Is a master's thesis defense in Vietnam allowed to be conducted online?

Is a master's thesis defense in Vietnam allowed to be conducted online?

Pursuant to Article 9 of the Regulation on Master's Admission and Training issued together with Circular 23/2021/TT-BGDDT, the evaluation of the thesis is stipulated as follows:

Thesis Evaluation

1. The thesis is evaluated through a defense session before the council. The defense session is organized publicly unless it involves topics in confidential fields required by State regulations.

2. The thesis evaluation council must meet the following requirements:

a) The council has at least 05 members, including a chairperson, a secretary, 02 reviewers, and other members; at least 01 reviewer is external to the training institution;

b) The members of the council must meet the standards set for thesis advisors as specified in paragraph 4, Article 8 of this Regulation; the chairperson must be a full-time lecturer or research fellow of the training institution;

c) The advisor may participate in the council as a member but is not allowed to grade; parents, spouses, children, siblings of the candidate cannot participate in the council.

3. Conditions for candidates to defend the thesis:

a) Have completed all course components of the training program;

b) Have submitted the thesis and received consent from the advisor for defense;

c) Have completed other requirements stipulated by the training institution.

4. The thesis defense session is convened when at least two-thirds of the council members are present, including the chairperson, the secretary, and at least 01 reviewer. Online defense mode may be conducted with the agreement of the council members and the student; the entire proceedings of the online defense must be recorded and stored at the training institution.

5. The thesis score is the average of the scores given by the council members present during the evaluation session, according to a 10-point scale; a pass is granted for scores of 5.5 or above.

...

Thus, a master's thesis defense can be conducted online with the agreement of the council members and the candidate; the entire online defense proceedings must be recorded and archived at the training institution.

Is a master's thesis defense in Vietnam allowed to be conducted online?​ (Image from the Internet)

What happens if a person use other's work in a master's thesis in Vietnam?

Pursuant to Article 16 of the Regulation on Master's Admission and Training issued together with Circular 23/2021/TT-BGDDT, penalties for violations by candidates are stipulated as follows:

Penalties for Violations by Candidates

1. Candidates who commit fraud in exams, assessments, or evaluations of academic performance will be disciplined for each module violated.

2. Candidates caught taking exams on behalf of others or having others take exams on their behalf will face a one-year suspension for the first offense and expulsion for the second offense.

3. Candidates committing any of the following violations will be expelled; the awarded master's degree, if granted, will be revoked and annulled according to regulations by the Ministry of Education and Training:

a) Acts of fraud in admission, coursework, thesis defense, or project, or fraud in document preparation for obtaining degrees and certificates;

b) Using others' work or unattributed copying, citing in theses, projects, and the examination committee concludes that if those portions were removed, the thesis or project would not meet the requirements;

c) Employing or commissioning others to do the thesis or project.

4. Training institutions' regulations provide detailed rules for handling violations by candidates.

Therefore, candidates using other's work in their thesis will be expelled if the examination committee concludes that by removing the sections used, copied, or cited, the thesis or project does not meet the requirements. The awarded master's degree, if granted, will be revoked and annulled according to the Ministry of Education and Training's regulations.

Can foreign citizens pursue a master's degree in Vietnam?

Pursuant to Article 5 of the Regulation on Master's Admission and Training issued together with Circular 23/2021/TT-BGDDT, the criteria and conditions for admission are stipulated as follows:

Criteria and Conditions for Admission

...

4. Candidates who are foreign citizens and apply for master's programs conducted in Vietnamese must achieve Vietnamese proficiency of Level 4 or higher according to the Vietnamese Language Proficiency Framework for Foreigners or have graduated from university (or equivalent level or higher) where the training program was instructed in Vietnamese; meet the requirements for a second foreign language as stipulated by the training institution (if any).

Therefore, foreign citizens can study for a master's degree in Vietnam if they meet the following conditions:

- Achieve a Vietnamese proficiency of Level 4 or higher according to the Vietnamese Language Proficiency Framework for Foreigners

- Have graduated from university (or equivalent level or higher) where the instruction was in Vietnamese; meet requirements for a second foreign language as stipulated by the training institution (if any).