What are the procedures for changing the English name of a foreign-invested higher education institution in Vietnam?

Main Content

• What regulations must the English name of a foreign-invested higher education institution comply with?
• What is included in the application for changing the English name of a foreign-invested higher education institution in Vietnam?
• What are the procedures for handling of changing the English name of a foreign-invested higher education institution in Vietnam?

What regulations must the English name of a foreign-invested higher education institution comply with?

Pursuant to the provisions of Article 29 of Decree No. 86/2018/ND-CP stipulating the names of foreign-invested higher education institutions as follows:

Naming foreign-invested educational institutions

1. The foreign-invested educational institutions shall be established and operate in forms of schools and centers and shall be named as follows:

a. As for schools, their names shall follow this order: "Trường” (Kind of school), “Cấp học hoặc trình độ đào tạo” (Grade or level) and “Proper name”;

b. As for short-term training institutions, their names shall follow this order: "Trung tâm giáo dục hoặc đào tạo” (The educational or training center), "Ngành hoặc nhóm đào tạo chính" (Primary disciplines) and “Proper name”.

c. As for the branch campuses of the foreign-invested higher education institutions in Vietnam, their names shall follow this order: “Phân hiệu" (Campus of), "Tên cơ sở giáo dục đại học có vốn đầu tư nước ngoài" (Proper name of the foreign-invested higher education institution) and "Tại tỉnh/thành phố” (name of the province/city).

2. The name of a foreign-invested educational institution shall not coincide or cause confusion with the name of a registered educational institution or the name of the enterprise that execute the investment project; shall not use the words or symbols that contradict the tradition, history, culture, ethics and customs of Vietnam.

3. A foreign-invested educational institution shall have both Vietnamese and English names (or in another common foreign language) with the same contents as described above.

4. The Minister of Education and Training shall consider and make a decision on naming a number of particular educational institutions.

Thus, the English name of the foreign-invested higher education institution must comply with:

- Their names shall follow this order: "Trường” (Kind of school), “Cấp học hoặc trình độ đào tạo” (Grade or level) and “Proper name”;

- A foreign-invested educational institution shall have both Vietnamese and English names (or in another common foreign language) with the same contents

Note: The name of a foreign-invested educational institution shall not coincide or cause confusion with the name of a registered educational institution or the name of the enterprise that execute the investment project; shall not use the words or symbols that contradict the tradition, history, culture, ethics and customs of Vietnam.

What are the procedures for changing the English name of a foreign-invested higher education institution in Vietnam?

What is included in the application for changing the English name of a foreign-invested higher education institution in Vietnam?

Pursuant to Clause 4, Article 2 of Decree No. 99/2019/ND-CP, the application for changing the English name of a foreign-invested higher education institution includes:

- An application for renaming the higher education institution;

- A resolution of the institution’s council or its parent university’s council;

- A renaming scheme, which includes the reason and necessity for renaming; assessment of impact on learners, officials, lecturers and relevant parties; and post-renaming risk control methods (if any);

- A written approval for renaming from the institution’s supervisory authority (hereinafter referred to as “supervisory authority”) for public higher education institutions or approval from investors owning at least 75% of total contributed capital for private universities and non-profit private universities.

What are the procedures for handling of changing the English name of a foreign-invested higher education institution in Vietnam?

Pursuant to Clause 5, Article 2 of Decree No. 99/2019/ND-CP stipulating procedures for handling of changing the English name of a foreign-invested higher education institution as follows:

- The higher education institution shall send 01 application in person or by post together with the electronic file to the Ministry of Education and Training or via the public services portal of the Ministry of Education and Training;

- Within 30 working days from the date of receipt of an adequate application, the Ministry of Education and Training shall appraise the application and submit it to the Prime Minister for decision;

- If the application is inadequate, within 10 working days from the date of its receipt, the Ministry of Education and Training shall provide a written notice and explanation to the institution.