The education policy will take effect from April 2026.

Regulations for the High School Graduation Examination

Circular No. 13/TT-BGDĐT dated March 9, 2026, on amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Regulations on the High School Graduation Examination, will take effect from April 24, 2026.

Accordingly, the 2026 High School Graduation Examination will remain stable as in 2025. The exam format, structure, and sample exam papers, which were announced in 2024, will remain stable for both 2025 and 2026.

The new circular only adjusts some contents to ensure consistency with the two-tiered local government management model, the reorganization of provincial-level administrative units, and the restructuring of the inspection apparatus; while continuing to promote the application of information technology in all stages of exam organization.

Some of the new points in Circular No. 13/TT-BGDĐT are as follows:

Firstly, revise the regulations related to inspection and examination during the exam to ensure they are consistent with the transfer of education inspection departments at all levels to the Government Inspectorate and provincial inspectorates.

Secondly, some regulations and procedures for organizing the exams should be adjusted to ensure they are more suitable and convenient for the units in the context of reorganizing the two-tiered local government management system and restructuring provincial-level administrative units.

Accordingly, the exam registration documents will only be kept at the high school; the exam notification and exam card will be combined into a single document called "Exam Notification," issued by the high school where the candidate submitted their registration; and the temporary graduation certificate and the exam results certificate will be combined into a single "Exam Results Certificate," also issued by the high school where the candidate submitted their registration.

Thirdly, reduce the time for receiving appeals so that the appeal results can be announced sooner, while also facilitating the admissions process for higher education and vocational education institutions.

Fourth, adjust the review process to enhance efficiency and quality; accordingly, it should be stipulated that all exam papers with changed scores during the review process must be subject to dialogue.

Fifth, adjust the priority categories to align with the two-tiered local government model and ensure consistency with priority groups in the admissions process, facilitating review by relevant units right from the exam registration stage.

Sixth, continue to strengthen the application of information technology in exam organization; this includes optimizing data transmission between exam boards and the Ministry of Education and Training through the exam management system, reducing manual tasks (such as sending CDs via mail), and contributing to faster processing.

Regulations on diplomas and certificates of the national education system.

Circular No. 10/2026/TT-BGDĐT promulgating the Regulations on diplomas and certificates of the national education system will take effect from April 15, 2026.

The regulations detail the new provisions on the management of diplomas and certificates mentioned in the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Education, the Law on Higher Education (amended), and the Law on Vocational Education (amended).

Accordingly, the new provisions include: replacing the issuance of lower secondary school diplomas with confirmation of completion of the lower secondary school program in the school transcript; entrusting school principals with issuing upper secondary school diplomas; adding vocational secondary school diplomas; adding digital diplomas and certificates; and expanding the scope of regulation to include diplomas and certificates of vocational education.

The circular also replaces all previous regulations on diplomas and certificates that were scattered across various documents of the former Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, facilitating research and implementation for educational institutions, administrators, and learners.

The regulations also institutionalize the policy of comprehensive digital transformation in education and training, especially in the management of diplomas and certificates.

Specifically, the regulations add the concept of digital diplomas and certificates; stipulate the issuance, storage, and processing; issuance of copies, correction, revocation, and cancellation of digital diplomas and certificates; and regulate the construction, updating, and exploitation of the digital diploma and certificate database, as well as the list of mandatory information fields to be updated.

The Ministry of Education and Training is building a nationwide database of diplomas and certificates to serve the issuance of digital diplomas and certificates, store issued data, and publicly disclose information about the issuance of diplomas and certificates.

The updating and public disclosure of information applies to diplomas and certificates issued before the Circular came into effect. Information extracted from the database has the same legal validity as information in the original register; information retrieved from the database or on the VNeID application can be used in place of copies from the original register and serves to verify diplomas and certificates.

The regulations also require full data updates when issuing, reissuing, amending, revoking, or canceling diplomas and certificates, ensuring the principles of "accuracy, completeness, cleanliness, viability, consistency, sharing, and common use." The entire Regulation is developed with a focus on promoting the application of technology and implementing digital diplomas and certificates in parallel with paper diplomas and certificates.

The time limit for issuing a paper high school diploma has been shortened from 75 days to 30 days; the time limit for issuing digital diplomas and certificates is 5 days from the date of the graduation recognition decision.

The relevant procedures are regulated with a focus on reducing paperwork, increasing the exploitation and sharing of data from relevant databases; prioritizing electronic processing; and not requiring citizens to re-provide information already available in government agencies' data systems.

The regulations simultaneously institutionalize the policy outlined in Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW of the Politburo on strengthening the autonomy and accountability of educational institutions, coupled with effective inspection and supervision.

Specifically, the Regulations clearly define the authority and responsibilities of each organization and individual involved. The Ministry of Education and Training focuses on issuing regulations and implementing state management in accordance with the law, without replacing the functions of local authorities or institutions.

The regulation stipulating that the Ministry of Education and Training prints diploma and certificate templates should be abolished, and the authority to issue diplomas and certificates (for paper diplomas and certificates) should be decentralized to the Departments of Education and Training or other competent agencies.

