Decree 91/2026/ND-CP detailing the Law on Higher Education

DECREE

Detailing and providing measures for the organization, guidance for the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Higher Education

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government No. 63/2025/QH15;

Pursuant to the Law on Teachers No. 73/2025/QH15;

Pursuant to the Law on Education No. 43/2019/QH14, as amended and supplemented under Law No. 123/2025/QH15;

Pursuant to the Law on Higher Education No. 125/2025/QH15;

At the request of the Minister of Education and Training;

The Government promulgates the Decree detailing and providing measures for the organization, guidance for the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Higher Education.

Article 1. Scope of regulation

1. This Decree provides detailed provisions of a number of articles of the Law on Higher Education, including:

a) Clause 4 Article 11 of the Law on Higher Education No. 125/2025/QH15 on naming higher education institutions; conditions, order, procedures, and competence for recognition of national universities, regional universities, and universities;

b) Clause 5 Article 16 of the Law on Higher Education No. 125/2025/QH15 on the appointment, dismissal, removal from office, secondment, transfer of the director of the university, deputy directors of universities, presidents, and vice presidents of public higher education institutions; appointment, dismissal of directors of universities, presidents, deputy directors of universities, and vice presidents of private higher education institutions; the appointment, dismissal, secondment, rotation, transfer of presidents, vice presidents of higher education institutions established under Agreements between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and foreign governments.

2. Measures for the organization, guidance for the implementation of the Law on Higher Education, including: the renaming of higher education institutions, branches of domestic and foreign higher education institutions in Vietnam; the conversion of private higher education institutions into private higher education institutions operating on a not-for-profit basis; the organization and operation of higher education institutions established under Agreements between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and foreign governments.

Article 2. Subjects of application

This Decree applies to higher education institutions, lecturers and learners, and other organizations and individuals related to higher education.

Article 3. Naming and renaming of higher education institutions, and branches of domestic and foreign higher education institutions in Vietnam

1. Principles for naming higher education institutions

a) The name must ensure stability and long-term use;

b) The use of the terms “general university”, “university”, “academy” must be consistent with the conditions for establishment, organizational structure, and operation;

c) It must not cause confusion regarding the type, scope of operation, managing authority, quality of training, or status of the higher education institution;

d) Words or phrases expressing titles or rankings must not be used; words or symbols identical or similar to those causing confusion with the names of state agencies, armed forces units, socio-political organizations, or other educational institutions in Vietnam and abroad must not be used in the name;

dd) It must not infringe on intellectual property rights; names, trademarks, or trade indications already protected of other organizations or individuals must not be used, except where permitted by the lawful rights holder in accordance with the law on intellectual property;

e) Words or phrases of a “national” nature or indicating a special status (“international”, “national”, “Vietnam”), names of other countries, and words or phrases of similar meaning must not be used in the name if such use may cause misunderstanding about legal status, scope of operation, or State patronage, except as provided at Points g and h of this clause;

g) The phrase “national” shall be used in the case of recognition as a national university; the phrase “international” shall be used in the case where the higher education institution provides training in all disciplines at all levels of higher education delivered in a foreign language or where the higher education institution is wholly foreign-invested or where the higher education institution is established under an Agreement between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and a foreign government;

h) The phrase “Vietnam” shall be used in the case where the higher education institution is wholly foreign-invested in Vietnam or is established under an Agreement between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and a foreign government.

2. Regulations on naming higher education institutions

a) A higher education institution must have a Vietnamese name, except where it is a wholly foreign-invested higher education institution or a higher education institution established under an Agreement between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and a foreign government.

