Vietnam Plans Nearly 48% Cut in Public Vocational Institutions as Merger Deadlines Approach

234 institutions remain as Vietnam accelerates restructuring

Vietnam plans to reduce its public vocational education institutions by about 47.7% from their July 2025 level, taking a network of 344 colleges and intermediate schools down to approximately 180. The Ministry of Education and Training reported that 234 remained as of October 27, 2026, with another 54 expected to be removed from the institutional count through restructuring.

The figures appear in Government Office Notice No. 562/TB-VPCP, issued on November 2 following a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Le Tien Chau. The notice sets deadlines for merger and dissolution decisions in November, a nationwide report in December and further university restructuring submissions in January 2027.

Authorities have already reduced the vocational network by 110 institutions, or 31.97%, compared with July 1, 2025. That exceeds the minimum reduction of 30% required by central authorities and the government. The next stage would take the total reduction to 164 institutions.

Chau instructed ministries and local governments to improve training quality and efficiency while protecting students from disruption. His conclusion also identified unresolved problems involving staff, employment benefits, money, public property, land, debts and the legal status of institutions.

The Ministry of Education and Training says the broader changes are intended to create institutions of a suitable size, improve governance, give schools greater autonomy and make public investment more effective. The practical task now is to connect those goals with decisions about who runs each institution, who takes responsibility for its obligations and how students continue their courses.

How the reduction adds up

The starting figure of 344 institutions can be calculated by adding the 110 already removed to the 234 remaining. A further reduction of 54 would leave 180, equivalent to a total decrease of approximately 47.7% from the July 2025 baseline.

The next 54 represent about 23.1% of the institutions still counted on October 27. The planned reduction is therefore nearly half of the original network, rather than nearly half of the schools remaining today.

Vietnam is using several methods to reorganize vocational education: merging institutions, dissolving them, transferring management and changing institutional categories. A merger brings institutions under a surviving organization, while a transfer moves responsibility from one authority to another. The government has instructed the education ministry to issue consistent guidance on how these different arrangements count toward the reduction target.

The guidance must cover transfers, the conversion of intermediate schools into vocational high schools and the establishment of new vocational high schools. A consistent method matters because ministries and provinces must report progress against the same national target.

Students must be able to keep studying

Chau's central instruction was that fewer administrative units must be accompanied by better functioning institutions. The conclusion from his meeting warned against reducing numbers mechanically or allowing gaps in management to affect training.

The deputy prime minister's instruction, translated from Vietnamese, stated:

Do not mechanically reduce the number of institutions; do not allow gaps in management to arise that affect training activities.

Students' lawful rights and interests must be protected during handovers, and training must continue without interruption. For someone already enrolled, this places continuity of education alongside the administrative work of completing a merger or transferring a school.

The notice identifies legal status as one of the unresolved issues. In practical terms, an institution needs a recognized legal identity and an authorized management structure to carry out its responsibilities. Decisions about that identity must move together with decisions about staff, finances and property.

The published instructions do not provide a national breakdown of affected students, campus relocations or changes to individual courses. Those details will depend on the arrangements made for each institution.

28 applications face an early November deadline

The Ministry of Education and Training had 28 merger or dissolution applications under review. Decisions on those files must be completed before November 15, 2026, ahead of the broader deadline of November 20 for vocational merger and dissolution decisions within the relevant authorities' powers.

Applications that arrive with all required documents and satisfy the rules must receive a decision within five working days. That processing period must still fit within the November 20 timetable.

The ministry must also reconcile national figures and identify which institutions have completed restructuring, which are undergoing it and which have yet to begin. For unfinished work, it must specify the causes, the responsible authority and a completion deadline.

The conclusion acknowledges that some ministries, agencies and local governments have fallen behind, even though the national numerical target has been reached. Leaders must take responsibility for defined tasks and results. Delays require an explanation, identification of responsibility and corrective action.

Transfers move responsibility to local governments

All 15 colleges and intermediate schools directly under the Ministry of Education and Training are to be reorganized and transferred to local management during 2026. Provinces and cities receiving institutions will need to take charge of their operations and prepare plans for their development and investment.

The Government Office must coordinate the submission of decisions transferring eight colleges under the Ministry of Industry and Trade before November 6. A decision concerning one college under the Ministry of Construction must be submitted within three working days of receipt of complete documentation.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the Ministry of Industry and Trade must submit college merger files to the education ministry before November 6. The construction, culture, science and technology authorities must complete requested additions to files under review within three working days.

Handovers from central authorities to local governments must be completed within 15 days after a transfer decision takes effect. Where a decision took effect before October 30, 2026, the handover must be finished before November 16.