No templates are prescribed for university and vocational education diplomas and certificates (only the main content to be recorded on the diplomas and certificates is specified), except for the high school graduation diploma template, to ensure nationwide uniformity. Similarly, no templates are prescribed for the original register, appendices to the original register, or register of issued copies, etc., but only the main content is specified, aiming to increase the autonomy of the competent authority issuing diplomas and certificates.

The supplementary regulations stipulate that deputies are authorized to sign diplomas and certificates; that the authority to sign copies of diplomas and certificates is granted to reduce the workload for heads of departments; and that special cases are specified for issuing copies from original records, reissuing, amending content, revoking, and canceling diplomas and certificates in situations such as the absence of original records, the lack of authorized personnel, or when the competent authority merges, splits, or dissolves.

Regarding outstanding issues related to junior high school diplomas, the Department of Education and Training is responsible for handling them; the People's Committees at the commune level are responsible for handing over the original diploma issuance registers and related documents to the Department of Education and Training before May 31, 2026.

Regulations on organizing foreign language proficiency assessment exams and Vietnamese language proficiency assessment exams.

Circular No. 09/2026/TT-BGDĐT, which regulates the organization of foreign language proficiency assessment exams and Vietnamese language proficiency assessment exams, will take effect from April 15, 2026.

Circular No. 09/2026/TT-BGDĐT fully integrates the regulations on foreign language proficiency assessment exams previously issued in Circular No. 23/2017/TT-BGDĐT dated September 29, 2017 (amended and supplemented by Circular No. 24/2021/TT-BGDĐT dated September 8, 2021) and the regulations on Vietnamese language proficiency assessment exams in Circular No. 27/2021/TT-BGDĐT dated October 7, 2021.

Besides inheriting previously established content, procedures, and regulations, the new circular also clearly stipulates the comprehensive responsibility of units in organizing the exams; requiring units to issue regulations on exam organization within their units, ensuring that core information is included, such as: regulations on organization, operation, and collaboration; financial matters; and information disclosure.

In addition, the Circular stipulates the strengthening of digital transformation and the application of information technology in all stages of exam organization; provides solutions for organizing exams to ensure safety, objectivity, fairness, and seriousness; clearly assigns responsibilities to the departments involved in organizing the exams; and ensures the confidentiality of exam papers before, during, and after each exam.

Notably, the Circular allows affiliated units to expand the scale of exam organization (including organizing exams abroad), in line with the current trend of international integration.

At the same time, encourage and support Vietnamese educational institutions to establish branches, open representative offices, or implement educational programs abroad; promote cooperation, expand Vietnamese language teaching, and spread Vietnamese cultural and traditional values ​​abroad, especially within the Vietnamese community overseas (in accordance with the spirit of Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW dated August 22, 2025, of the Politburo on breakthroughs in education and training development). This will create conditions for educational institutions to organize Vietnamese language proficiency assessment exams abroad.

Regulations on national-level large-scale assessment of the quality of general education.

Circular No. 08/2026/TT-BGDĐT, which regulates the national-level large-scale assessment of the quality of general education, will take effect from April 15, 2026.

Compared to Circular No. 51/2011/TT-BGDĐT, Circular No. 08/2026/TT-BGDĐT has several notable new points.

Firstly, regarding the assessment objectives: Circular No. 08/2026/TT-BGDĐT stipulates that the assessment of general education quality should be more comprehensive, focusing not only on students' learning outcomes in terms of knowledge and skills but also on evaluating students' qualities and competencies according to the requirements of the current general education program.

Secondly, regarding the scale and cycle of assessment: The circular stipulates that the assessment will be conducted for 5th and 9th grade students nationwide using a sampling method. The assessment cycle is every 5 years, ensuring the monitoring of the development trends in the quality of general education at each stage.

Thirdly, regarding the assessment content: The assessment content is designed as integrated surveys, meeting the objectives and requirements of a large-scale assessment program (similar to the approach of international programs). In addition, the Circular also stipulates the use of questionnaires for relevant stakeholders to collect factors affecting the quality of education.

Fourth, regarding the evaluation method: The survey was conducted using various flexible methods such as answering questionnaires on computers, on paper, or a combination of both, to suit the actual conditions of each locality.

Fifth, regarding decentralization and implementation: The Circular specifies the decentralization, delegation of authority, and responsibilities of agencies and units in organizing the implementation of the large-scale assessment program. Accordingly, the Ministry of Education and Training establishes a National Steering Committee and a Secretariat to assist it; at the local level, the Director of the Department of Education and Training establishes a Provincial Survey Committee to organize and implement the survey according to the plan.

Sixth, regarding international cooperation: The Circular includes specific regulations on the implementation of international large-scale assessment programs in which Vietnam participates under agreements with international organizations, contributing to strengthening international integration in the field of educational assessment.

Regulations on emulation and reward for the Education sector

The Ministry of Education and Training has also issued Circular 7/2026/TT-BGDĐT detailing the implementation of several articles of the Law on Emulation and Commendation and Government Decree No. 152/2025/NĐ-CP dated June 14, 2025, on decentralization and delegation of authority in the field of emulation and commendation; detailing and guiding the implementation of several articles of the Law on Emulation and Commendation for the education sector. This Circular takes effect from April 2, 2026.