The Vietnamese name consists of a phrase indicating the type of higher education institution (university, college, academy); a phrase indicating the field or discipline of training (if necessary); a proper name being a domestic geographical name, the name of a cultural or historical figure, or a Vietnamese name with meaning;

b) Words used in the name of a higher education institution must be meaningful and standard in Vietnamese; Vietnamese and foreign languages must not be combined in the Vietnamese name, except where the higher education institution is wholly foreign-invested or a foreign educational institution licensed to operate in Vietnam or a higher education institution established under an Agreement between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and a foreign government;

c) The foreign language name or international transaction name must be an equivalent translation of the Vietnamese name and ensure consistency; it must use terms consistent with international practice; it must not increase the level or status or change the type compared with the Vietnamese name;

d) The Internet domain name, trade name, abbreviated name used in transactions must be consistent with the Vietnamese name or the foreign language name; where abbreviations are used, it must be ensured that they do not give rise to misunderstanding with another domestic higher education institution or a foreign educational institution;

dd) The higher education institution shall be responsible for registering, publicly disclosing the domain name used for training activities, ensuring unified and transparent management.

3. Regulations on naming branches of domestic higher education institutions

a) The branch name consists of the following elements: the name of the higher education institution; the phrase “branch”; the name of the provincial-level administrative unit where the branch is located. In the case of multiple branches within the same provincial-level administrative unit, names shall be assigned in sequential order following the provincial-level administrative name or the corresponding commune-level administrative name;

b) The branch name must accurately reflect the scope of authority and functions as prescribed by the competent authority; it must not indicate a higher level, authority, or type than the higher education institution;

c) The foreign language name of the branch must be translated correspondingly from the Vietnamese name, including a foreign language phrase corresponding to “branch”;

d) Names of a cultural or historical figure or geographical names other than the administrative locality where the branch is located must not be used to form the proper name of the branch, except in the case of the higher education institution name as prescribed at Point a of this clause; words or phrases that may cause misunderstanding that the branch has legal entity status or a status equivalent to a higher education institution must not be used.

4. Regulations on naming branches of foreign higher education institutions in Vietnam

a) The branch name consists of the following elements: the name of the foreign higher education institution in Vietnamese and its foreign language proper name (if any); the name of the country where such institution is established (if necessary); the phrase “branch” together with the geographical name of the place where the branch is headquartered;

b) The foreign language name of the branch must include: the name of the foreign higher education institution; the country name of such institution (if necessary); a foreign language phrase corresponding to “branch” together with the geographical name of the place where the branch is headquartered;

c) The branch must not use names or words that may cause misunderstanding regarding legal status as a public higher education institution, a national higher education institution, or a State-sponsored higher education institution, including words or phrases equivalent to “national”, “government”, “international”, “Vietnam”, or words or phrases of similar meaning according to international practice, except as provided at Points d and dd of this clause;

d) The phrase “international” shall be used where the branch name of the higher education institution provides training in all disciplines at all levels of higher education delivered in a foreign language or where the higher education institution is wholly foreign-invested or a foreign educational institution licensed to operate in Vietnam or established under an Agreement between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and a foreign government;

dd) The phrase “Vietnam” shall be used where the branch name of a wholly foreign-invested higher education institution established in Vietnam or a branch of a higher education institution established under an Agreement between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and a foreign government.

5. Principles for renaming higher education institutions

a) Complying with the provisions in Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article;

b) The name of the higher education institution must ensure stability, continuity, and long-term recognition;

c) Renaming higher education institutions shall only be considered in the following cases: change of legal type as decided by a competent authority (except from “university” to “college”); change of the main field or discipline of training as decided by a competent authority making the current name no longer appropriate; merger, division, separation of the higher education institution affecting learners’ interests; the current name violates naming regulations or is determined to cause confusion;

d) Change of investor, ownership ratio, capital contributors, or investor structure shall not constitute grounds for renaming higher education institutions;

dd) The foreign language name, international transaction name, abbreviated name, and domain name used in training activities must be consistent with the approved Vietnamese name; the foreign language name must not indicate a different level, status, or ownership implication from the Vietnamese name;

e) Each renaming higher education institutions must be at least 10 years apart, except where the current name violates naming regulations;

g) Where necessary to ensure no misunderstanding or dispute regarding legal status, development history, or brand of the higher education institution, the Ministry of Education and Training shall require the institution to supplement consent opinions of relevant parties regarding the proposed new name.

6. Dossier for renaming includes:

a) A submission requesting renaming of the higher education institution (in accordance with Form No. 1 in the Appendix attached to this Decree), clearly stating the reasons and necessity for renaming;

b) An explanatory document demonstrating compliance with Points c, d, and dd Clause 5 of this Article;

c) A written approval of the renaming policy by the directly managing authority for public higher education institutions and by investors representing at least 75% of total contributed capital for private higher education institutions.

