Higher Education Policy in Vietnam in the Context of Digital Transformation

Recent advancements in digital technologies have fundamentally altered the operational landscape of various socio-economic sectors. Higher education, in particular, has experienced profound impacts from these shifts. Globally, universities face growing expectations to integrate digital tools beyond teaching and learning, extending into institutional governance, educational service delivery, and the development of open educational resources. Against this backdrop, digital transformation has emerged as a central reform trajectory within Vietnam’s higher education development strategies, aligning with the objectives of modernizing governance systems and enhancing institutional adaptability to socio-economic fluctuations. This chapter analyzes the formulation and implementation of policies concerning digital transformation in Vietnamese higher education. Approaching the issue through the lens of the policy cycle and integrating perspectives from New Public Management, the study clarifies the policy shift from an instrumental “computerization” approach toward building a more comprehensive digital education ecosystem. Utilizing a systematic literature review and benchmarking against higher education systems in the ASEAN region and OECD countries, the chapter reveals that Vietnam has made measurable progress in institutionalizing components of digital education, particularly in digital institutional governance and the expansion of digital learning materials. Nevertheless, the digital transformation process within higher education institutions continues to confront structural barriers. Prominent challenges include inconsistencies in IT infrastructure development, data fragmentation across governance systems, and the widening digital divide among regions and institutions with varying developmental capacities. Drawing on these findings, the chapter proposes specific policy directions to drive digital transformation in higher education toward greater efficiency and sustainability.