New opportunities for the education sector (Part 4): Educational integration – a bridge to bring Vietnamese culture far and wide

The great meaning that Resolution 71-NQ/TW aims for is to consider education as a bridge connecting Vietnam with the world, through both knowledge and culture.

National Assembly Deputy Bui Hoai Son said that education can become a "cultural ambassador" if properly invested. (Source: National Assembly)

In the context of globalization, education is not only the top national policy but also the most deeply integrated field. Resolution 71-NQ/TW of the Politburo aims to bring Vietnamese education to international standards, participate in the global education network, thereby improving the quality of human resources and affirming the country's position. More importantly, educational integration also opens the way for Vietnamese culture to exchange, learn and spread, in line with the spirit of Ho Chi Minh: "Culture must be both national, scientific and popular".

Education – the pillar of international integration

In the trend of globalization, education is increasingly becoming one of the most deeply integrated fields, from student exchange, diploma recognition to research cooperation and knowledge transfer. For Vietnam, this is not only an objective need, but also a long-term development strategy. Resolution 71 of the Politburo emphasizes: Bringing Vietnamese education to international standards and deeply participating in the global knowledge network is the way to improve the quality of human resources, thereby creating the foundation for a powerful nation in the 21st century.

In relation to the current context of the country, when Vietnam is entering a period of strong restructuring, rearranging administrative boundaries, streamlining the apparatus to only 34 provinces and cities from July 1, 2025, the requirement for international integration in education becomes even more urgent. A "smaller, stronger country" will only truly develop its strength when supported by human resources with a global vision, capable of international communication and cooperation. Therefore, educational integration is not only about improving the quality of training, but also a matter of culture and national character, how to ensure that each citizen has enough knowledge to compete in the global environment, while maintaining Vietnamese identity in the integration flow.

It can be said that education is the key that opens the door to sustainable international integration. When Vietnamese students enter the world's lecture halls, they not only bring knowledge but also Vietnamese cultural identity. Conversely, when international students come to study in Vietnam, it is also the time when Vietnamese culture has the opportunity to spread, be understood and sympathized with more. This is the great meaning that Resolution 71 aims for: Education as a bridge connecting Vietnam with the world, with both knowledge and culture.

Become a "cultural ambassador"

Educational integration is not only a human resource development strategy – it is also a way for Vietnamese culture to be brought to the world and at the same time receive the best of humanity. According to the Ministry of Education and Training, in the 2023-2024 school year, there will be about 22,000 international students studying at Vietnamese universities. Of these, nearly 4,000 students are under the Agreement, the rest are self-funded students or students under bilateral cooperation programs. Countries such as Laos, Cambodia, China, South Korea and Singapore are the largest sources of foreign students to Vietnam.

"When Vietnamese education truly meets international standards in the spirit of Resolution 71, not only in terms of curriculum, facilities or administration but also in terms of cultural exchange, national culture will be expressed and spread more strongly. That way, Vietnam will not only import knowledge, but also show its identity through each international student, each Vietnamese student abroad, bringing back, enriching the global cultural flow."

On the contrary, the number of Vietnamese students studying abroad is increasing rapidly. According to statistics, more than 230,000 Vietnamese people are studying abroad globally as of 2023. In the US alone, in the 2023-2024 school year, there will be 22,066 Vietnamese students studying at universities and colleges there, putting Vietnam in the top countries with a large number of international students in the US. These numbers are not just academic data but also cultural footprints: exporting knowledge, importing experiences and exchanging identities.

Every international student coming to study in Vietnam is a cultural bridge, from learning Vietnamese, learning about the history and culture of the nation, to experiencing local social life. Meanwhile, when Vietnamese students go abroad, they not only acquire knowledge but also bring the image of the country - etiquette, studious spirit, and behavioral style into the international environment. The fact that Vietnamese universities open dual degree programs, train in English, and cooperate with foreign schools is a concrete step for education to become a messenger of cultural exchange.