7. Procedures for renaming

a) The higher education institution shall submit 01 dossier to the Ministry of Education and Training by postal service or directly or online;

b) Within 30 working days from the date of receipt of a complete dossier as prescribed in Clause 6 of this Article, the Minister of Education and Training shall organize appraisal of the dossier and decide on renaming (in accordance with Form No. 2 in the Appendix attached to this Decree). In case a decision on renaming is not issued, a written response stating the reasons shall be provided;

c) Where the dossier is incomplete as prescribed, within 05 working days from the date of receipt of dossier, the Ministry of Education and Training shall notify the non-acceptance of the dossier and clearly state the reasons.

8. A branch of a higher education institution shall be renamed when the name of the higher education institution is changed or when changes in provincial-level administrative boundaries directly affect the branch name; renaming of a branch shall not be carried out where changes in administrative boundaries do not affect the designation of the branch name.

Article 4. Conditions for recognition as a university

A higher education institution shall be recognized as a university when it fully satisfies the following conditions:

1. In terms of legal status and ownership entity

a) For a public higher education institution, it must be approved by the directly managing authority;

b) For a private higher education institution, it must obtain the consensus of investors representing at least 75% of the total contributed capital.

2. In terms of academic staff

a) The proportion of international lecturers, including Vietnamese lecturers residing overseas and persons of foreign nationality, participating in teaching full-time training programmes at all levels of higher education, determined within the period of 12 months up to December 31 each year, must reach at least 5.0% of the total number of full-time lecturers of the higher education institution;

b) The proportion of full-time lecturers holding doctoral degrees must reach at least 60%.

3. In terms of organization, scale, and training structure

a) Having at least 03 member universities within organizational structure, meeting the criteria prescribed in Article 5 of this Decree;

b) Having at least 25 training disciplines at each level of higher education in operation in accordance with current regulations;

c) The scale of full-time training must reach 15,000 learners or more;

d) The proportion of postgraduate learners out of the total full-time training scale must reach at least 20%;

dd) The proportion of international learners enrolled in full-time degree-granting programmes must reach at least 3.0%.

4. In terms of scientific research and innovation

a) The average number of scientific, technological, and innovation outputs per full-time lecturer must be at least 01 per year, being a scientific article indexed in Web of Science or Scopus, or a published book, or a granted patent or utility solution;

b) The proportion of revenue from scientific, technological, and innovation activities must reach at least 20% of the total operational revenue of the higher education institution.

The proportion of revenue from scientific, technological, and innovation activities means the total annual revenue of the higher education institution from regular activities (including the State budget and support from investors) and from the performance of non-regular tasks, excluding investment capital provided by the State or investors.

5. In terms of finance

a) Having stable lawful revenue sources to ensure autonomy in covering recurrent expenditures in accordance with regulations applicable to public higher education institutions;

b) Ensuring financial disclosure, transparency; annual financial statements must be prepared and audited in accordance with applicable regulations.

6. The conditions on academic staff specified in Clause 2, organization, scale, and training structure specified in Clause 3, and scientific research and innovation specified in Clause 4 of this Article must be maintained continuously for at least 03 years up to December 31 of the year immediately preceding the year of dossier submission.

Article 5. Conditions applicable to member universities under higher education institutions for consideration for recognition as a university

1. Conditions applicable to member universities under higher education institutions for consideration for recognition as a university are as follows:

a) Having at least 05 training disciplines in the same field at each level of higher education;

b) Having a full-time training scale of at least 3,000 learners;

c) Having capacity for scientific research, technological development, and innovation meeting the provisions in Clause 2 of this Article.

2. Capacity for scientific research, technological development, and innovation is prescribed as follows:

a) Having full-time staff of the unit serving as the person in charge of performing scientific, technological, and innovative tasks at ministerial or national level, maintained continuously in the most recent three years;

b) The average number of scientific, technological, and innovation outputs per full-time lecturer must be at least 01 per year, being a scientific article indexed in Web of Science or Scopus, or a published book, or a granted patent or utility solution;

c) Having at least 01 strong research group established and recognized in accordance with regulations on scientific, technological, and innovative activities in higher education institutions of the Government.

