The higher education reform agenda : A vision for 2020

Since 1987, when the doi moi reform process began, Vietnam has made significantprogress in increasing the size and diversity of its higher education system. In termsof quality, however, the system is still not up to international standards. Significantdeficiencies remain, particularly in the areas of governance, programmes, curricula,teaching methods, academic staff qualifications and physical infrastructure.Recognizing a need for further radical reform of the system, the governmentpromulgated Resolution 14 on the “Fundamental and Comprehensive Reform ofHigher Education in Vietnam 2006–2020” (also known as the Higher EducationReform Agenda, or HERA). HERA presents a vision of what the higher educationsystem should become.This chapter addresses specifically a range of challenges facing the implementationof HERA. A perspective advanced is that, in an age of globalization, andespecially now that Vietnam is a member of the World Trade Organization, theoverriding challenge for Vietnam’s higher education system is that of improvingthe international competitiveness of the country’s professional labour force. In thisregard, weaknesses in Vietnam’s higher education system serve only to underminethe nation’s capacity to achieve rapid global integration. Remarks I was retrospectively credited co-authorship of this paper, as is reflected on the book's website: http://www.springer.com/education+&+language/higher+education/book/978-90-481-3693-3