A major step forward for Ho Chi Minh City.

The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has just submitted a report to the Ministry of Education and Training on the plan to reorganize the system of higher education, vocational education, and continuing education institutions in the city for the period 2026-2030.

Agree on the arrangement plan.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, on December 11, 2025, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training held a meeting to implement the plan for restructuring public non-profit organizations. Thirteen vocational schools under the Department of Education and Training and 22 universities and colleges under the City People's Committee agreed on the restructuring plan.

Based on feedback from various units, the Department of Education and Training has incorporated and adjusted the draft plan, finalized the submission, and advised on the draft decision of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee regarding the approval of the restructuring plan.

According to the restructuring plan, Ho Chi Minh City will retain two universities: Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine and Thu Dau Mot University. Saigon University will be reorganized by merging with Ba Ria - Vung Tau College of Education.

In the vocational college sector, the city retains six schools: Vietnam-Singapore College; Vietnam-Korea Binh Duong College; Ba Ria-Vung Tau College of Technology; Thu Duc College of Technology; Ho Chi Minh City College of Architecture and Construction; and the Semi-Public College of Technology and Business Administration. These schools remain stable because they fully meet the requirements regarding facilities, staff, and training quality, and are oriented towards developing into high-quality schools playing a leading role in the vocational education system.

For the remaining institutions, the city plans to reorganize 13 colleges and 17 vocational schools by merging the vocational schools into colleges.

Regarding the continuing education and vocational training system, the city will reorganize 41 units into 37. Of these, 34 centers are expected to be converted into vocational high schools (equivalent to high school level). The Youth Volunteer Continuing Education Center under the City's Youth Volunteer Force (Xuan Thoi Son commune) will have its own separate plan. The reorganization and conversion of the continuing education and vocational training system will be implemented after the Law amending and supplementing certain articles of the Education Law comes into effect.

Bước đi lớn của TP HCM - Ảnh 1. — High school students learn about the academic programs offered at the Ho Chi Minh City College of Economics. Photo: HUE XUAN

Thus, after the reorganization, Ho Chi Minh City has 256 public service units, including 236 units under the Department of Education and Training; 3 universities and 17 colleges under the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City.

The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee clearly stated that the restructuring would be carried out according to the following principles: not reducing students' access to education; ensuring safety and convenient transportation; not merging if the geographical distance is too far or transportation conditions are unsuitable; and meeting the requirements of universal education and compulsory education. In addition, the restructured facilities must meet the necessary infrastructure requirements and be oriented towards key training areas to focus investment.

The city also requires that the reorganization be linked to the preservation and promotion of the historical and traditional values of educational institutions, especially those with specialized fields of study.

Focus training, avoid spreading resources too thinly.

An education expert commented that after the merger, Ho Chi Minh City is undergoing a strong restructuring of its development space; continuing to affirm its role as the national center for training, economy, trade, finance, industry, education, healthcare, and international commerce. Therefore, the city also needs a knowledge base commensurate with a "megacity". The rearrangement, merger, and reorganization of universities and educational institutions to focus on concentrated training, avoiding fragmentation, is essential.

According to this expert, many training institutions are currently operating inefficiently, lacking students, with limited facilities, and training programs that have not kept pace with development requirements, especially in the field of science and technology. Therefore, after restructuring, the city needs to continue developing specific plans regarding training programs, teaching staff, and facilities… in order to develop key industries and meet the demand for high-quality human resources in the new situation.

The director of a continuing education center in Ho Chi Minh City said the unit is awaiting guidance to convert into a vocational high school. Currently, the center has implemented a training model combining high school education and vocational training, so the conversion will not cause much disruption. According to this director, in the vocational education sector, if organized as a vocational high school, it will be easier to concentrate investment and consolidate vocational training equipment for students and trainees.

