The proposal is currently under appraisal by the Ministry of Justice as part of a draft decree regulating free textbooks in general education, alongside a roadmap to waive tuition fees and course materials for national defense and security education at universities and vocational institutions. The draft is being developed by the Ministry of Education and Training.

According to the ministry, resolutions from the Politburo, Government and National Assembly have tasked the Minister of Education and Training with selecting a single set of general education textbooks for nationwide use, beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year.

This unified textbook system will consist of four groups: Vietnamese language textbooks for grades 1 through 12; English textbooks for grades 1 through 12; textbooks for other foreign languages - including French, German, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Russian - for grades 3 through 12; and ethnic minority language textbooks for grades 1 through 5, covering eight languages: Bahnar, Cham, Ede, Jrai, Khmer, Hmong, Mnong and Thai.

The ministry also proposes providing free printed textbooks and Braille editions. Digital textbooks are not yet included, as standards and criteria for this format are still under development.

Under the proposed model, textbooks would be funded by the state and supplied to school libraries for shared use. Students would borrow books for a semester or the full academic year and return them afterward for reuse. All materials would be labeled, categorized and managed according to regulations.

The ministry suggests implementing the free textbook policy nationwide from the 2029-2030 school year, alongside the use of a single textbook set across the country. Textbook prices would be determined in accordance with the 2023 Law on Prices. Based on student numbers and textbook pricing at the time of annual budget planning, local authorities would be responsible for developing procurement plans to ensure adequate supply.

Based on data from the 2025-2026 academic year and textbook pricing for 2026-2027 published by the Vietnam Education Publishing House, the ministry estimates that more than VND4 trillion (US$165 million) from the state budget would be required to provide free textbooks for all students and teachers nationwide.

Thanh Hung