Vietnam’s Decree 353/2026/NĐ-CP took effect on November 1, 2026. The regulation covers universal preschool education for children aged five to six, compulsory primary and lower-secondary education, and literacy programmes. It also sets out implementation conditions, recognition procedures, digital record requirements and responsibilities for public authorities and education providers. The decree establishes a framework; it does not by itself demonstrate that every locality already has the staff, classrooms or learning resources needed to meet it.

What Decree 353 covers

The decree was issued on September 11 and became effective on November 1. The Government’s legal portal describes its scope as universal preschool for children aged five to six, compulsory primary and lower-secondary education, and literacy eradication.

It also addresses the conditions required to deliver those programmes, the authority and procedures for checking and recognising local standards, digital implementation, state-management responsibilities and the roles of organisations involved in delivery. The regulation therefore combines education obligations with the administrative system used to measure and recognise progress.

Sources: Nghị định số 353/2026/NĐ-CP của Chính phủ: Quy định về phổ cập giáo dục mầm non cho trẻ em từ 5 đến 6 tuổi, giáo dục bắt buộc và xóa mù chữ · Nghị định số 353/2026/NĐ-CP về phổ cập giáo dục mầm non, giáo dục bắt buộc, xóa mù chữ

Compulsory education is defined by school stages

The decree identifies compulsory education as primary and lower-secondary education. A government policy summary describes the relevant groups as children aged six to fourteen who have not completed primary education, and young people aged eleven to eighteen who have completed primary education but not lower-secondary education.

The decree applies to Vietnamese citizens residing in Vietnam and to relevant organisations and individuals. The distinction matters: the measure is not simply a new rule that every person between five and eighteen must attend the same type of school. It sets obligations and support around specified stages of education.

Sources: Nghị định số 353/2026/NĐ-CP của Chính phủ: Quy định về phổ cập giáo dục mầm non cho trẻ em từ 5 đến 6 tuổi, giáo dục bắt buộc và xóa mù chữ · Government policies taking effect in November 2026

The support provisions are targeted, not a blanket promise of free schooling

The decree says eligible children in the five-to-six preschool programme and students of compulsory-school age are entitled to tuition exemption, reduction or support, and learning-cost assistance under the relevant education, child-protection, disability, ethnic-policy and social-assistance laws.

That wording should not be simplified into a claim that every education cost is automatically free for every student. The exact benefit depends on the applicable legal provisions, eligibility and implementation. The decree also provides for learning materials and other necessary support for people in literacy programmes, subject to the relevant rules and budget capacity.

Sources: Nghị định số 353/2026/NĐ-CP về phổ cập giáo dục mầm non, giáo dục bắt buộc, xóa mù chữ

Literacy programmes also cover people beyond compulsory-school age

The regulation provides for people who have passed the compulsory-school age but remain illiterate or have not completed primary or lower-secondary education to receive appropriate learning opportunities. Continuing education and other flexible forms can be used, depending on the learner and local conditions.

This is important because education access does not end when a person moves beyond the normal school-age group. The decree connects literacy work with continuing education and lifelong learning, while placing responsibility on local authorities and education providers to organise suitable programmes.

Sources: Nghị định số 353/2026/NĐ-CP về phổ cập giáo dục mầm non, giáo dục bắt buộc, xóa mù chữ

Local authorities and digital records are part of the framework

The decree assigns responsibilities to government at different levels, families, guardians and education institutions. It calls for the collection and updating of records, management of data, and the use of digital systems for checking and recognising education standards where the required conditions are available.

The text also recognises that some areas may not yet be able to operate fully online. In those cases, paper records or a combination of paper and electronic records can be used under the applicable rules. The transition is therefore designed to accommodate differences in local administrative and technical capacity.

Sources: Nghị định số 353/2026/NĐ-CP về phổ cập giáo dục mầm non, giáo dục bắt buộc, xóa mù chữ

What implementation will reveal

The decree gives priority to fair access and additional resources for ethnic-minority and mountainous areas, places with especially difficult socioeconomic conditions, border areas, islands and learners who need additional support. Those provisions make local delivery a central test of the policy.

Useful measures will include whether eligible children can actually access preschool, whether students complete primary and lower-secondary programmes, whether literacy learners receive suitable teaching materials, and whether local records accurately reflect outcomes. The law sets the framework; those measures will show how consistently it is carried out.

Sources: Nghị định số 353/2026/NĐ-CP về phổ cập giáo dục mầm non, giáo dục bắt buộc, xóa mù chữ · Government policies taking effect in November 2026