Regulations on educational levels and entry ages in Vietnam

Regulations on educational levels and entry ages in Vietnam (Internet image)

Regarding this issue, LawNet would like to answer as follows:

1. National education system in Vietnam

According to Article 6 of the Education Law 2019, the national educational system is an open, transferrable educational system consisting of formal education and continuing education.

Educational levels and training qualifications of the national educational system include:

- Preschool education including junior kindergartens (for children aged 03 – 36 months) and senior kindergartens (for children aged 3 – 5 years);

- General education with primary education, lower secondary education, and upper secondary education;

- Vocational education and training at elementary-level, intermediate-level, or college-level and other vocational training programmes;

- Higher education with university education, master education and doctoral education.

The Prime Minister of Vietnam shall make decisions on the approval of the structural framework of the national educational system and the Vietnamese Qualifications Framework; stipulate the training duration, standards of each training level, the minimal learning quantity for qualifications of vocational education and higher education.

Within the scope of their duties and authorities, the Minister of Education and Training and Minister of Labour - War Invalids and Social Affairs shall provide for the entrance requirements of college-level and university-level pedagogical and health professions.  

2. Educational levels and entry ages in Vietnam

The educational levels and entry ages are specified in Article 28 of the Education Law 2019, whereby:

- Educational levels and age groups of general education are regulated as follows:

+ Primary education lasts for 05 school years, from the first to the fifth grade. The entry age for the first grade is 06;

+ Lower secondary education lasts for 04 school years, from the sixth to the ninth grade. Students must complete the primary educational programme before entering the sixth grade. The entry age for the sixth grade is 11;

+ Upper secondary education lasts for 03 school years, from the tenth to the twelfth grade. Students must complete the lower secondary educational programme before entering the tenth grade. The entry age for the tenth grade is 15;

- Cases where schooling could be commenced at younger ages or at higher ages prescribed in clause 1 of Article 28 of the Education Law 2019 are as follows:

+ Commencing schooling at younger ages for students with early intellectual development;

+ Commencing schooling at older ages for students repeating classes, students living in areas with exceptional socio-economic difficulties, students belonging to ethnic minorities, disabled and handicapped students, students with physical or intellectual disadvantages, orphan students, students of poor households, students returning from overseas and other cases as prescribed by law.

- General education shall be divided into 2 phases:

+ Basic education and career-orientated education. Basic education includes primary education and lower secondary education;

+ Career-oriented education is upper secondary education. Students of institutions of vocational education shall learn the upper secondary education knowledge.

- The Minister of Education and Training of Vietnam shall stipulate the teaching and learning of the Vietnamese language to children of ethnic minorities prior to the commencement of the first grade; the teaching of the upper secondary education knowledge in institutions of vocational education; and the cases as prescribed in clause 2 of Article 28 of the Education Law 2019.

Nhu Mai

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