3. The conditions applicable to member universities under higher education institutions specified in Clause 1 of this Article and the capacity for scientific research, technological development, and innovation specified in Clause 2 of this Article must be maintained continuously for at least 03 years up to December 31 of the year immediately preceding the year of dossier submission.

4. For member universities under higher education institutions providing training in health-related fields, in addition to satisfying the provisions in Clauses 1, 2, and 3 of this Article, they must have practice facilities being medical examination and treatment establishments meeting the requirements under the Government’s regulations on the organization of practical training in health disciplines.

Article 6. Conditions for recognition as a regional university or a national university

A higher education institution shall be recognized as a regional university or a national university when it fully satisfies the following conditions:

1. Having a development scheme for becoming a regional university or a national university approved by the Prime Minister, in conformity with the master plan on the network of higher education and pedagogical institutions, regional planning; scheme shall define the necessity, objectives, development targets, tasks, solutions, resources, and implementation roadmap.

2. Having at least 05 units being member universities that meet the higher education institution Standards applicable to higher education institutions providing doctoral-level training, or member universities meet the conditions applicable to member universities under higher education institutions as prescribed in Article 5 of this Decree, and it must be maintained continuously for at least three years up to December 31 of the year immediately preceding the year of submission of the recognition dossier.

3. In terms of training fields

a) A higher education institution applying for recognition as a national university must organize training at all levels of higher education in the fields of natural sciences, mathematics and statistics, engineering, computing and information technology, social and behavioral sciences, humanities, business and management, and health;

b) A higher education institution applying for recognition as a regional university must organize training at all levels of higher education in multiple disciplines across different fields in accordance with the human resource development strategy of the region or inter-regional linkage.

4. Fully satisfying the conditions prescribed in Article 4 of this Decree.

Article 7. Competence and procedures for recognition as a national university

1. The Prime Minister shall decide on the recognition as a national university.

2. Dossier for application for recognition as a national university includes:

a) A submission requesting recognition as a national university (in accordance with Form No. 3 in the Appendix attached to this Decree), clearly stating the satisfaction of the conditions prescribed in Article 6 of this Decree;

b) A scheme for recognition as a national university (including the contents prescribed at Point c Clause 2 Article 9 of this Decree);

c) A draft Regulation on the organization and operation of the national university.

3. Order of implementation:

a) The higher education institution shall fully, accurately update information on organizational structure, training disciplines, training programmes, information on learners, lecturers, scientific research, technology and innovation, finance on the specialized higher education database system of the Ministry of Education and Training; submit 01 dossier as prescribed in Clause 2 of this Article to the Ministry of Education and Training by postal service or directly or online;

b) Within 05 working days from the date of receipt of the dossier, if the dossier is invalid, the Ministry of Education and Training shall return the dossier and notify in writing, clearly stating the reasons;

c) For a valid dossier, within 60 working days from the date of receipt of a complete dossier, the Ministry of Education and Training shall organize the review of data on the specialized higher education database, appraise the dossier and conduct on-site appraisal; prepare an appraisal report and send it to relevant ministries and sectors for written opinions.

In case the dossier does not satisfy the conditions, the Ministry of Education and Training shall notify in writing and clearly state the reasons;

d) The appraisal council shall be established by the Minister of Education and Training, comprising representatives of the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, and the People’s Committee of the province or centrally-run city where the higher education institution is headquartered; the council shall have the duty to appraise the dossier, conduct on-site appraisal, and advise the Minister of Education and Training on the level of satisfaction of the conditions;

dd) Within 30 working days from the date of receipt of full written opinions of the relevant ministries and sectors, the Ministry of Education and Training shall consolidate, finalize the dossier and submit to the Prime Minister for consideration, decision on recognition as a national university;

e) The decision on recognition as a national university (in accordance with Form No. 4 in the Appendix attached to this Decree) shall be publicly announced on the web portal of the Ministry of Education and Training and in the mass media in accordance with regulations.

