Hanoi plans free textbooks for students starting 2027-2028 school year

Hanoi plans to implement a policy of providing free textbooks for its 1.8 million general education students starting from the 2027-2028 school year. The Hanoi Department of Education and Training is currently coordinating with various departments and local authorities to develop a roadmap and budget for this initiative. While national decree 271/2026/NĐ-CP sets a nationwide deadline for free textbooks by the 2029-2030 school year, local authorities are encouraged to implement the policy earlier if budgets allow.

The city will not implement free textbooks for the 2026-2027 school year due to the need for sufficient time to manage budget estimates, procurement through bidding, and supply logistics. The Vietnam Education Publishing House noted that printing and supplying books requires at least six months of preparation.

In other educational developments, Thai Nguyen province is facing a shortage of nearly 6,000 teaching staff and employees for the upcoming school year. Additionally, the National Medical Council has announced that two professional competency examinations for doctors will be organized in 2027 to assess medical practice capabilities.