The PM outlined directions on the supply of textbooks for the 2026-2027 school year in a dispatch issued by the Government Office on September 19.

The Prime Minister asked the Ministry of Education and Training to urgently and decisively direct localities and Vietnam Education Publishing House to mobilise all available resources, redistribute stocks, print additional copies and ensure sufficient quantities and quality of textbooks for general education institutions, with no student left without textbooks for learning.

Shortages persist despite a single textbook set

Notably, the 2026-2027 school year is the first year that the entire country is using a single unified textbook set, Knowledge Connection to Life, published by Vietnam Education Publishing House. Before the new school year, education authorities and the publisher had already set the goal of ensuring sufficient supplies in advance.

In July 2026, Vietnam Education Publishing House said it expected to publish around 204.47 million textbook copies for the new school year and aimed to complete timely distribution before August 15.

On August 21, the Ministry of Education and Training again asked localities to review their needs and coordinate with Vietnam Education Publishing House to ensure sufficient supplies before August 30. Schools were instructed to compare the number of books ordered with the number delivered, identify any shortages and clarify when the outstanding quantities would be supplied.

However, localised shortages continued to be reported in some areas after the school year began. On September 10, the ministry again asked localities and the publisher to review the situation and complete delivery of the remaining books before September 15.

As of 6pm on September 14, figures confirmed by local authorities showed that the country still faced a shortage of 3,916,370 textbook copies, equivalent to around 1.5% of total demand. The Ministry of Education and Training subsequently determined that responsibility for the localised shortages lay with the ministry, Vietnam Education Publishing House and the local authorities.

The experience shows that using a single nationwide textbook set does not, by itself, make the supply process entirely straightforward. Student numbers are an important basis for estimating demand, but the actual number of textbooks required also depends on other factors and can change during preparations for the new school year.

Demand shifts and disruptions to ordering channels

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, the rearrangement of administrative units, restructuring of school networks and textbook support policies in some localities caused actual demand to fluctuate this year.

Vietnam Education Publishing House said one factor behind the localised shortages was disruptions or delays in channels for ordering books through schools in some areas, amid organisational restructuring, school mergers and the consolidation of management personnel. Delays in updating demand data affected subsequent printing and distribution.

The publisher also reported updated demand as of September 14 had reached 245.94 million copies, compared with an initial printing plan of 228.9 million. It had supplied around 236.6 million copies to localities. The gap between actual demand and the initial plan indicates significant changes in this year’s supply requirements.

At a September 9 meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Le Tien Chau, relevant agencies were asked to clarify the situation and causes of the shortages. The meeting’s conclusions pointed to issues involving demand forecasting, ordering, production, stockpiling, coordination and distribution, while calling for textbook supply to be managed as an essential commodity so that books reach students fully and on time.

Following the meeting, Vietnam Education Publishing House redistributed more than 8 million copies among different regions and continued printing an additional 17.13 million copies in September and early October to meet emerging demand.

Even so, on September 19, the Prime Minister again ordered all-out efforts to resolve the shortages within a very short timeframe.

Beyond resolving immediate shortages

Alongside the immediate requirement to address the textbook shortages, the Prime Minister asked the Ministry of Education and Training to review, study and consider adjustments to the general education curriculum to reduce the workload and make general education the foundation, ensuring that all students acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, qualities and capabilities.

The ministry was also asked to review and improve textbooks to make them more practical and effective and promptly address shortcomings, with the results to be reported to the Prime Minister in December 2026.

The latest direction therefore sets out two parallel tasks: resolving the remaining textbook shortages immediately so that students’ learning is not disrupted, while reviewing the entire process of forecasting, preparation and supply to reduce the risk of similar problems recurring in future school years.