However, there is still much to be done. The number of international students studying in Vietnam, although increasing, is still not commensurate with the country's potential. According to a survey of more than 120 universities, the number of international students studying long-term in the 2023-2024 school year is only about 5,300, with the number of short-term students being about more than 4,000. Attracting long-term international students still faces difficulties in terms of mechanisms and policies, and the level of internationalization of schools is not uniform.

Education becomes a “cultural ambassador” when the smallest things are done well: The training program must reflect identity; international students are welcomed and supported; lecturers have international qualifications; academics and school ceremonies bear cultural imprints. Each international student exchange session, each Vietnamese language or national culture class is not only an exchange of knowledge, but also an exchange of emotions, understanding, forming empathy and mutual respect.

When Vietnamese education truly meets international standards in the spirit of Resolution 71, not only in terms of curriculum, facilities or administration but also in terms of cultural exchange, national culture will be expressed and spread more strongly. In that way, Vietnam will not only import knowledge, but also show its identity through each international student, each Vietnamese student abroad, bringing back, enriching the global cultural flow.

"Resolution 71 affirms the determination to bring Vietnamese education to international standards and participate deeply in the global knowledge network. This is not only a human resource development strategy, but also a cultural vision: Turning education into a door for our nation to integrate with humanity, while still preserving its own identity."

In recent years, Vietnam’s educational integration has recorded many significant steps forward. The number of joint training programs with international universities is increasing, covering many fields from science and technology, economics, medicine to arts and languages. More and more Vietnamese universities are appearing in prestigious regional and international rankings, reflecting efforts to improve the quality of training and research. This is not only an affirmation of professional qualifications, but also a sign that Vietnamese education is finding a place in the global knowledge network.

At the foreign level, a series of bilateral and multilateral agreements in the field of education and training signed with countries and international organizations have created a solid legal corridor for student exchange, degree recognition and research cooperation. Vietnam also actively participates in international forums on education, from UNESCO to ASEAN and APEC, thereby not only absorbing international experience but also contributing initiatives and building its position in the global community.

Opportunities also come from the fact that Vietnam is gradually becoming a study destination for international students. Many universities have opened majors taught in English, attracting more and more students from Laos, Cambodia, Korea, Japan and even Europe. This not only contributes to the internationalization of the domestic educational environment, but also turns Vietnamese lecture halls into diverse cultural spaces, where Vietnamese culture has the opportunity to be felt and spread by international friends.

In the context of the country entering a new stage of development, restructuring administrative units, streamlining the apparatus, educational integration is even more important. It opens up channels of cultural exchange and international cooperation, contributing to creating high-quality resources to serve the country's modernization, while raising Vietnam's position on the world education map.

Vietnamese education has had proud marks in recent years. (Illustration: Nguyet Anh)

Great opportunity but also full of challenges

Besides the achievements and opportunities, educational integration also poses many challenges for Vietnam. The quality gap between training institutions is still large. While some schools have met international standards and participated in prestigious rankings, many other educational institutions are still struggling with the problems of curriculum, teaching staff, facilities and management methods. If this gap is not overcome, it will create a large gap in the integration process, making it difficult to achieve international standardization goals.

Another problem is that Vietnamese students’ foreign language and digital skills are not equal. In a global environment, foreign languages ​​and technology are the “keys” to open the door to integration, but many young people still face obstacles in communication, research and international cooperation. Without a systematic investment strategy, it will be difficult for us to turn the young generation into high-quality human resources as expected.

"Educational integration is not just a story of rankings, cooperation agreements or joint training programs. At a deeper level, it is a cultural bridge - where knowledge connects nations, where people understand each other better through learning, where Vietnamese culture is introduced and spread to international friends through the most sustainable path: the path of knowledge".

“Brain drain” is also an existing risk. When many excellent students and intellectuals go abroad to study but there is not enough attractive mechanism to return, the country will lose a part of its valuable resources. To limit this situation, there needs to be a synchronous policy, from treating talents, creating a favorable research environment, to building a domestic creative startup ecosystem, so that young people can see the opportunity for long-term development right in their homeland.

