The goal is to put an end to the prolonged waste and fragmentation of resources. However, achieving this will require more than a mechanical reshuffle. It calls for solutions tailored to the realities of each locality.
An education network that remains bulky and overlapping
For many years, the education system, particularly vocational education and higher education, has expanded more in quantity than in quality. In quite a few localities, there are dozens of vocational schools, secondary vocational schools and colleges operating on a small scale, struggling with enrolment, suffering from deteriorating facilities and relying on unstable teaching staff.
For example, in Quang Ngai, Dung Quat College of Technology was built on a large scale in Dung Quat Economic Zone to train technical workers for heavy industrial projects. With its practice workshops and relatively modern training equipment, it was once expected to become a high-quality vocational training centre for the region. Yet its mechanical workshop, covering thousands of square metres and equipped with modern lathes and milling machines, at times has had only a handful of learners in practice. Some majors have enrolled fewer than 10 students, forcing classes to be merged or temporarily suspended. Meanwhile, many classrooms and dormitories remain closed for much of the time, clearly reflecting the waste of resources if no timely adjustment is made.
Similarly, in Da Nang, the Viet Nam-Korea University of Information Technology and Communication, established through the consolidation of several training institutions, was expected to become a centre for high-tech human resources training for the central region and the Central Highlands. However, in its early years, enrolment scale and overall appeal fell short of its potential.
In northern Viet Nam, Quang Ninh Viet Nam-Korea College, one of the vocational institutions funded through ODA from the Republic of Korea and equipped with modern workshops, dormitories and imported training facilities, has for years struggled with student recruitment, leaving its training scale out of proportion with its physical infrastructure.
Experts say the issue goes beyond enrolment. More fundamentally, it reflects weak links between training network planning and labour market demand, between investment in facilities and strategies for sectoral development, and between policy expectations and realities on the ground. In many cases, investment has come first while workforce demand forecasts have lacked accuracy, leading to oversupply in some fields even as others continue to face shortages of skilled workers.
The issue is not limited to vocational education. Some local higher education institutions are in a similar situation, with small training scale, no strong flagship disciplines and limited alignment with labour market demand. In Phu Tho Province, Hung Vuong University has for years struggled with enrolment. In some admission cycles, student intake failed to meet targets, forcing several majors to suspend recruitment or combine classes. This has in turn reduced training scale and affected both the use of facilities and the stability of the teaching workforce.
Similarly, Ha Long University, established through the merger of several training institutions, has also faced enrolment pressure. Despite its advantages in physical infrastructure and a training orientation linked to tourism and services, student numbers in its early years did not match its training capacity, making it necessary to restructure academic programmes and improve its overall attractiveness.
In the Mekong Delta, Bac Lieu University has faced a similar situation, with enrolment targets missed for many years and training remaining small in scale, even though local demand for high-quality human resources has yet to be fully met.
This reality shows that maintaining a fragmented and scattered education system not only spreads resources too thinly, but also undermines efforts to improve training quality. That is why restructuring the network of educational institutions along leaner and more concentrated lines, as envisaged in Resolution No. 105, is an inevitable step.
Resolute, but cautious
Under the new direction, each province and centrally run city will maintain no more than three public colleges, excluding financially autonomous institutions. This is a strong step aimed at concentrating resources and building high-quality vocational training institutions capable of providing both articulation pathways and practice-based training.
Yet in reality, reducing the number of schools is not simply a matter of mechanical mergers. A local education official in a northern province said: “Reducing the number of schools is necessary, but without a clear roadmap and synchronised solutions, many problems may arise, such as surplus staff and lecturers, difficulties in job placement, and even adverse effects on learners’ psychology.”
In many places, each vocational school has its own strengths and serves different occupational groups. If mergers are handled poorly, distinctive training programmes may be lost without necessarily creating a stronger institution. For example, a school specialising in mechanical trades may not be well suited to a merger with one focused on tourism and services. Differences in curricula, staff and facilities could make the consolidation process highly complex, and may even reduce training effectiveness in the short term.
Similarly, dissolving a university is not merely an organisational matter, but one that affects thousands of students, lecturers and staff. As one education expert noted, if handled poorly, such a move could cause major disruption, particularly for students currently enrolled. A clear transition plan is therefore needed to safeguard learners’ interests and avoid creating gaps in training.
At the same time, it is important to distinguish between institutions that fall short of required standards and those that simply lack the conditions to grow. Some schools in disadvantaged areas may be small in scale, but they still play a vital role in training the local workforce. If rigid criteria are applied across the board, these local educational anchors could be lost.
A notable new point in the resolution is the orientation to merge vocational education centres and continuing education centres to form vocational secondary schools equivalent to high school level. This is seen as a step towards streaming students after secondary school, creating an early vocational pathway and linking training more closely to labour market demand.
In practice, in localities such as Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City, models combining general education with vocational training have already shown initial effectiveness. Students would not only complete the general education curriculum, but also acquire practical skills, enabling them either to enter the labour market more easily or continue to higher levels of study. For this model to succeed, however, it will require systematic investment in curricula, teaching staff and facilities, along with a shift in social perceptions of vocational education.
If implemented in a coordinated and appropriate manner, streamlining the school network could bring clear benefits, including more concentrated use of resources, greater management efficiency and closer alignment between training and real-world demand. However, these positive effects can only be achieved if the restructuring process is carried out scientifically, according to a proper roadmap and without undue haste. Each province and city has different socio-economic conditions, population size and geographical characteristics. The restructuring must therefore be based on field surveys and comprehensive assessment, rather than on numbers alone.
At the same time, special attention must be paid to the human factor, namely teachers, lecturers and education managers. These are the people who directly determine educational quality. Without reasonable support policies, mergers and dissolutions could create anxiety and instability, affecting teaching quality.
Resolution No. 105 has laid down an important policy framework. The remaining challenge is how to implement it in the most effective way. According to experts, a clear, phased roadmap is needed to avoid an overly rushed rollout. At the same time, dialogue with educational institutions should be strengthened, with greater attention paid to the views of teachers, parents and learners in order to build consensus. This must be accompanied by a robust monitoring mechanism and regular reviews so that any emerging problems can be addressed in a timely manner.
