The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET, ) is the

government ministry Ministry or department (also less commonly used secretariat, office, or directorate) are designations used by first-level Executive (government), executive bodies in the Machinery of government, machinery of governments that manage a specific se ...

responsible for the governance of

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

education and higher education (training) in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

Vocational education Vocational education is education that prepares people for a skilled craft. Vocational education can also be seen as that type of education given to an individual to prepare that individual to be gainfully employed or self employed with req ...

is controlled by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA). Ministry offices are located in central

Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...

. In the Vietnamese system, MoET is responsible for the 'professional' performance and regulation of

educational institution An educational institution is a place where people of different ages gain an education, including preschools, childcare, primary-elementary schools, secondary-high schools, and universities. They provide a large variety of learning environments a ...

s under it, but not for ownership or finance, except for the major public universities (VNU, Vietnam National University in Hanoi and

Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

, fall directly under the Prime Minister's office, not MoET). Ownership and administrative/financial responsibility for the bulk of educational institutions, including all school-level general education, falls under

Provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

Districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

, which have substantial autonomy on many budgetary decisions under the Vietnamese constitution. Some institutions are also controlled by other central ministries, although mainly at higher education levels (senior secondary and college)

History

Period before the August Revolution of 1945

The Confucian education system of the Vietnamese feudal state from the 11th century passed through various periods: Lý,

Trần Trần (陳) or Tran is the second most common Vietnamese surname after Nguyen. More than 10% of all Vietnamese people share this surname. History The Tran ruled the Trần dynasty, a golden era in Vietnam, and successfully repelled the Mongol ...

, Hồ, Later Lê, Tây Sơn, and

Nguyễn Nguyễn (阮) (sometimes abbreviated as Ng̃) is the most common surname of the Vietnamese people. Outside of Vietnam, the surname is commonly rendered without diacritics as ''Nguyen''. By some estimates 30 to 39 percent of Vietnamese peopl ...

. The introduction of Western elements in Vietnamese education began with the missionary efforts of Western priests during the Trịnh – Nguyễn conflict. The emergence and widespread use of

chữ Quốc ngữ The Vietnamese alphabet (, ) is the modern writing script for the Vietnamese language. It uses the Latin script based on Romance languages like French, originally developed by Francisco de Pina (1585–1625), a missionary from Portugal. The V ...

based on the

Latin alphabet The Latin alphabet, also known as the Roman alphabet, is the collection of letters originally used by the Ancient Rome, ancient Romans to write the Latin language. Largely unaltered except several letters splitting—i.e. from , and from � ...

in schools from the late

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (later Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off th ...

signaled the end of the traditional Confucian education, replaced by the new colonial education system of French colonialism. During the late 19th century and early 20th century, the patriotic Duy Tân education movement, led by

Phan Bội Châu Phan Bội Châu (; 26 December 1867 – 29 October 1940), born Phan Văn San, courtesy name Hải Thụ (later changed to Sào Nam), was a pioneer of 20th century Vietnamese nationalism. In 1904, he formed a revolutionary organization called ...

, Lương Văn Can, and

Nguyễn Quyền Nguyễn Quyền (1869–1941) was a Vietnamese scholar-gentry anti-colonial revolutionary activist who advocated independence from French colonial rule. He was a contemporary of Phan Bội Châu and Phan Chu Trinh, and one of Tonkin Free ...

, initiated a practical approach to education. This movement promoted the use of

in teaching and learning, engaged with

natural sciences Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...

and engineering, and abandoned the traditional scholarly and examination systems of Confucianism.

Period 1945–1954

With the victory of the

August Revolution The August Revolution (), also known as the August General Uprising (), was a revolution led by the Việt Minh against the Empire of Vietnam from 16 August to 2 September 1945. The Empire of Vietnam was led by the Nguyễn dynasty and was ...

, the

Democratic Republic of Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; ; VNDCCH), was a country in Southeast Asia from 1945 to 1976, with sovereignty fully recognized in 1954. A member of the communist Eastern Bloc, it opposed the French-suppor ...

was created, ushering in a new era in the country's educational history. The Ministry of National Education was established early in the new administration, with Mr. Vũ Đình Hòe serving as the first Minister. On March 2, 1946, during the first session of the First National Assembly, the Ministry was renamed to the Ministry of Education. Mr.

Đặng Thai Mai Dang (鄭, 黨, 唐, 滕) is a Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean surname. It can also be found in both Hindus and Sikhs of the Punjab region in the north-western India (in Punjabi, ਡਾੰਗ). Chinese Dang: 黨 ( Tang) Dang (黨; it also means "pa ...

was appointed Minister of Education, succeeding Mr. Vũ Đình Hòe, who was appointed

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

. The government issued crucial directives creating the Literacy Campaign Department to fight illiteracy. Along with combatting illiteracy, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam administration implemented reforms that formed the framework for the national education system. In November 1946, during the second session of the First National Assembly, Mr. Nguyễn Văn Huyên was appointed Minister of National Education. The Ministry of National Education consisted of the Office of the Ministry and departments such as Higher Education, Secondary Education, Primary Education, and the Literacy Campaign Department. During the nationwide resistance war, the Ministry evacuated and relocated its offices from the capital to rural areas, moving from Hà Đông, Phú Thọ to Tuyên Quang and the Safe Zone. In 1950, the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the government decided to implement educational reform. This reform established a 9-year general education system and a new curriculum. This period also saw the establishment of the Vietnam Education Union (July 1951). During the 9-year resistance war against French colonialism, the education system, from general to higher education, was not only maintained and continuously developed but also transformed in quality. Schools from general education to universities all taught in

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overseas Vietnamese, Vietnamese people living outside Vietna ...

. The 1950–1954 educational reform, despite its limitations, fundamentally changed the old colonial education system and laid the foundation for a new education system: national, scientific, and popular.

Departments

The Ministry maintains provincial-level departments (DoETs, Departments of E&T), under which there are also district offices (BoETs, Bureau of E&T), and central departments. Central departments of note include: * Science and Technology Activities in Education and Training * Information and Communication Technology Centre * National Institute for Education Strategy and Curriculum Development * Education Publishing House * Educational Equipment Company No. 1

Universities

Colleges and universities under the maintenance of the Ministry of Education and Training include: *

Hanoi University of Science and Technology The Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST; , formerly known in English as ''Hanoi University of Technology (HUT)'' until 2010) is the first and largest technical university and the most prestigious university in Vietnam. History Af ...

* Ho Chi Minh City University of Education (or Ho Chi Minh City Pedagogical University) * College of Social Labour * College of Chemicals * Ho Chi Minh City College of Marketing * College of Mining Engineering * Ho Chi Minh City Procuratorial College * University of Trade Unions * Institute of Journalism and Propaganda * Hanoi University of Education No.2 *

Hanoi National University of Education Hanoi National University of Education (HNUE; ) is a public university in Vietnam. Established in 1951 as the fourth university in Vietnam (after Indochina Medical College (1902), University of Indochina (1904), École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts ...

* Quy Nhon University of Education * Ho Chi Minh City Technical Teacher Training University * Banking University, Ho Chi Minh City * Hanoi Open University (HOU) * Phuong Dong University * Van Lang University (VLU) * Hung Vuong University (HVU) * Duy Tan University (DTU)

References

External links

Ministry of Education and Training

National Institute for Education Strategy and Curriculum Development at Ministry site

Education Publishing House and list of subsidiaries, at Ministry site
Education in Vietnam Educational organizations based in Vietnam

Education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

Governmental office in Hanoi {{Vietnam-stub