According to the proposed plan, the Ho Chi Minh City Agricultural Technical College, the Agricultural and Forestry College, and the High-Tech Agricultural Vocational Training Center will merge into the Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Agricultural Vocational College, under the direct management of the Department of Education and Training. Mr. Luong The Phuc, Deputy Principal in charge of the Ho Chi Minh City Agricultural Technical College, affirmed that the merger received strong consensus from all three units. This is because the training nature of the three units is similar, allowing their staff to effectively complement each other. Furthermore, the organizational structure of the new merged school is very consistent with the 2025 Vocational Education Law, avoiding significant disruption to the names, functions, and responsibilities of the departments and faculties.

According to Mr. Phuc, the merger also helps the school maximize the efficiency of its facilities and equipment, avoid scattered investments, focus on training in key disciplines, and improve training effectiveness.

Dr. HOANG NGOC VINH, former Director of the Department of Professional Education (Ministry of Education and Training):

Avoid the "administrative summation" mindset.

I support the restructuring of Ho Chi Minh City's vocational education and training network. For a leading urban center, having too many small schools, overlapping professions, scattered equipment, and persistently weak enrollment makes it difficult to develop a modern vocational training system.

Reorganization is necessary, but the important thing is not how many schools are included, but what principles are followed to ensure that the system remains viable for another 20-30 years.

First and foremost, we must avoid the "administrative summation" mindset. If we merely merge departments for simplicity, rename units, and reorganize the structure while the programs, equipment, staff, and operating methods remain unchanged, then the novelty will only be on the surface. This should be an opportunity to redesign the entire system, not just adjust the organizational chart.

The arrangement should follow a map of training sectors. Sectors with too many schools offering similar quality and low enrollment should be grouped together to avoid fragmentation. Sectors that are key to the city's development, such as technology, automation, logistics, urban services, and healthcare, should receive concentrated investment and be developed into strong clusters. At the same time, sectors with fewer students but still in demand should not be overlooked, to avoid future labor shortages.

I support the restructuring policy, but it needs to be implemented according to four principles: no mechanical mergers; planning by industry; organization according to a system model; and increased autonomy coupled with accountability. By doing so, Ho Chi Minh City will not only have a more streamlined network but also the opportunity to build a modern vocational education and training system capable of meeting development requirements for decades to come.

Ms. HOANG NGOC TRAM, Principal of Ho Chi Minh City College of Transport:

No disruption

According to the plan, Ho Chi Minh City College of Transport will be reorganized by merging the Binh Duong Vocational Education and Driving Test Center and the Transport Vocational College (formerly in Ba Ria - Vung Tau province).

We fully agree with the city's policy. The school has proactively prepared plans regarding management models and digital platforms to ensure synchronization. Thanks to this proactive and thorough preparation, the reorganization will not cause disruption or affect the college-level training programs of the school. The school already has two driving training and testing centers, so when receiving the new units, we are fully qualified and capable of managing and supporting them professionally and operationally.

Mr. Tran Van Tu, M.Sc., Secretary of the Party Committee of Ho Chi Minh City College of Economics:

Ready to adapt to change

Currently, the enrollment process for the 2026-2027 academic year is entering its peak phase. This year, Ho Chi Minh City College of Economics does not plan to open any new majors but will focus on developing its core programs, which have already proven their quality.

The school maintains stability, focuses entirely on professional work, and is ready to adapt to changes.

Y.Anh - H.Xuan wrote

Addressing the issue of overlapping functions.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, the restructuring aims to build the city into a major center for education and training, developing high-quality human resources; while significantly reducing the number of administrative units, overcoming overlapping functions, and limiting intermediaries.

Ho Chi Minh City has requested the Ministry of Education and Training to promptly provide written feedback on the plan for rearranging and reorganizing universities and colleges; and to provide specific guidance on the process and timing for converting vocational training centers and continuing education centers into vocational high schools in accordance with the 2025 Vocational Education Law, ensuring alignment with the 2026-2027 academic year roadmap.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/buoc-di-lon-cua-tp-hcm-196260318210631429.htm