Article 8. Competence and procedures for recognition as a regional university

1. The Minister of Education and Training shall decide on the recognition as a regional university.

2. Dossier for application for recognition as a regional university includes:

a) A submission requesting recognition as a regional university (in accordance with Form No. 3 in the Appendix attached to this Decree), clearly stating the satisfaction of the conditions prescribed in Article 6 of this Decree;

b) A scheme for recognition as a regional university (including the contents prescribed at Point c Clause 2 Article 9 of this Decree);

c) A draft Regulation on the organization and operation of the regional university.

3. Order of implementation:

a) The higher education institution shall fully, accurately update information on organizational structure, training disciplines, training programmes, information on learners, lecturers, scientific research, technology and innovation, finance on the specialized higher education database system of the Ministry of Education and Training; submit 01 dossier as prescribed in Clause 2 of this Article to the Ministry of Education and Training by postal service or directly or online;

b) Within 05 working days from the date of receipt of the dossier, if the dossier is invalid, the Ministry of Education and Training shall return the dossier and notify in writing, clearly stating the reasons;

c) For a valid dossier, within 60 working days from the date of receipt of a complete dossier, the Ministry of Education and Training shall organize the review of data on the specialized higher education database, appraise the dossier and conduct on-site appraisal; prepare an appraisal report and send it to relevant ministries and sectors for written opinions.

In case the dossier does not satisfy the conditions, the Ministry of Education and Training shall notify in writing and clearly state the reasons;

d) The appraisal council shall be established by the Minister of Education and Training, comprising representatives of the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the People’s Committee of the province or centrally-run city where the higher education institution is headquartered; the council shall conduct appraisal of the dossier, on-site appraisal, and advise the Minister of Education and Training on the level of satisfaction of the conditions;

dd) Within 15 working days from the date of receipt of full written opinions of the relevant ministries and sectors, the Minister of Education and Training shall decide on the recognition as a regional university;

e) The decision on recognition as a regional university (in accordance with Form No. 4 in the Appendix attached to this Decree) shall be publicly announced on the web portal of the Ministry of Education and Training and in the mass media in accordance with regulations.

Article 9. Competence and procedures for recognition as a university

1. The Minister of Education and Training shall decide on the recognition as a university.

2. Dossier for application for recognition as a university includes:

a) A submission requesting recognition as a university (in accordance with Form No. 3 in the Appendix attached to this Decree), clearly stating the satisfaction of the conditions prescribed in Article 4 of this Decree;

b) A written approval of the directly managing authority regarding the request for recognition as a university for public higher education institutions, or a document evidencing the consensus of investors representing at least 75% of the total contributed capital, together with a list of investors and capital contribution ratios for private higher education institutions, a resolution of the School Council of the private institution;

c) A consolidated report of data for three consecutive years up to December 31 of the year immediately preceding the year of dossier submission, including: organization, structure of disciplines and training scale, together with the list of member universities within the organizational structure; list of training disciplines up to doctoral level; data on full-time training scale; academic staff, the proportion of lecturers holding doctoral degrees and international lecturers participating in teaching; distribution of learners by training level and proportion of international students; scientific research, technology, and innovation, together with data and evidence of scientific outputs and the proportion of revenue from scientific, technological, and innovation activities; financial conditions, including revenue structure, expenditure structure, capacity for self-financing of recurrent expenditures, and audit results in accordance with regulations;

d) A draft Regulation on the organization and operation of the university.

