Universities that do not meet the standards are prepared to merge into branches or dissolve.
Substandard universities are expected to be merged to become a training unit or a branch of a reputable university or have their training activities suspended before 2028 and dissolved before 2030.
According to the draft of the Plan for the network of higher education and pedagogical institutions for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050 of the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Education and Training will arrange universities in a basic direction between stability in quantity and structure, focusing on strengthening capacity, improving quality and expanding the scale of schools. The whole country will have about 250 universities and colleges; 50 branches of 200 key institutions oriented by regions.
The country has 30 national key universities, including 5 national universities and 5 regional universities. 18-20 national key universities, each field and industry has 1 to 2 universities. The Ministry of Education and Training has now proposed 18 national key industry planning schools by 2030, including:
| NATIONAL KEY SCHOOL | FIELD |
| Hanoi National University of Education | Education and Pedagogy |
| Ho Chi Minh City University of Education | Education and Pedagogy |
| Hanoi Medical University | Medicine |
| Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy | Medicine |
| Hanoi Law University | Law |
| Ho Chi Minh City University of Law | Law |
| National Economics University | Economics and Finance |
| Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics | Economics and Finance |
| Vietnam Maritime University | Traffic - Transportation - Marine economy |
| University of Transport | Traffic - Transportation |
| Hanoi University of Civil Engineering | Construction - Architecture |
| Vietnam National University of Agriculture | Agriculture |
| Academy of Journalism and Communication | Press and Media |
| Academy of Posts and Telecommunications | Information - Communication |
| National Academy of Public Administration | Public administration |
| Academy of Finance | Finance |
| Vietnam National Academy of Music | Art |
| Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema | Art |
According to the Ministry of Education and Training, there will be about 100 other key universities under ministries, branches, central and local agencies. At least 70 private universities including non-profit and foreign-invested universities.
From now until 2030, universities that do not meet standards will be consolidated and reorganized according to plans such as: Restructuring and focusing on investment to meet standards within a roadmap of 3 to 5 years; merging to become a training unit or a branch of a prestigious school; suspending training activities before 2028 and dissolving before 2030.
According to the Ministry of Education and Training, basically no new public universities will be established, except in necessary cases in some regions with low university access levels, specifically the Northwest (1), Northeast (1), Central Highlands (1), and Mekong Delta (1). Reorganize a number of training and fostering schools under central agencies that have been licensed to train at university levels or have had a policy of establishment decided by competent authorities that is still valid until the time this Plan takes effect.
For school branches in the period up to 2030, the training activities of branches and training facilities that do not meet standards or have not completed establishing legal status before 2028 will be suspended; substandard branches will be merged or dissolved before 2030.
The Ministry will allow the establishment of branches in cases such as establishment from training institutions that are currently allowed to operate or transfer of branches from another university that is currently allowed to operate, or on the basis of merging with a pedagogical college.
Also according to the draft, the Ministry of Education and Training will expand the development space of universities in neighboring localities or in localities that have not yet trained in groups of majors and fields suitable for the development orientation of the locality and the region; establish branches of private universities and prestigious foreign universities in localities and regions without development restrictions./.
