A staff member advising on the master's program at Tra Vinh University stated that the study location in Ho Chi Minh City is Saigon General Vocational College - Photo: NV
That is Mekong International Vocational School, located in Long Tuyen Ward, Can Tho City. This school (formerly Mekong Medical and Pharmaceutical Vocational School) was established in 2019 by a decision of the People's Committee of Can Tho City.
"Super-intensive" recruitment
The 2026 admissions information posted on the school's website shows that the school is recruiting students from elementary, intermediate, college to university, specialist level I, II and master's level in the health sector.
According to regulations, vocational schools are allowed to enroll and train students at the elementary and intermediate levels. The enrollment information for the intermediate level shows that the school offers three health-related fields: general medicine, pharmacy, and traditional medicine, as well as applied informatics and marketing. However, for the college level, the school announces enrollment partnerships for 13 different fields.
At the university level, this institution offers a combination of distance learning, online learning, and part-time study options; it does not have a full-time university program.
Most notably, the postgraduate and specialist programs are noteworthy. Mekong International College announces enrollment for a range of master's and specialist programs (Level I and II) in the health sector.
Specifically, this school is collaborating with Tra Vinh University to recruit master's students in two fields: healthcare management and public administration.
In this announcement, the school clearly states the training location at Mekong International Vocational School, the training duration is 1-2 years, the training format is formal education , and the program orientation is applied/research-oriented.
Furthermore, this school offers several benefits for pursuing a master's degree: enhanced professional skills and healthcare management capabilities; expanded career advancement opportunities; suitability for healthcare professionals, hospital managers, medical center managers, and public and private healthcare facilities; a well-structured training program with experienced lecturers; and a degree recognized by the Ministry of Education and Training.
In addition, this vocational school also announced that it is collaborating with Hong Bang International University to recruit students for eight master's degree programs in various fields ranging from health to technology and economics.
The announcement for master's degree admissions at Mekong International Vocational School clearly states the study location is on campus - Screenshot
Massive enrollment
On many online master's degree recruitment forums on social media, there is a lot of information about online master's degree programs and off-campus training.
We contacted one of them to inquire about economic law and were advised to pursue a Master's degree in Economic Law at Tra Vinh University through the Saigon General Vocational College (Cong Hoa Street, Ho Chi Minh City).
This is a distance learning center of Tra Vinh University in Ho Chi Minh City. The consultant said that because it's a full-time program, there is no online training; classes are held in person on Saturdays and Sundays at Saigon General Vocational College.
Similarly, we contacted someone to inquire about a Master's program in Educational Management and were introduced to a program offered by the University of Education (Hue University), with the study location being Saigon College of Technology (Tan Son Nhi Ward, Ho Chi Minh City).
According to information provided by the consultant, the master's degree program lasts approximately two years. The learning format is 30% online and 70% in-person in Ho Chi Minh City and Hue...
Meanwhile, the Southern Institute of Education Training and Management (Quang Trung Street, Thong Tay Hoi Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) also announced the recruitment of master's students in various fields.
We inquired about pursuing a Master's degree in Economic Law, and the consultant informed us that this program at Trung Vuong University (Hanoi) is primarily online, with in-person classes spread out, so few students attend in person. "If you have a university degree in a different field, you will need to take 5-7 supplementary courses, each costing 1 million VND."
"The application fee is 2 million VND, tuition is paid per semester, totaling approximately 70 million VND for the entire course. If you choose in-person classes, you will study in Go Vap. The previous master's program only had classes on Saturdays and Sundays," the staff member added.
"The advertising partner went a bit overboard."
We contacted Mekong International Vocational School and were informed by Mr. La Thanh Chi Hieu - admissions officer - that the school currently has partnerships with several colleges to offer associate degree programs, and that permission has been obtained.
Meanwhile, for undergraduate and master's programs, the university only acts as a partner in receiving applications and does not provide training at the university itself.
We provided evidence of the master's program admissions announcement from the school, clearly stating the training location at Mekong International Vocational School and the benefits of studying for a master's degree there. After checking, Mr. Hieu stated that "the error might be due to copying articles back and forth without editing!"
Meanwhile, Mr. Tran Van Tuan, the principal of Saigon General Vocational School, admitted that the counseling staff were collaborators of the school.
However, he argued that the collaborator had given excessive advice in order to attract students, and that the university does not offer master's degree programs there! Mr. Tuan also said that he had reminded the consultant to provide proper advice to avoid future lawsuits.
A representative from Hong Bang International University stated that the university only offers master's degree programs on campus and does not offer off-campus programs. The announcement regarding collaborative enrollment with the vocational school is merely a form of collaborative recruitment.
Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Thai Son, Director of the Institute for Human Resource Development at Tra Vinh University, stated that for the health sciences group, the master's program combines training with several leading hospitals in Can Tho to provide off-campus clinical practice training, as the training requires extensive hospital-based learning. The remaining modules are taught at the university.
The master's degree program allows for a certain percentage of the curriculum to be taught online, so some courses will be taken online.
What are the regulations?
According to regulations for master's degree programs, the training location is the main campus or a branch of the training institution. Practical activities, internships, research, and real-world experiences are organized outside the training institution but must not exceed 20% of the program's workload.
For health-related fields, training at practical facilities must comply with government regulations, meet the requirements of the training program, and be clearly stated in the teaching plan.
Training institutions may organize online classes with a learning load not exceeding 30% of the total training program load, provided they meet current regulations on the application of information technology in the management and organization of online training.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/truong-trung-cap-tuyen-sinh-thac-si-20260514110737144.htm
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