3. Order of implementation:

a) The higher education institution shall fully, accurately update information on organizational structure, training disciplines, training programmes, information on learners, lecturers, scientific research, technology and innovation, finance on the specialized higher education database system of the Ministry of Education and Training; submit 01 dossier as prescribed in Clause 2 of this Article to the Ministry of Education and Training by postal service or directly or online;

b) Within 05 working days from the date of receipt of the dossier, if the dossier is invalid, the Ministry of Education and Training shall return the dossier and notify in writing, clearly stating the reasons;

c) For a valid dossier, within 60 working days from the date of receipt of a complete dossier, the Ministry of Education and Training shall organize the review of data on the specialized higher education database, appraise the dossier and conduct on-site appraisal; prepare an appraisal report and send it to relevant ministries and sectors for written opinions;

d) The appraisal council shall be established by the Minister of Education and Training, comprising representatives of the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, and the People’s Committee of the province or centrally-run city where the higher education institution is headquartered; the council shall conduct appraisal of the dossier, on-site appraisal, and advise the Minister of Education and Training on the level of satisfaction of the conditions;

dd) Within 15 working days from the date of receipt of full written opinions of the relevant ministries and sectors, the Minister of Education and Training shall decide on the recognition as a university;

e) The decision on recognition as a university (in accordance with Form No. 4 in the Appendix attached to this Decree) shall be publicly announced on the web portal of the Ministry of Education and Training and in the mass media in accordance with regulations.

Article 10. Conversion of a private higher education institution into a private higher education institution operating on a not-for-profit basis

1. Dossier for conversion of a private higher education institution into a private higher education institution operating on a not-for-profit basis includes:

a) A submission of the private higher education institution (in accordance with Form No. 5 in the Appendix attached to this Decree), clearly stating the reasons, objectives, and conversion plan;

b) A written commitment of consent of the investors regarding the conversion of the private higher education institution into a private higher education institution operating on a not-for-profit basis, clearly specifying: the principle of not-for-profit operation, no withdrawal of capital, no distribution of profits, the annual accumulated difference between revenues and expenditures shall be non-divisible assets of the institution, to be used for reinvestment in the development of the institution on a non-refundable basis;

c) A resolution of the university council approving the policy on conversion of the private higher education institution into a private higher education institution operating on a not-for-profit basis;

d) Financial statements of the two consecutive preceding financial years audited by an independent auditing organization;

dd) Evidence of fulfillment of obligations to the State budget prior to the time of dossier submission;

e) A draft Regulation on the organization and operation of the private higher education institution operating on a not-for-profit basis; a draft financial regulation including all revenues and expenditures of the higher education institution, ensuring compliance with the financial principles applicable to private higher education institutions operating on a not-for-profit basis.

2. Procedures for conversion of a private higher education institution into a private higher education institution operating on a not-for-profit basis

a) The higher education institution shall submit 01 dossier to the Ministry of Education and Training by postal service or directly or online;

b) Where the dossier does not comply with the prescribed requirements, within 05 working days from the date of receipt of the dossier, the Ministry of Education and Training shall send a written notification to the higher education institution and clearly state the reasons;

c) Within 30 working days from the date of receipt of a complete dossier as prescribed in Clause 1 of this Article, the Minister of Education and Training shall organize appraisal of the dossier and decide on the conversion (in accordance with Form No. 6 in the Appendix attached to this Decree).

Article 11. Organization and operation of higher education institutions established under agreements between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and foreign governments

The organization and operation of higher education institutions established under Agreement between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and foreign governments shall be implemented in accordance with the provisions of Agreement; in cases where the Agreement do not provide, implementation shall comply with the Law on Higher Education No. 125/2025/QH15, this Decree, and other relevant provisions of law.

Article 12. Procedures for appointment, dismissal, removal from office, secondment, transfer of directors, deputy directors of universities, presidents, and vice presidents of higher education institutions

1. Procedures for appointment, dismissal, removal from office, secondment, transfer of directors, deputy directors, presidents, and vice presidents of public higher education institutions shall be implemented in accordance with the regulations of the Party and relevant laws.

2. The appointment and dismissal of directors, deputy directors, presidents, and vice presidents of private higher education institutions shall be implemented in accordance with Clause 2 Article 6 of Government’s Decree No. 66/2026/ND-CP dated March 02, 2026 detailing a number of Articles of the Law on Education and shall comply with the following order and procedures:

a) The university council of a private university or the college council of a private college (hereinafter collectively referred to as the university council of the private institution) shall report to the investors on the personnel plan for appointment, dismissal of directors, deputy directors, presidents, and vice presidents of the higher education institution; in which clearly state that the personnel meet the standards for directors, deputy directors, presidents, and vice presidents in accordance with the law, the implementation of the process for determining personnel in accordance with the regulation on organization and operation of the higher education institution, and enclosed supporting documents (curriculum vitae, copies of diplomas, copies of certificates, and written consent of the person proposed for appointment);

