MoET has released a draft circular on the regulations for diplomas and certificates, introducing several key changes. According to the proposal, digital certificates will be issued within five days from the date the student is officially recognized as having graduated.

In addition, students will still receive paper diplomas concurrently, as is currently practiced. The Ministry believes this move will modernize administrative procedures, save time and costs, and meet the transparency and digitization goals set by the Party and the Government.

For high school diplomas, the issuance time for paper certificates is expected to be reduced from 75 days to just 30.

The draft circular also anticipates upcoming revisions, amendments, and replacements of three key laws: the Law on Education, the Law on Higher Education, and the Law on Vocational Education.

As a result, the Ministry plans to replace the issuance of lower secondary school diplomas with confirmation of program completion recorded in students’ academic transcripts. It will also introduce a new diploma for vocational secondary education.

Regarding diploma and certificate templates, MoET will shift its role to focus solely on issuing regulations, monitoring, and inspecting compliance rather than producing the templates itself. Local Departments of Education and other authorized agencies will be empowered to print diploma and certificate templates independently.

According to MoET, these changes aim not only to resolve existing difficulties and obstacles but also to protect learners’ rights, reduce complaints and appeals, and improve transparency and efficiency in state management of diplomas and certificates.

The draft will be open for public consultation for 10 days, until October 25.

Thuy Nga