Vietnam Plans First National Licensing Exam for Doctors in December 2027

A new requirement between medical school and practice

Vietnam plans to hold its first national competency examination for doctors in December 2027, adding a common assessment before medical graduates receive licences to practise. Around 10,000 graduates a year are expected to take the examination, with testing planned across six regions and candidates responsible for paying an assessment fee.

Professor Nguyen Viet Tien, standing vice chairman of the National Medical Council, said the council had agreed on December for the first nationwide examination. The council's plan names four initial groups: general practitioners, preventive medicine doctors, traditional medicine doctors and dentists.

Preparations have already moved into testing. In its September preparation update, the National Medical Council recorded 2,020 participants in a dental examination pilot involving 16 training institutions, and 727 participants in a preventive medicine pilot involving 10 institutions. The update followed its plenary meeting on September 30, 2026.

The reform changes the route from graduation to professional practice. Candidates will need a relevant medical degree, completion of the prescribed clinical practice and a successful competency assessment before licensing. The aim is to apply a shared minimum professional standard across graduates from Vietnam's 34 institutions offering medical training.

For patients, the intended benefit is a clearer national check on whether a new practitioner can make safe professional decisions. For students, the immediate task is more concrete: complete supervised practice, prepare for an assessment based on professional standards and account for the examination when planning the start of their careers.

What the law requires and when it applies

The assessment requirement comes from the 2023 Law on Medical Examination and Treatment, with detailed guidance in Government Decree 96/2023/ND-CP. Article 24 provides the basis for competency assessment, while Article 23 governs the practical training candidates must complete.

Clause 3 of Article 120 sets the timetable for extending the requirement across eight professional titles. Doctors come first, followed by assistant physicians, nurses and midwives, then four further groups in 2029.

• September 30, 2026: The National Medical Council reviewed examination tools, pilot results, venue requirements and software preparations.
• November 2026: The council scheduled a trial of the complete examination process.
• January 1, 2027: The legal assessment requirement begins for doctors. The council plans the first nationwide examination for December 2027.
• January 1, 2028: The requirement extends to assistant physicians, nurses and midwives.
• January 1, 2029: Medical technicians, clinical nutrition specialists, emergency medical responders working outside hospitals and clinical psychologists enter the assessment timetable.

The December opening examination is the timing given by Tien in the council's agreed plan; a conference outline had tentatively listed March and December sessions in 2027. For 2028 onward, the council expects two sessions annually, provisionally in March and October, giving unsuccessful candidates another opportunity without waiting a full year.

Who can sit the examination?

Candidates in the first intake must hold a degree in one of the four physician specialties and complete the practical training required by law. They must also receive confirmation that their practice has been completed before entering the examination process.

The council is working with the Ministry of Health's Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management on a competency standard for 12 months of practice for the four physician groups. That work connects the practical training programme, the scope of professional practice and the content candidates will be assessed on.

Resident doctors also feature in the preparations. The council's September update says Report No. 10/BC-HĐYKQG addresses assessment arrangements for resident doctors admitted before January 1, 2027. It also records agreement on an assessment approach for residents and instructions to implement the approved arrangements from that date.

Candidates who fail will be able to register again. The fee amount, numerical limits on repeat attempts and full transitional arrangements for resident doctors have not been publicly specified in the announcements described here. Those details matter to students budgeting for the examination and arranging their next stage of training or employment.

What will the examination test?

The current planned format is a computer examination using multiple choice questions. The conference outline described questions requiring candidates to select one best answer. Tien said professional competency standards for each title would form the basis of the examination content.

A competency standard sets out what a practitioner should know and be able to do. In medicine, that includes applying knowledge to a patient's situation, choosing an appropriate response and recognising risks, rather than simply remembering facts from a textbook.

Nguyen Ngo Quang, vice chairman of the National Medical Council and director of the Ministry of Health's Department of Science, Technology and Training, described an assessment approach informed by international experience and covering theoretical knowledge alongside practical competence.

The broader reform includes clinical skills and professional ethics, while the currently announced examination format is computer based. At the medical education conference, speakers also discussed clinical examinations using an Objective Structured Clinical Examination, or OSCE. In that format, candidates move through a series of stations to demonstrate tasks such as examining a patient, taking a medical history or explaining care. The council's current national examination plan specifies multiple choice questions.

The Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation described the reform in its licensure reform overview as a move from reliance on diplomas and administrative procedures toward assessment of competence, practical skills and professional ethics. Its account followed an international medical education conference in Ho Chi Minh City organised by the National Medical Council, the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, and Yonsei University.

What the first pilots reveal about preparation

The dental pilot drew 2,020 of 2,186 registered candidates, an attendance rate of 92.4%. The preventive medicine pilot drew 727 of 900 registered candidates, or 80.8%, according to the council's September update.

