Public university entities to be reduced by at least 20% before 1/4/2027

Politburo mandates minimum 20% reduction in public higher education institutions, 30% for public vocational education.

This directive is part of plan 06, issued by the Politburo on 28/7, implementing the conclusions of the third plenum of the 14th Party Central Committee. The plan focuses on continuously improving and efficiently operating the overall organizational model of the political system and the two-tier local government model.

Specifically, the Government Party Committee has directed the reorganization of public higher education institutions. This involves transferring multidisciplinary and multi-field universities to the management of the Ministry of Education and Training or local authorities, and merging or consolidating universities within the same locality, with exceptions for institutions in specialized fields.

Furthermore, this restructuring aims to achieve a minimum 20% reduction in public higher education entities, to be completed before 1/4/2027.

For vocational and continuing education institutions, the Government Party Committee has instructed that public institutions currently under ministries and agencies be transferred to local management, again with exceptions for certain specialized schools. This reorganization requires at least a 30% reduction in the number of institutions, to be finalized before 1/10.

According to a 2026 report from the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Training, Vietnam currently has 291 higher education institutions. Of these, 228 are public, accounting for 78,35%, with the remainder being non-public.

Politburo Resolution 71, issued in 8/2025, previously mandated that ministries, agencies, and localities promptly reorganize and restructure the higher education system. This included merging or dissolving substandard institutions, eliminating intermediate administrative levels, exploring the merger of research institutes with universities, and transferring some universities to local management.

At that time, the Minister of Education and Training stated that approximately 140 public universities were subject to this restructuring.

Regarding vocational and continuing education, some provinces and cities already have plans in place. For instance, Hanoi plans to reorganize and merge its 10 colleges and 9 secondary schools into a total of 10 institutions.