Under a Government directive, the MoET has been tasked with reviewing and completing the general education curriculum and textbooks, while drawing up a specific roadmap to develop the new set for nationwide use from the 2028-2029 school year.

The ministry is required to coordinate with relevant agencies and localities to ensure that the new textbooks meet quality requirements and support more effective teaching and learning. The plan is to be submitted to the Prime Minister in October.

The move is part of a broader effort to reform the compilation, publication, distribution and supply of textbooks. Under the Government’s direction, textbook copyright is to be defined as State property, with the MoET taking responsibility for directing the compilation, overseeing content and holding the copyright.

The Government has also called for stronger use of education-sector databases to determine the number of students and the demand for textbooks at each school and grade level. The aim is to improve planning and distribution and avoid supply disruptions.

New textbook set to follow nationwide standardisation

The new plan comes as Vietnam has begun its first school year using a single textbook set nationwide.

From the 2026-2027 school year, the country has adopted the “Connecting Knowledge with Life” textbook set, published by Vietnam Education Publishing House, for use nationwide from Grade 1 through Grade 12.

The decision marked a shift from the previous system, under which schools could use different approved textbook sets. The unified approach is intended to create greater consistency in teaching materials and reduce social costs and disparities in access to learning resources.

The ministry has said that the new round of review and textbook development for 2028-2029 will ensure that the curriculum and textbooks are updated and completed in line with new requirements.

The Government has also directed agencies to study mechanisms for making textbooks available free of charge to all students according to a roadmap, with the target set from the 2028-2029 school year. It has called for the State to own the textbook copyright and for the publication and distribution system to be streamlined to reduce costs.

Textbook shortages addressed after start of new school year

The nationwide rollout of a single textbook set in 2026-2027 initially faced supply difficulties. Shortages were reported in a number of localities as the new school year began, prompting the Government and the Ministry of Education and Training to take a series of measures to address the issue.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Tien Chau chaired a meeting on September 9 on the printing, publication and supply of textbooks for the 2026-2027 school year. The Government subsequently held further discussions on the issue, with Prime Minister Le Minh Hung chairing a meeting on September 21 and calling for the shortages to be resolved and responsibilities clarified to prevent a recurrence.

By September 24, the Ministry of Education and Training reported that an additional 776,259 copies had been supplied, covering the remaining shortage identified in its report to the Prime Minister. The ministry also directed Vietnam Education Publishing House to continue printing and distributing nearly 3 million additional copies to meet emerging demand and replenish school libraries.

The Government has stressed the need to improve demand forecasting and distribution so that textbook supplies can reach individual schools and students in a timely manner, particularly as the country moves towards the next nationwide textbook set.

Education Minister vows no textbook shortages next school year

VOV.VN - The education sector will learn from this year’s localised textbook shortages, tighten demand forecasting and supply planning, and ensure adequate textbook supplies for the next school year, Minister of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son says.