Together, 2,747 of 3,086 registered candidates attended the two pilots, about 89%. Dental attendance was 11.6 percentage points higher than preventive medicine attendance. The figures measure participation in trials of examination structure; the update lists attendance rather than candidate scores.

The work extends beyond those two specialties. The traditional medicine subcommittee held training on developing and revising examination content descriptions and the detailed learning outcomes for essential professional problems. It was also studying the preventive medicine pilot held at Hanoi Medical University.

Senior Deputy Minister of Health Vu Manh Ha instructed the council to complete assessment tools for all four physician groups. His directions included publishing essential professional topics, passing standards and sample examinations, giving schools and candidates concrete information for preparation.

Six regions, secure software and a full process trial

The council plans to organise testing across six regions, using centres that meet requirements for facilities, technology and safety. Professor Nguyen Huu Tu, rector of Hanoi Medical University and head of the examination organising committee, said multiple qualified centres would make the expected annual intake manageable.

Tu described the conditions for selecting examination centres:

"Only units that meet strict requirements in infrastructure, technology and security will be recognised as testing centres," he said.

The Ministry of Health has issued criteria for eligible venues, according to the September council update. The council also completed a security assessment of its question bank software. Hanoi Medical University was directed to finish transferring the software, including licensing documents and supporting materials, and to train council staff in its operation.

The planned November 2026 trial covers the complete examination process. Organisers are developing a standard sequence for registration, application review, testing, marking, notification of results and appeals. Testing these steps together gives administrators an opportunity to identify problems before the first official sitting.

Ha Anh Duc, director of the Ministry of Health's Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management and a council vice chairman, said the central organisational task was ensuring safety, accuracy and objectivity at every stage. The council is also developing a question bank subject to professional review, quality control and security requirements.

Medical schools face a shared national benchmark

Vietnam has 18 public and 16 private higher education institutions offering medical training. Public institutions therefore account for about 53% of the 34 institutions, and private institutions about 47%. All will be preparing graduates for the same national professional benchmark.

Tien said examination results would create pressure on schools to review their teaching. Institutions with a high proportion of unsuccessful graduates would need to examine their programmes and training quality, while strong results could strengthen a school's reputation.

At the 10th National Medical Education Conference in Hanoi on November 7, 2026, Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen urged institutions to review curricula, compare graduation outcomes with professional competency requirements and identify areas where students needed additional support. The Vietnam Medical Education Association and Phenikaa University jointly organised the event.

Conference speakers called for closer connections between basic science, clinical theory and practical work. They also called for stronger teaching teams, closer school and hospital partnerships, and more realistic clinical learning materials. For students, that means preparation should run through their education and supervised practice, rather than begin only when an examination date approaches.

AI and simulation must support clinical judgment

Tuyen also addressed how artificial intelligence and digital tools are changing medical education. He called for responsible use of AI, including checking information, recognising the limits of automated tools, protecting patient data and maintaining academic integrity.

His recommendations connected technology with the everyday work of teaching. Schools and hospitals should provide practice with clear goals, supervision and feedback. Simulation should be combined with experience involving patients and communities, while teachers need stronger assessment, feedback and digital skills.

Nguyen Tien Thao, director of the Higher Education Department at the Ministry of Education and Training, called for independent clinical thinking, professional responsibility and empathy alongside technological development. He said assessment should focus on practical competence, responses to clinical situations and student progress.

Simulation gives students a controlled setting in which to practise before working with patients. Supervision and feedback then help them connect that preparation to actual care. The conference recommendations place those activities alongside examination preparation, reflecting the broader range of abilities expected of a new practitioner.

Patient safety is the central test

The National Medical Council, described in the regulatory overview as an independent body established by the prime minister, is leading development of the assessment system. At the Ho Chi Minh City conference, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan linked the reform to the 2023 law and efforts to improve training quality and compatibility with international standards.

Tien framed the minimum professional standard in terms of patients rather than examination rankings. Explaining why an unsuccessful candidate could not immediately enter practice, he said:

"We must place patient safety above all else. If a candidate does not meet the minimum competency requirement, they cannot be allowed to practise," Professor Tien said.

For the council, the next operational milestones are completing the assessment tools, publishing guidance for candidates and schools, and testing the full administrative process. For graduates, the practical change is a national checkpoint after their degree and required practice, with a planned first sitting in December 2027 and repeat opportunities to follow.

Key Points

• Vietnam plans its first national competency examination for doctors in December 2027.
• The first four groups are general practitioners, preventive medicine doctors, traditional medicine doctors and dentists.
• Candidates need a relevant degree and completed practical training, and must pay an assessment fee.
• The currently planned format is multiple choice questions on computers.
• Around 10,000 medical graduates annually are expected to take the examination across six regions.
• Dental and preventive medicine pilots drew 2,747 participants combined.
• The requirement expands to assistant physicians, nurses and midwives in 2028, and four further professional groups in 2029.