Effective September 26, Circular No. 65/2026/TT-BGDDT, issued by the Ministry of Education and Training, sets out more specific requirements for recognizing foreign qualifications.
Using qualifications before they are officially recognized
A case that once drew attention at Van Lang University involved Le Minh Thanh, former head of its Faculty of Tourism. Thanh was awarded a doctorate in management by Swiss Management Center (SMC) University (SMC University) in Switzerland in 2017 and later joined Van Lang University, where he served as head of the Faculty of Tourism from 2019.
After the media raised questions about the validity of his degree, a representative of the Vietnam National Academic Recognition Information Center (VN-NARIC) under the Quality Management Department said the center had not received an application for recognition of Thanh’s doctoral degree. In September 2023, Van Lang University issued a decision relieving Thanh of his position as head of the Faculty of Tourism.
Another case at Saigon International University directly affected teaching assignments. In late 2023, the university confirmed that the doctorate in business administration awarded to Ho Thien Thong Minh by Southern California University for Professional Studies in the United States had not undergone recognition procedures in Vietnam. Minh had previously been assigned to teach a course for a graduate class. After the issue was reported, the university said it had suspended his duties pending a review.
The two cases are relatively common in Vietnam and share a notable feature: the degrees had already been used in university settings before their recognition status was clarified. However, “not having completed recognition procedures” does not mean “not meeting the requirements for recognition.”
When a degree holder is appointed to a management position, takes part in postgraduate teaching, or is counted as part of an institution’s professional staff, questions arise over how far the university should go in verifying the qualification and who should be held responsible if a subsequent assessment finds that the degree does not comply with regulations.
One degree, two approaches to assessment
When a degree issued by a foreign institution is genuine, its recognition in Vietnam still depends on factors including the institution’s legal status, the academic program, mode and location of study, and the applicant’s actual learning process. Circular 65 sets out a clear requirement: For distance learning, the program must be licensed by the competent education authority in the place where the learner resides and studies.
For doctoral degrees, specialized modes of study are subject to particularly stringent requirements. Specifically, for doctorates awarded on the basis of recognition of scientific research achievements, the candidate must have a supervisor, defend a dissertation before an academic council, and meet the corresponding learning outcomes required in Vietnam.
At Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City, a university representative said that among 210 lecturers currently using foreign doctoral degrees, 208 have had their qualifications recognized by the competent authorities, while the remaining two are still completing the required dossiers. The university will proactively review qualifications obtained through specialized training modes and standardize its verification procedures from the initial recruitment stage in accordance with Circular 65.
A representative of another university in Ho Chi Minh City raised a concern: In human resources management, if a university determines that a qualification meets job requirements but a state management agency subsequently refuses to recognize it, or vice versa, who should bear responsibility?
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Do Van Dung, former rector of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education (now Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Engineering), said that universities may assess the same foreign doctoral degree differently, particularly in cases involving distance learning, online programs, programs delivered through a third country, or other specialized training programs.
Therefore, a clear distinction needs to be made between a university’s own assessment for the purpose of assigning duties and the formal recognition decision issued by the Quality Management Department. A university’s acceptance of a qualification for professional assignment should not be construed or presented as meaning that the qualification has been officially recognized by the State.
He stressed that self-assessment is a management tool for an institution. A decision by the Department serves as formal recognition of a qualification across the national higher education system. Universities should only use their assessment at the institutional level and should not portray it as state recognition. Universities should clearly disclose the recognition status of lecturers’ qualifications and encourage degree holders to proactively complete recognition procedures when they need to use their qualifications beyond the institution, such as when applying for public-sector positions, changing jobs, or seeking professorial or associate professorial titles.
According to Prof. Dr. Nguyen Truong Thinh, Vice Rector of the School of Technology and Design at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, people planning to pursue doctoral studies abroad should thoroughly examine the legal status of the educational institution, the academic program, the duration of study, and degree-awarding requirements while retaining complete supporting documentation throughout their studies.
Vietnamese universities should also establish standardized assessment procedures that clearly distinguish between the legal validity of a qualification and its professional suitability for a particular position. At the same time, strengthening digital data connectivity and online verification would provide a fundamental solution to reducing paper-based documentation and shortening processing times, he added.
Degree holders should proactively submit supporting documents
From the learner’s perspective, ensuring transparency and retaining supporting documents from the outset are crucial. A lecturer in Ho Chi Minh City who recently received a doctoral degree from a university in South Korea said he had submitted an application for recognition. Doctoral diplomas issued in South Korea carry QR codes that allow competent authorities to directly verify details of the training process and dissertation title through the country’s national data system. However, Vietnam currently does not have compatible software to scan and verify these QR codes.
Dr. Nguyen Thi Hoang Oanh, head of the Office of International Relations at Lac Hong University, who completed her doctoral program at Minnan Normal University in China and submitted her degree for recognition in Vietnam, said that having previously gone through the recognition process for her master’s degree earned in Shanghai, China, she was well prepared this time. Degree holders need to proactively retain all documents and supporting evidence relating to their academic program and training process from the very beginning.
Greater interoperability of international data systems would help shorten verification times, reduce paperwork, and facilitate integration with VNeID, Vietnam’s national digital identification platform. Circular 65 also allows applications to be submitted online through the National Public Service Portal.
University autonomy in staff recruitment must go hand in hand with responsibility for verification and accountability. Universities should establish standardized verification procedures and ensure that cases in which staff members are recruited and appointed before their qualifications are later found not to meet recognition requirements do not recur.
