According to Director of the Department of General Education under the Ministry of Education and Training, Thai Van Tai, the ministry will refine textbooks based on the updated 2018 curriculum. The process aims to ensure continuity and stability without causing major disruptions to teaching and learning while timely integrating new curriculum requirements and directions into textbook content. The refinement will build upon the textbook series designated for unified national implementation—specifically the "Ket noi tri thuc voi cuoc song" (Connecting Knowledge with Life) series published by the Vietnam Education Publishing House—following a roadmap to take effect starting in the 2028–2029 academic year.
A ministry representative emphasized that this initiative does not entail rewriting the curriculum and textbooks from scratch. Instead, it is an iterative process of inheriting, reviewing, updating, supplementing, and adjusting existing content to align with new demands. This approach balances necessary educational reforms with the stability and continuity of the instruction process, minimizing disruption for schools, teachers, students, and families.
Alongside curriculum and textbook updates, the Ministry of Education and Training will implement tasks related to reforming textbook compilation, publishing, distribution, and supply. Textbook copyright must be defined as state property; the ministry will direct compilation, assume content responsibility, and hold copyright ownership, while exploring options to provide free textbooks to students according to a prescribed roadmap.
The ministry will also review and modernize distribution methods, aiming to eliminate intermediary steps, enhance local autonomy, and diversify supply channels to match on-the-ground conditions, alongside improving demand forecasting, coordination, and distribution.
Previously, the Ministry of Education and Training issued a directive instructing its Department of Planning and Finance to study assigning local authorities the responsibility for printing and distributing textbooks. The goal is to reduce costs, save state budget funds, and lower textbook expenses for families. Under the directive, the Vietnam Education Publishing House must ensure free access to digital textbook editions and transfer textbook copyright in accordance with plans approved by the minister.
