Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Education and Training's Circular No. 20/2026/TT-BGDDT on higher education institution accreditation took effect on May 15. While the circular brings Vietnam's accreditation system closer to international standards, experts warn that without mandatory core criteria, universities could still be accredited without meeting essential quality requirements.
VietnamPlus spoke with Associate Professor Dr. Do Van Dung, former Rector of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, about the issue.
- In your view, what does Circular 20 mean for the development of Vietnam's higher education, particularly in achieving the Politburo's goal under Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW of raising the international standing of the country's universities?
Associate Professor Dr. Do Van Dung: Circular No. 20 is a timely and strategic step in advancing Vietnam's higher education, particularly as the country implements Politburo Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW.
The circular marks a fundamental shift from accreditation to continuous improvement. It introduces "conditional accreditation," allowing institutions that fail no more than four standards to receive a two-year conditional accreditation certificate while implementing improvements and submitting regular progress reports. It also places greater emphasis on meaningful internal quality assurance (IQA), self-assessment and periodic post-accreditation reviews.
The circular improves transparency by requiring universities to publish self-assessment reports, accreditation results and improvement plans on their websites within a specified timeframe. Accreditation agencies and the ministry must also disclose relevant information on their online portals.
It also promotes international integration by allowing foreign accreditation agencies recognised by the ministry to operate in Vietnam.
These reforms make the accreditation system more flexible and outcome-oriented, encouraging universities to focus on genuine quality improvement rather than simply meeting formal requirements.
Overall, Circular 20 provides a key legal framework for implementing the goals of Resolution 71.
- The Ministry says Circular 20 is designed to align Vietnam's accreditation system with international standards. How do you assess its standards, criteria and accreditation process?
Associate Professor Dr. Do Van Dung: The circular's international orientation is reflected in a framework built around three pillars: strategy, systems and outcomes.
The strategic pillar covers vision, mission, culture, governance, leadership and strategic management, with an emphasis on long-term development and leadership responsibility.
The systems pillar covers human resources, finance, infrastructure, education, research, and international cooperation, focusing on institutional capacity and internal quality assurance.
The outcomes pillar focuses on education, research and community service, measuring their impact on learners, society and the economy.
The framework closely follows the AUN-QA (ASEAN University Network - Quality Assurance) model, which Vietnam has increasingly adopted as a regional benchmark. Many criteria emphasise continuous improvement, stakeholder engagement and internationalisation through external partnerships.
Its closer alignment with international standards also makes it easier to benchmark against regional and global frameworks such as AUN-QA, ABET, QS and THE, helping universities gain international accreditation and improve their global rankings.
However, the circular still has shortcomings. Some criteria remain highly qualitative and require more detailed guidance to ensure consistent and objective assessments.
It also does not fully align with specialised international accreditation systems such as ABET or AACSB, as it focuses on institutional rather than programme accreditation.
Overall, the new framework is a clear improvement over the previous one and provides a solid foundation for universities seeking international accreditation.
- What further measures would you recommend to ensure Circular 20 achieves its intended goals after taking effect?
Associate Professor Dr. Do Van Dung: Detailed implementation guidelines should be issued as soon as possible, including self-assessment templates, scoring scales and clear evaluation criteria. Large-scale training should also be provided for accreditors and university staff on the new accreditation process.
The Ministry of Education and Training should add a set of mandatory core criteria - covering strategic governance, internal quality assurance (IQA), learning outcomes and financial sustainability - to strike a balance between flexibility and quality.
It should also establish a transparent online portal publishing each university's accreditation results and improvement plans, strengthen post-accreditation monitoring through regular reporting, and provide technical support for institutions granted conditional accreditation.
Cooperation with international accreditation bodies such as AUN-QA and ABET should be further encouraged to raise quality standards.
These measures would help shift the accreditation system from compliance-based assessment to continuous quality improvement, while supporting the goals of Resolution 71 to raise Vietnam's higher education to international standards.
- Thank you very much.
