Vietnam's government has instructed the Ministry of Education and Training to make digital transformation a top priority for the coming school year, signalling a drive to modernise administration, examinations and classroom practice while tightening oversight of artificial intelligence and student data.
From records to classrooms: a sweeping programme
At a working session in Hà Nội, Deputy Prime Minister Lê Tiến Châu told ministry officials and other agencies that meaningful reform of how schools operate and how pupils are taught depends on embedding digital change at every level. He emphasised that progress should be judged by tangible outcomes rather than plans alone.
"Digital transformation must be identified as one of the top priorities of the new school year, bringing substantive change to every locality and every educational institution,"
The ministry reported that digitisation has already covered a large portion of the education system: records for more than 28 million students and teachers have been digitised across over 50,000 institutions, and the same number of student profiles has been cross-checked with the national population database. Services such as national high school exam registration, university admissions and enrolment are increasingly handled online.
| Metric | Reported figure |
|---|---|
| Digitised student and teacher records | 28 million |
| Educational institutions covered | 50,000+ |
| Profiles cross-verified with national database | 28 million |
Shortcomings and risks
Despite these advances, officials highlighted persistent weaknesses that risk undermining the benefits of digitisation. Key concerns are:
- the quality of data lagging behind the volume collected;
- fragmented and poorly standardised software at the grassroots, making systems hard to integrate;
- insufficient cybersecurity and underdeveloped data infrastructure;
- a shortage of shared digital learning materials;
- the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence outpacing regulatory safeguards, with implications for privacy and academic integrity.
Officials singled out AI as a particular area of concern, warning that its adoption in schools is moving faster than lawmakers and regulators can design protections. Specific risks noted include threats to personal data, and the potential for a rise in academic dishonesty if safeguards are not established.
From policy to delivery
Deputy Prime Minister Châu urged the ministry to absorb input from other agencies and to shift emphasis from planning to implementation, with success measured through concrete deliverables. That direction reflects a wider international conversation about the gap between ambitious digital strategies and their execution on the ground.
For pupils, parents and teachers the changes could bring more reliable access to services such as exam registration and admissions, and the potential for richer digital learning resources. However, without sharper attention to data quality, interoperability and cybersecurity, the same technologies risk generating new administrative burdens and privacy harms.
In practice this will mean central work on standards and platforms to replace the patchwork of local software, enhanced cyber-defences, and clearer rules for the use of AI in assessment and pedagogy. The ministry will also have to ensure that digital tools are usable by teachers and that schools in less well-resourced areas are not left behind.
The deputy prime minister's instructions place a premium on measurable results. The coming months will show whether Vietnam can translate an already extensive digitisation effort into a stable, secure and equitable digital education system that supports both classroom practice and national policymaking.
