning. As a result, UNESCO reports approx. 90% of Vietnamese schools now have internet. National targets emphasise universal digital literacy, the introduction of coding and AI topics in schools, and partnerships with the tech industry. International collaborations also support this, e.g. the EU-funded ENHANCE project on digital skills in higher education.

Projects which are examples of good practice that have been launched in the past three years

There are several projects as examples of good practice, especially in CBHE of Erasmus+. Specifically, the GreenEdAsia - “Learning for a Sustainable Future - Higher Education for Green Transition in Southeast Asia” in 2025 - 2027, with a total EU budget of €800,000, targets curricula in circular bioeconomy and renewable energy, lecturer training, and institutional-scale green transformation planning.
Additionally, during 2020-2023, the MOTIVE - “Monitoring Trends In Vietnamese graduates’ Employment” Project, aims at ensuring that the Vietnamese higher education system addresses the challenges of reform policy implementation on graduates tracking by monitoring their transition towards the labour markets as well as their employment status, through the set-up of the first Centre for Graduates Tracking in Vietnam.
EU-Vietnam TVET (VETVET) Programme: A flagship €50+ million Team-Europe project (EU €40 m, Germany €10 m, France €0.5 m) signed Dec 2025, enhancing Vietnam’s vocational training for a green/digital economy. Its six pillars include capacity-building for TVET schools, quality assurance, modern curricula (incorporating renewable energy and tech), stronger business partnerships, and on-site corporate training. It exemplifies EU–Vietnam vocational cooperation under Global Gateway.

Key players and networks (stakeholders) at the national level (or at the regional level with a national component)

Government Institutions:

Ministry of Education and Training (MOET): central policy maker for general, vocational and higher education. Leads curriculum reform, international cooperation frameworks and strategic alignment with socio-economic goals.
National Assembly and Politburo pass landmark educational legislation and policy resolutions; political oversight for long-term strategies like Resolution 71.
Provincial Departments of Education & Training: newly empowered to hire and manage teaching personnel in their locales under Resolution 248/2025, improving agility and responsiveness.

Sector Networks and Implementation Partners:

EU Delegation in Vietnam & Team Europe Partners: core partners in Erasmus+ and broader EU cooperation, including programmes like VETVET, policy dialogues and mobility support.
Higher Education Institutions: active participants in Erasmus+ CBHE, ICM and bilateral cooperation projects; key vectors for internationalisation and quality assurance.
Vocational Training Providers: public and private TVET institutions involved in network expansion plans and reform pilots.
International Stakeholders and Donor Agencies: organisations such as GIZ, AFD, Expertise France and others (World Bank - WB, Korea International Cooperation Agency - KOICA, Japanese International Cooperation Agency - JICA, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation - UNESCO …) support TVET and higher education capacity building.

Regional networks:

Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO), EU-ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package – Higher Education Programme (SCOPE-HE)