Financing for equity in pre-primary education
1. Education resources to subnational governments
2. Education resources to institutions
3. Education resources to students and families
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Introduction
Key financing indicators (UIS Data)
The official entrance age to pre-primary education in Viet Nam is 3 years old. The country has one year of compulsory pre-primary education is granted in its legal framework. As of 2024, the net enrolment rate for pre-primary for both sexes is 93.52%.
Governance
Preschools in Viet Nam may be “regulated” or “independent”. “Regulated” preschools have legal status within the national education system. Preschools that are “independent” have not satisfied the requirements for formal recognition. Both may be either privately or publicly owned.
The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) coordinates the provision of early childhood education through the Early Childhood Care and Education Department. Each local province is responsible for their region through the local Departments of Education and Training (DOETs). Other agencies involved include the Committee for Population, Families and Children within the Ministry of Health, and the Vietnam Women’s Union.
Tuition-free status
As of the 2025-26 school year, the government aims to provide free public education from kindergarten to the end of high school. Prior to this change, pre-primary schools were limited in the amount of tuition they could charge families on the basis of their location.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
The distribution of the central education budget to local areas in Viet Nam is governed by Prime Minister’s Decision No. 30/2021/QD-TTg, which sets out the allocation of the state budget from 2022 onwards. The amount provided does consider the population data of those aged 0-18 in each province or city.
2. Education resources to institutions
“Tuition Exemption and Reduction Policy” provides schools with designated funding to cover the expenses of disadvantaged students. According to Decision No. 81/2021/ND-CP, in line with Education Law 43/2019/QH14, eligible students include preschool children aged 05 years in rural areas, ethnic minority areas, and areas with extreme difficulties. The government reimburses education institutions for the amount that schools would have received from these students had they been charged tuition. As of September 2024, all 5-year-old children are exempt from tuition fees.
In early 2025, a draft resolution was put into place with plans to universalise preschool education for 3–5-year-olds. The resolution would also expand the tuition exemption and reduction policy to 3–5-year-olds.
Through Article 68 of the Education Law, MOET is able to provide financial support to private nurseries and kindergartens in regions with widespread disadvantages. They may provide private institutions with long-term, low-rent facilities, assigned land to build, or support them with the provision of training.
3. Education resources to students and families
Various initiatives intended to improve early childhood education include providing meals for preschool children, targeting rural areas, providing support for students with disabilities, and paying specific attention to the education needs of children of soldiers who have passed away or were seriously injured. Ethnic minority students also have priority enrolment and learning support.
The Prime Minister’s Decision No. 1660/QD-TTg establishes the School Health Programme for 2021–2025, which mandates the organisation of school meals to ensure proper nutrition in schools, including for all primary schools. The decision aims to provide 100% of schools with school meals and educational activities on nutrition.
Local areas may also implement their own programmes. The Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City has implemented a new Resolution wherein preschool children who are children of workers in industrial parks are supported with 240,000 VND/month.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Opportunity Programme
The Opportunity Programme provides poor households with a monthly benefit over a three-year period. The programme aimed to help parents make better health, nutrition, and education decisions for their children, thereby reducing the inter-generational transmission of poverty.
Eligible households included those listed as poor and with pregnant women, a child aged 0–3, or at least one child aged 3–16 who was out of school. The Opportunity Programme replaced previously existing subsidy schemes, providing families with cash to invest directly in their children while encouraging adherence to positive health and education practices. In addition, social collaborators visited households regularly to offer guidance on parenting and child development.