b) After receiving the dossier reporting the personnel plan from the university council of the private institution, the investors shall provide a written response approving or disapproving the personnel plan. In case of disapproval, the reasons must be clearly stated;

c) After receiving the written approval of the personnel plan from the investors, the university council of the private institution shall continue implementing the procedures and issue a decision on appointment of directors, deputy directors, presidents, and vice presidents of the higher education institution;

d) In cases where there is no university council, or the university council has expired its term, or the university council does not meet the conditions for operation as prescribed, and concurrently there is no director or president meeting the prescribed requirements, the investors shall decide in writing to assign personnel meeting the standards for director, president to perform the duties and powers of the director, president until the university council appoints the director or president. The duration for which the investors assign personnel to perform the duties and powers of the director, president of the private higher education institution shall not exceed 06 months from the date the school council’s term expires;

dd) Based on Points a, b, c, and d Clause 2 of this Article and other relevant provisions of law, the private higher education institution shall specifically stipulate the procedures for decisions on appointment, dismissal of directors, deputy directors, presidents, vice presidents of institution in regulation on organization and operation of higher education institution.

3. Procedures, processes for appointment, dismissal, secondment, rotation, transfer of presidents, vice presidents of higher education institutions established under agreements between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and foreign governments shall be implemented in accordance with the agreement between the parties. In cases where the Agreement does not provide, implementation shall comply with Clause 1 or Clause 2 of this Article and other relevant provisions of law.

Article 13. Effect

1. This Decree takes effect from the date of signing for promulgation, except as provided in Clause 2 of this Article.

2. Clauses 5, 6, 7, and 8 Article 3 takes effect from July 01, 2026.

3. The Government’s Decree No. 141/2013/ND-CP dated October 24, 2013 detailing and guiding a number of articles of the Law on Higher Education, and the Government’s Decree No. 99/2019/ND-CP dated December 30, 2019 detailing and guiding the implementation of a number of articles of the Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Higher Education (Decree No. 99/2019/ND-CP), and Articles 104 and 105 of the Government’s Decree No. 125/2024/ND-CP dated October 05, 2024 on conditions for investment and operation in the field of education (Decree No. 125/2024/ND-CP) cease to be effective from the effective date of this Decree, except as provided in Article 14 of this Decree.

Article 14. Transitional provisions

1. Names of higher education institutions established prior to the effective date of this Decree shall continue to be used or be adjusted in accordance with the provisions of this Decree.

2. Valid dossiers for renaming higher education institutions submitted to competent authorities before July 01, 2026 shall be handled in accordance with Decree No. 99/2019/ND-CP.

3. Valid dossiers for establishment, permission for establishment of higher education institutions, including requests for naming higher education institutions, received by competent authorities before the effective date of this Decree shall have the naming of higher education institutions implemented in accordance with Decree No. 99/2019/ND-CP.

4. Valid dossiers for conversion of private higher education institutions into private higher education institutions operating on a not-for-profit basis, conversion of a college into a university, consolidation of colleges into a university, and valid dossiers for recognition as a regional university or a national university, received by competent authorities before the effective date of this Decree, shall be handled in accordance with Decree No. 99/2019/ND-CP and Articles 104 and 105 of Decree No. 125/2024/ND-CP.

5. Universities that have been issued decisions on conversion from college into university or on consolidation of colleges into a university shall continue to implement issued decisions; concurrently, shall develop plans and roadmaps to meet the conditions prescribed in Articles 4 and 5 of this Decree within a period of 05 years from the effective date of this Decree and in conformity with the mission and development strategy of the university as approved by the directly managing authority or the investors. The directly managing authority or the investors shall be responsible for urging, inspecting, and supervising the implementation by universities.

Article 15. Implementation responsibilities

Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of agencies attached to the Government, Chairpersons of the People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities, and other relevant organizations and individuals shall be responsible for the implementation of this Decree.