# Vietnam education reforms 2026‑2030 > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/vietnam-education-reforms-20262029 > Updated: 2026-08-09T08:02:09.000Z. Sources: 15. Developments: 8. In July 2026, the Vietnamese government launched a coordinated set of reforms to broaden free and digital learning resources. A decree mandated free textbooks for primary and secondary students beginning in the 2029–2030 school year, while Circular 61 required universities to share open-educational-resources via a national portal. By late July, Decision No. 38/2026 established a framework for nine educational levels and credit-transfer mechanisms. Concurrently, specialized institutions like the Vietnam Naval Academy began upgrading to AI-assisted and English-language teaching platforms. In early August, the government expanded the reform agenda through Directive No. 31/CT-TTg, which reoriented schools toward "education development," mandated fee transparency, and addressed illegal tutoring. During a meeting regarding the draft University Development Strategy for 2026–2035, Vice-Prime Minister Lê Tiến Châu ordered a review of tuition fees, university network restructuring, and the integration of AI into curricula and administration. To prepare for the 2026–27 academic year, the Ministry of Education and Training issued new guidelines prohibiting advance teaching for Grade 1 and promoting STEM, AI, and English. Local authorities were instructed to reorganize school networks, with cautions against mergers that might limit access in mountainous regions. In Gia Lai province, construction is being accelerated on a 1.5 trillion VND boarding school project aimed at providing classrooms for approximately 7,108 students in border communes. By August 9, the government issued Resolution No. 216/NQ-CP, directing local authorities to urgently complete the reorganization of public preschools, general education schools, and continuing education centers by August 30, 2026. This restructuring includes directives to address teacher shortages by reallocating management staff to teaching positions. To manage this transition, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued guidance to ensure personnel changes and administrative record handling do not disrupt activities for the upcoming 2026–27 academic year. ## Timeline ### 2026-08-09: Vietnam to restructure school network for 2026-2030 period Vietnam is piloting a major restructuring of its school network for the 2026-2030 period to improve educational governance and resource efficiency. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/vietnam-to-restructure-school-network-for-2026-2030-period ### 2026-08-09: Vietnam directs urgent reorganization of public education institutions The Vietnamese government has ordered the rapid reorganization of public preschool, general, and vocational education institutions by late August 2026, alongside new personnel management guidelines. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/vietnam-directs-urgent-reorganization-of-public-education-institutions ### 2026-08-08: Vietnam prepares for 2026-2027 school year with new guidelines and border school construction Vietnam issues guidelines for the 2026-2027 school year focusing on STEM and AI, while Gia Lai accelerates construction of boarding schools in border areas. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/vietnam-prepares-for-2026-2027-school-year-with-new-guidelines-and-border-school-construction ### 2026-08-07: Vietnam Government Issues New Higher‑Education Strategy and Broad Policy Resolutions in August 2026 Vietnam’s government approved a new higher‑education strategy, tuition‑fee review, AI integration, and broad policy resolutions covering economic growth, maritime development, and state‑enterprise restructuring 8 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/vietnam-government-issues-new-highereducation-strategy-and-broad-policy-resolutions-in-august-2026 ### 2026-08-06: Vietnam Rolls Out Major Education Reforms for 2026‑27 School Year Vietnam's Directive No. 31 mandates sweeping 2026‑27 education reforms: shifting to development‑focused management, cracking down on illegal fees and extra tutoring, restructuring schools, staffing fixes, a new 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/vietnam-rolls-out-major-education-reforms-for-202627-school-year ### 2026-07-24: Vietnam adopts new national education system framework Vietnam’s government has issued Decision 38/2026, outlining a new framework that standardises education levels, streams and credit transfer across the nation. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/vietnam-adopts-new-national-education-system-framework ### 2026-07-23: Vietnam adopts unified open‑educational‑resources rules for digital universities Vietnam's new Circular 61, effective Sept 1 2026, creates a unified legal framework for open educational resources in higher education, setting quality, copyright and AI‑use standards to boost digital campuses. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/vietnam-adopts-unified-openeducationalresources-rules-for-digital-universities ### 2026-07-05: Vietnam Government to Provide Free Textbooks to All Students from 2029 Vietnam's 2026 decree makes textbooks free for all schoolchildren, while the Naval Academy rolls out digital teaching tools and modern methods. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/vietnam-government-to-provide-free-textbooks-to-all-students-from-2029 --- Cite as: Vietnam education reforms 2026‑2030. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/vietnam-education-reforms-20262029