DECISION

ON VIETNAM QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK

Pursuant to the Law on Government Organization No. 63/2025/QH15;

Pursuant to the Law on Education No. 43/2019/QH14 (amended by the Law No. 123/2025/QH15);

Pursuant to the Law on Higher Education No. 125/2025/QH15;

Pursuant to the Law on Vocational Education No. 124/2025/QH15;

At the request of the Minister of Education and Training;

The Prime Minister promulgates the Decision on Vietnam Qualifications Framework.

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1. This Decision regulates the Vietnam Qualifications Framework including the structure of the Vietnam Qualifications Framework; qualification levels according to learning outcomes; the relationship between educational levels, training levels of the national educational system, and qualification levels of the Vietnam Qualifications Framework; minimum learning volume, and duration of study for each level.

2. The Vietnam Qualifications Framework applies to

a) State management authorities in charge of education regarding development, promulgation, and implementation of policies, standards, and regulations related to training levels;

b) Higher education institutions and vocational education institutions regarding development, amendment, and updating of training programs and learning outcomes; organization of training management, and evaluation of learners' learning outcomes;

c) Learners participating in training programs at levels prescribed in the Vietnam Qualifications Framework;

d) Employers, professional associations, and educational quality accreditation organizations involved in the evaluation, referencing, and recognition of qualifications, diplomas, and certificates of graduates and employees.

Article 2. Definitions

For the purposes of this Decision, the terms below shall be construed as follows:

1. Vietnam Qualifications Framework is a system that classifies, describes, and standardizes training levels of the national educational system developed by qualification levels based on learning outcomes regarding knowledge, skills, and the level of autonomy and personal responsibility of learners.

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3. Minimum learning volume is the volume of study that learners must complete to achieve learning outcomes of a qualification level; and is converted into credits in order to measure the volume of knowledge of a training program as prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Training. 01 credit corresponds to a study time of 45 to 50 hours of learners.

4. Qualifications referencing is the process of comparing and determining correlations between qualification levels in the Vietnam Qualifications Framework, and those of regional and international qualifications frameworks.

Article 3. Purposes and roles of the Vietnam Qualifications Framework

1. Establish a national reference system for output competency standards and minimum learning volumes across qualification levels in the national educational system; serve as a basis for developing and reviewing standards for educational and training program according to qualification levels in the national educational system in order to ensure the consistency, transparency, comparability, and educational quality accreditation.

2. Support learners in orienting their learning pathways and career development through the public and transparent disclosure of learning outcome requirements for each qualification level in order to create favorable conditions for lifelong learning, articulation, and credit transfer between training levels.

3. Serve as a basis for referencing, recognizing, and comparing qualifications, diplomas, and certificates at both national and international levels; and enhance learning and labor mobility.

4. Serve the state management, statistics, quality accreditation, and educational policy formulation; ensure the consistency and synchronization between the Vietnam Qualifications Framework and the Framework of the national educational system structure.

5. Contribute to improving the quality and competitiveness of human resources in order to satisfy the demands of socio-economic development and international integration.

Article 4. Structure of the Vietnam Qualifications Framework

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2. Each qualification level includes three main components:

a) Knowledge;

b) Skills;

c) Level of autonomy and personal responsibility.

3. The descriptions of qualification levels are orientational and general that are applied universally across all fields of training; are prescribed in standards for training program, and are not tied to any specific sector, educational or training program, or specific admission requirement.

4. Each qualification level specifies the minimum learning volume of training programs for learners admitted by the main method (as prescribed in the Structural Framework of the National Educational System).

Article 5. Qualification levels

1. Level 1: Demonstrates the capacity to perform simple, repetitive tasks in accordance with established procedures or guidelines under direct supervision.

2. Level 2: Demonstrates the capacity to perform one or several basic and predictable tasks of an occupation under general supervision; and the ability to apply appropriate techniques, technologies, and digital tools to work.

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4. Level 4: Demonstrates the capacity to perform and resolve occupational tasks under changing conditions; the ability to analyze, select, adjust, and improve procedures, methods, techniques, and technologies within the scope of work; the ability to work independently, adapt to fluctuating working environments, and cooperate effectively in teams; the ability to provide guidelines, provide technical support, and mentor others in performing tasks; and personal accountability for one's own work outcomes and assigned tasks within a team.

5. Level 5: Demonstrates the capacity to perform and resolve complex and unpredictable occupational tasks; the ability to propose and implement improvement and innovation solutions in professional activities; the ability to apply modern technology to work, and to provide guidelines and supervise others within a team in performing tasks.