Local authorities must then submit development and investment proposals within 15 days of receiving an institution, and no later than the December 15 deadline. The process must include full arrangements for finances, public assets, land and staff benefits, alongside protection for students.

Specialized schools must justify retention

Institutions seeking to remain under central ministries because they serve specialized fields face a separate review. Their supervising authorities must assess every applicable criterion under Government Resolution No. 42/2026/NQ-CP and provide supporting documents.

The Ministry of Education and Training must work with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and other relevant authorities to examine the proposals. Institutions that fail to meet the requirements must not be recommended for retention.

Ministries and central agencies must issue their lists of qualifying specialized vocational institutions through the proper authority and send them to the education ministry before November 10. The ministry must consolidate the results and report to the prime minister before November 20.

This review makes the future of a specialized institution depend on documented criteria as well as its proposed role. The supervising ministry or agency is responsible for the accuracy of its assessment and decision.

Can Tho shows what mergers look like locally

Can Tho announced organizational and staffing decisions for vocational institutions on October 30, providing a concrete example of the national restructuring process. Seven named colleges were brought together under three surviving institutions.

Can Tho College merged into Can Tho College of Economics and Technology. Soc Trang Vocational College merged into Can Tho Vocational College. Hau Giang Community College and Can Tho College of Culture and Arts merged into Soc Trang Community College.

The city also announced the appointment of Le Hoang Thanh, Trang Vu Phuong and Dinh Thi Thai Ha as acting principals at the institutions following the mergers. Naming leaders is part of the task of establishing who will manage the combined organizations.

Can Tho Vice Chairman Nguyen Van Khoi described the changes as a strategic step toward renewing management and developing a skilled workforce. He called on the institutions to stabilize their organizations quickly and improve training in line with employers' needs.

The local decisions connect two parts of the national agenda: reducing separate institutions and establishing management for those that remain. The next operational task is to bring their organization and training into a stable arrangement while students continue studying.

Universities follow a separate restructuring schedule

Vietnam is reorganizing public higher education alongside vocational education. The Politburo called in July for a reduction of at least 20% in higher education institutions and at least 30% in vocational education institutions.

The education ministry must complete two draft documents before November 10, 2026. One is a government resolution identifying public higher education institutions that cover multiple disciplines or specialized fields for restructuring purposes. The other is a prime ministerial decision approving the plan to reorganize the higher education system.

A multidisciplinary institution teaches across several areas of study. The ministry's stated goals include institutions of an appropriate size, greater competitiveness and better governance. Greater autonomy means giving institutions more responsibility for decisions about how they operate.

Public higher education institutions under central ministries and provincial management must be reviewed, with proposed restructuring arrangements completed by December 15. Completed files must reach the competent authorities by January 15, 2027.

The vocational and university schedules therefore have different stages. November brings decisions on vocational mergers and dissolutions as well as submission of the broader university plan. The university process continues into January with proposals and documentation for individual institutions.

The dates that organize the next stage

The timetable combines national policy decisions with applications, handovers and reports from individual authorities. Khanh Hoa and An Giang are specifically required to submit their proposed vocational merger or dissolution files before November 6, while other provinces must complete work in time for the November 20 decision deadline.

• July 1, 2025: Baseline for the vocational institution count, calculated at 344.
• October 27, 2026: The education ministry records 234 remaining public vocational institutions, a reduction of 110.
• October 30: Can Tho announces vocational college mergers and leadership appointments.
• Before November 6: Specified ministries, Khanh Hoa and An Giang must submit merger or dissolution documentation; transfer decisions for eight Industry and Trade colleges are also due.
• Before November 10: The national higher education restructuring drafts and lists of specialized vocational institutions must be submitted.
• Before November 15: Decisions on 28 vocational applications already under review must be completed.
• Before November 20: Authorities must complete the broader round of vocational merger and dissolution decisions.
• Before December 10: The education ministry must report nationwide vocational restructuring results to the government and prime minister.
• December 15 and January 15, 2027: University restructuring proposals and completed submissions reach their respective deadlines.

The December vocational report will bring together the results of decisions made by ministries and local governments. Alongside the institutional count, the government's instructions require attention to the unresolved responsibilities that make a merger work: management, staff, money, property and uninterrupted education.

Key Points

• Vietnam had 234 public vocational institutions on October 27, 2026, down from 344 in July 2025.
• A further reduction of 54 would leave approximately 180, bringing the total decrease to about 47.7%.
• The current reduction of 31.97% already exceeds the minimum target of 30%.
• Vocational merger and dissolution decisions must be completed before November 20, with 28 pending applications facing an earlier deadline.
• Students' rights, staff benefits and continuity of training must be protected during restructuring.
• The university restructuring plan is due before November 10, followed by institutional proposals in December and completed submissions in January 2027.