In addition, in the integration process, the risk of “cultural dissolution” cannot be underestimated. When expanding international cooperation, if we only follow external standards without preserving the national cultural roots, education can easily lose its identity. This is a big challenge, because integration is only truly sustainable when we both absorb the world’s quintessence and affirm our own values. As President Ho Chi Minh once emphasized, culture must be “both national, scientific and popular”, meaning it must be both open to integration and steadfast to maintain its identity.

Educational integration is therefore a journey with many opportunities and many challenges. To go in the right direction, it requires the participation of the entire political system, the innovation of training institutions, and especially the mettle of each Vietnamese student – ​​the direct subjects of this process.

Cultural bridge connecting Vietnam with the world

Educational integration, in the end, is not just a story of rankings, cooperation agreements or joint training programs. At a deeper level, it is a cultural bridge - where knowledge connects nations, where people understand each other better through learning, where Vietnamese culture is introduced and spread to international friends through the most sustainable way: the path of knowledge.

Resolution 71 affirms the determination to bring Vietnamese education to international standards and participate deeply in the global knowledge network. This is not only a human resource development strategy, but also a cultural vision: Turning education into a door for our nation to integrate with humanity, while still preserving its own identity. A generation of global citizens with Vietnamese character is the most concrete image of educational integration.

When a Vietnamese student enters a lecture hall in Europe or America, or when an international scholar comes to Vietnam to study our culture and history, it is not just an academic journey. It is a cultural encounter, a dialogue between different values ​​to enrich humanity. Thanks to education, that dialogue becomes natural, lasting and constantly expanding.

In the era of globalization, a nation’s culture is only truly sustainable when it has the ability to dialogue, share and spread. Educational integration is the way for Vietnam to affirm its position, for Vietnamese identity to be understood, for the studiousness, humanity and creativity of the Vietnamese people to contribute to the colorful picture of humanity. As President Ho Chi Minh once said, culture must be national, scientific and popular, and educational integration today is vividly realizing that spirit.

With the vision of Resolution 71, with the determination of the whole system and the efforts of each citizen, we have reason to believe that: Education will not only be a place to acquire knowledge, but also a bridge to bring Vietnamese culture to the world, while opening our arms to receive the quintessence of humanity, contributing to building a common future of peace, cooperation and development.

National Assembly Deputy Bui Hoai Son (Full-time member of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Social Affairs)

On the morning of September 16, at the National Conference to disseminate and implement the 4 resolutions of the Politburo, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presented Topic 1 on the key and core contents of Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW, dated August 22, 2025 of the Politburo on breakthroughs in education and training development and the Government's Action Program to implement the Resolution.

Presenting the topic, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that, along with the decisions according to the resolutions issued by the Politburo, with the viewpoint of the Party and State identifying education as the top national policy, deciding the future of the nation, Resolution 71 is a resolution of special importance, of strategic significance to make a strategic breakthrough in developing high-quality human resources, within the overall breakthrough of the fields to bring our country firmly into the era of striving to develop richly, civilized, prosperous, happy, on par with the world powers.

The Prime Minister emphasized a number of achievements in the field of education and training in recent times: Access to education and the quality of general education have been increasingly improved, ranked at a high level in the region and in the group of countries with the same income level, especially achieving high results in international competitions; university education has clearly changed in the quality of training, scientific research and international integration; vocational education has been expanded, initially meeting the need to improve labor skills; the quality of key education has been affirmed with many high results in international competitions; Vietnam is one of 21 countries that have soon achieved the United Nations' sustainable development goals on quality education; the intelligence and creativity of Vietnamese people always shine; mobilizing social resources, from the people and businesses for education and training development has achieved positive results...

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/van-hoi-moi-cua-nganh-giao-duc-bai-4-hoi-nhap-giao-duc-nhip-cau-dua-van-hoa-viet-vuon-xa-327444.html