6. Level 6: Demonstrates the capacity to apply comprehensive knowledge and critical thinking to analyze, synthesize, and solve complex problems in diverse contexts; possesses the capacity for innovation, an entrepreneurial spirit, and the ability to adapt to scientific and technological advancements; participates in managing professional activities and fulfilling social responsibility.

7. Level 7: Demonstrates the capacity to master advanced knowledge; possesses the ability to conduct research, develop, and apply specialized knowledge (for research-oriented programs) or to solve specialized, interdisciplinary problems in professional practice (for application-oriented programs); possesses capacity for innovation, as well as administrative and leadership capabilities.

8. Level 8: Demonstrates the capacity to create new knowledge, develop new theories or methods, or solve practical problems within a specialized field or within society; possesses the ability to conduct independent research at the highest level and to guide strategic development in a specialized field.

9. The descriptions and minimum learning volume for each qualification level in the Vietnam Qualifications Framework are prescribed in the Appendix attached to this Decision.

Article 6. Relationship between educational levels, training levels of the national educational system, and qualification levels of the Vietnam Qualifications Framework

1. Educational programs in the national educational system are designed and organized according to educational levels and training qualifications. Learning outcomes of such programs shall be compared to qualification levels in the Vietnam Qualifications Framework.

2. The relationship between educational levels, training levels of the national educational system, and qualification levels of the Vietnam Qualifications Framework is determined as follows:

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b) Graduation from elementary-level training programs shall be classified at Level 2 of the Vietnam Qualifications Framework;

c) Graduation from vocational secondary education programs shall be classified at Level 3 or Level 4 according to learning outcomes and the minimum learning volume of the program in accordance with the standards for training program promulgated by the Ministry of Education and Training;

d) Graduation from intermediate-level training programs shall be classified at Level 4;

dd) Graduation from college-level training programs shall be classified at Level 5;

e) Graduation from training programs for a bachelor's degree shall be classified at Level 6;

g) Graduation from specialized training programs in higher education shall be classified at Level 6 or higher according to admission requirements, learning volume, and the level of fulfillment of learning outcomes at the corresponding qualification level;

h) Graduation from training programs for a master's degree shall be classified at Level 7;

i) Graduation from training programs for a doctoral degree shall be classified at Level 8.

3. The determination of qualification level upon graduation from a specific training program shall be based on:

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b) The level of complexity of knowledge, skills, and the level of autonomy and personal responsibility of the learner;

c) The minimum learning volume corresponding to the qualification level as prescribed in the Vietnam Qualifications Framework;

d) For specialized training programs or multi-stage integrated training programs, the determination of qualification levels shall be carried out based on the learning outcomes and competencies achieved by the learners at the final training stage regardless of the entry age, the name of the training program, or the form of training.

Article 7. Minimum learning volume, and duration of study for each qualification level

1. The minimum learning volume of educational programs and training programs corresponding to qualification levels in the Vietnam Qualifications Framework is prescribed in the Appendix attached to this Decision.

2. The duration of study (or training duration) must be appropriate to the minimum learning volume of training programs corresponding to each qualification level in the Vietnam Qualifications Framework, and simultaneously comply with the Framework of the national educational system structure.

3. For specific majors and occupations in the fields of arts, physical education, sports, and other fields, the training duration, standards, entities, and minimum learning volume shall be prescribed in the standards for training program promulgated by the Ministry of Education and Training.

4. The minimum learning volume for integrated training programs shall be elaborated in the standards for training program, but shall not be lower than 90% of the total minimum learning volume of the training programs according to each corresponding qualification level.

Article 8. Implementation

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a) Reviewing, amending, and supplementing relevant legislative documents under its authority to ensure consistency with the Vietnam Qualifications Framework;

b) Regulating specific learning outcomes regarding foreign language proficiency, digital competency, and other competencies in standards for training program appropriate to each level, field, major or occupation;

c) Develop reports on comparison between the Vietnam Qualifications Framework and international qualifications frameworks.

2. Training institutions are responsible for reviewing, amending, and updating educational and training programs to ensure the consistency with the Vietnam Qualifications Framework and standards for training program promulgated by the Ministry of Education and Training.

Article 9. Effect

1. This Decision comes into force from September 07, 2026.

2. Decision No. 1982/NQ-TTg dated October 18, 2016 of the Prime Minister on approval of the Vietnam Qualifications Framework ceases to be effective from the effective date of this Decision.

Article 10. Transitional provision

Educational programs, training programs, and standards for training program issued before the effective date of this Decision shall apply to admission batches before January 01, 2027.

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PP. PRIME MINISTER
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER




Le Tien Chau