Vietnam/ Nearly 200,000 learners undergo vocational training in Ho Chi Minh City

In 2025, Ho Chi Minh City's vocational education system welcomed nearly 200,000 learners, confirming its role as a pillar in the training of the city's human resources. Recruitment for the first semester of the 2025-2026 school year alone attracted more than 109,000 new enrollees.

According to the Municipal Education and Training Department's report on the implementation of vocational education missions, by the end of 2025 the city had 478 establishments and units offering vocational training activities. This network includes vocational colleges, middle schools, vocational and continuing education centers, vocational training centers, as well as many other partner structures.

Thanks to this extensive organization, Ho Chi Minh City now boasts one of the largest vocational education systems in the country, both in terms of the number of establishments and the size of the learner population.

The vocational college level

The total number of learners in vocational training in 2025 was 198,507. The vocational college level accounted for the largest share, with over 96,500 learners, or almost half the total. The intermediate level accounts for almost 49,600 learners, while elementary and continuing training together account for more than 52,000.

For the first semester of the 2025-2026 school year alone, ending on December 31, 2025, the city's vocational training establishments recruited 109,583 new learners. These include 31,885 women, representing 29.1%, and 2,146 learners from ethnic minorities, or 1.96% of the total.

By level of training, the vocational college came top with 46,908 learners (42.81%), followed by the intermediate level with 22,001 registrants (20.08%). Elementary training attracted 27,597 learners (25.18%), while continuing education welcomed 13,077 (11.93%).

It is worth noting that the basic science, technical and technology streams attracted 62,069 learners, representing 56.64% of all first-half recruitments.

Significant graduation results

By the end of 2025, 85,201 learners had obtained a diploma or certification in the various levels of vocational education. The vocational college level has 33,396 graduates, the intermediate level 16,874, elementary training 24,460 and continuing education 10,471 graduates.

Basic sciences, techniques and technologies alone accounted for 47,895 graduates, or 56.21% of the total, illustrating the growing orientation of training towards technical and industrial sectors.

In terms of accreditation, by the end of 2025, 34 vocational schools had achieved the required quality standards, and over 100 training programs had been recognized as meeting national standards. Some programs even came close to international standards, such as those of ABET or foreign professional certifications.

However, the report also highlights several limitations and challenges. Despite its scale, the system remains dispersed, with a wide variety of establishment types and uneven training conditions, making it difficult to manage and standardize quality. Moreover, the proportion of accredited institutions and programs is still low in relation to the overall size of the system.

The implementation of accreditation is hampered by difficulties relating to human resources, funding and procedures. While partnerships with companies have been strengthened, key effectiveness indicators such as the rate of professional integration in the specialty, the level of income after graduation or the degree of employer satisfaction are not yet fully collected or made public.

According to Ho Chi Minh City's Department of Education and Training, the objectives for 2026 will be to stabilize and improve the quality of recruitment, and to increase the number of graduates.quality of recruitment, as well as the further development of technical and technological streams, in line with the needs of the labor market.

At the same time, vocational training establishments will be called upon to accelerate the accreditation of institutions and programs, strengthen concrete partnerships with companies and promote digital transformation in vocational management and teaching.

Source: lecourrier.vn/