Key new policies will take effect from the beginning of May 2025.
The new policy, effective May 2025, includes many policies related to education, officials, civil servants, and public employees...
* Candidates taking the civil service exam are not allowed to arrive more than 10 minutes late starting from May 1, 2025.
The regulations and rules for recruitment, promotion, and advancement of civil servants and public employees are issued by the Ministry of Interior in Circular 001/2025/TT-BNV.
Accordingly, Circular 001/2025/TT-BNV adjusts and shortens the time candidates can arrive late to participate in the exam without being disqualified from the recruitment process. Candidates must arrive no more than 5 minutes late for exams with a maximum time of 30 minutes or no more than 10 minutes late for exams with a maximum time of 60 minutes or more; if candidates arrive later than this time, they will not be allowed to participate in the exam.
If a candidate is unable to arrive on time due to force majeure or objective circumstances, the Head of the Examination Committee will report to the Chairman of the Examination Board for consideration and a decision on whether the candidate is allowed to take the exam.
* Students from ethnic minority groups will benefit from the new policy effective May 1, 2025.
The government stipulates this in Decree 66/2025/ND-CP on policies for preschool children, students, and trainees in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, coastal and island regions, and educational institutions with preschool children and students benefiting from these policies. Specifically:
- Children attending half-day school: Lunch allowance of 360,000 VND per child in the nursery school, for a maximum of 9 months per school year.
- Boarding students and day trainees:
Meal allowance of 936,000 VND per person, for a maximum of 9 months per academic year;
Housing allowance: If boarding students and trainees have to arrange their own accommodation because the school cannot provide on-campus housing, or if first-grade and second-grade students with disabilities need to arrange their own accommodation near the school for family care: They will receive a subsidy of 360,000 VND for a maximum of 9 months per school year.
Rice support: 15 kg of rice per student/trainee per month, for a maximum of 9 months per academic year.
First-grade boarding students from ethnic minority groups who learn Vietnamese before starting the first-grade program are entitled to an additional month of the above benefits.
* Principles for determining the amount of fine for a violation in cases with aggravating or mitigating circumstances.
The Government issued Decree 68/2025/ND-CP dated March 18, 2025, amending Decree 118/2021/ND-CP guiding the Law on Handling Administrative Violations.
Accordingly, the principle for determining the specific fine for an administrative violation in cases with aggravating or mitigating circumstances is as follows:
- The specific fine for an administrative violation is the average of the fine range stipulated for that violation;
- If there is one mitigating circumstance, the specific fine amount will be determined within the range from above the minimum to below the average of the fine range; in the case of two or more mitigating circumstances, the minimum amount of the fine range will be applied;
- If there is one aggravating circumstance, the specific fine amount will be determined within the range from above the average to below the maximum of the fine range; in case there are two or more aggravating circumstances, the maximum amount of the fine range will be applied;
- If there are both aggravating and mitigating circumstances, one aggravating circumstance will be offset against one mitigating circumstance;
- If a decree on administrative sanctions in areas of state management stipulates principles for determining specific fines for an administrative violation in cases with aggravating or mitigating circumstances, then the provisions of that decree shall apply.
* Instructions on how to fill out the administrative violation penalty form.
Decree 68/2025/ND-CP also provides guidance on how to fill out forms in administrative penalty proceedings for violations by households, business households, and residential communities as follows:
- Information about households, businesses, and residential communities: Recorded in the organization information section;
- In the section for "Name of organization," clearly state the phrase "household" followed by the name of the head of the household (if it is a household); clearly state the name of the business (if it is a business); clearly state the phrase "residential community" followed by the address for residential communities;
- In the "business registration number" section, write the business registration number for violations by household businesses, and cross it out for violations by households and residential communities;
- In the section for "Investment/Enterprise Registration Certificate Number or Establishment/Operating License Number", write "Household Business Registration Certificate Number" (if it is a household business), and cross it out for households and residential communities;
- In the section for "legal representative," clearly state the full name of the head of the household, the full name of the head of the business, and the full name of the representative of the community, such as the head of the village, hamlet, or similar residential area, or a person elected by mutual agreement of the community.
The policy takes effect from May 2, 2025.
* Changes to the accommodation allowance for officials and civil servants effective from May 4, 2025.
Regulations on travel expenses and conference expenses, including accommodation allowances for officials, civil servants, and public employees, have been amended and supplemented by the Ministry of Finance in Circular 12/2025/TT-BTC.
Specifically, the daily accommodation allowance will increase by 100,000 VND/day from 200,000 VND/day to 300,000 VND/day, effective from May 4, 2025.
Regarding accommodation allowances for day trips, the amount is determined based on the actual number of hours spent on the trip, the distance traveled, and internal spending regulations. This Circular does not change the method of determining the amount of accommodation allowance for day trips, but adds a criterion regarding the distance traveled.
* 3 forms of collaborative training between Vietnamese and foreign universities from May 5, 2025
Circular 07/2025/TT-BGDĐT regulates the joint training programs between Vietnamese and foreign higher education institutions at the undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels, specifically:
1. Direct training links: Up to 30% of the total training program volume will be delivered through the online training system.
2. Online training integration: Ensure that over 50% of the total training program content is delivered through an online training system, and this applies only to undergraduate level programs.
3. Integrated in-person and online training: 30% to 50% of the total training program volume is conducted through online training systems, applicable to undergraduate and master's degree levels.
* From May 5, 2025, the early admission method will be abolished in university enrollment.
This is a notable point in Circular 06/2025/TT-BGDĐT amending and supplementing the Regulations on university and college admissions for the Early Childhood Education major.
Accordingly, point c, clause 2, Article 2 of Circular 06/2025/TT-BGDĐT has abolished the phrase "early admission plan" in clause 2, Article 16 of Circular 08/2022/TT-BGDĐT.
Therefore, from May 5, 2025, based on the general plan, training institutions will develop plans for direct admission for certain specific admission methods and plans for supplementary admission rounds (if any).
