For the first time, teachers and students nationwide simultaneously saluted the flag and sang the national anthem to welcome the new school year.

The celebration took place as the country marks the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day (September 2), and looks ahead to a new era of development .

On behalf of the Party and State leadership, Party General Secretary To Lam officially struck the drum to open the 2025–2026 academic year, extending his warmest congratulations to teachers, education administrators, and all students nationwide.

In his speech, Party General Secretary To Lam emphasized that the occasion was an opportunity to honor the proud tradition and pay tribute to generations of teachers and education administrators across the country. 

He affirmed that over the past 80 years, whether amidst the fires of war or in the peacebuilding era, revolutionary education in Vietnam has always been at the forefront of human resource development, nurturing talent and playing a decisive role in the success of national liberation, reunification, and development. Especially since the Doi Moi (Renewal) process, education and training have continually expanded their network, improved quality, and gradually integrated internationally.

Highlighting the strategic vision, the Party chief noted that the country is entering a new phase of development toward becoming a modern industrial nation by 2030 and a developed, high-income country by 2045.

In the context of globalization, the knowledge economy, rapid advancements in science and technology, and digital transformation, education and training must firmly maintain their status as a top national policy and serve as a key driver of national development. Notably, the Politburo recently issued Resolution 71 on breakthrough education and training development, providing a strategic vision with ambitious goals, specific tasks, and bold solutions to integrate Vietnam’s education into the global education.

Looking ahead, to successfully boost educational reform in this new era, General Secretary To Lam outlined nine major directions for the entire education and training sector, emphasizing the need for bold innovation in thinking and action. The approach should shift from corrective reforms to creative thinking, guiding national development through education; quality, equity, integration, and efficiency must serve as benchmarks; strict implementation discipline and equal access to education must be ensured to raise the overall knowledge level.

He also laid stress on the importance of building a strong cadre of teachers and education administrators, and promoting digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI) in education, and a lifelong learning society.

 “Our Party has always recognized education and training as a top national policy, a key driver that determines the nation’s future. Now more than ever, we must regard investment in education as an investment in the future, in sustainable and robust national development. The 80th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh’s letter to students and the 80th founding anniversary of the Ministry of Education today is not only an occasion to honor our proud tradition but, more importantly, to reaffirm our determination to build a modern, humane, and globally integrated Vietnamese education system that will bring prestige to the nation and place our country alongside the leading powers of the five continents.”

Delivering the keynote address, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son emphasized the Party and people’s special attention to education and training this year. He stated that the Politburo has just issued Resolution No. 71 on breakthrough development in education and training; the National Assembly adopted a resolution on universal preschool education for children aged 3-5; tuition is waived or subsidized for preschool and general education; construction has begun on 248 boarding and semi-boarding schools in border communes; more groups of students receive lunch support; general schools are organizing two sessions per day; and a series of breakthrough policies for the teaching workforce have been codified in the Law on Teachers, alongside other new measures.

“Today’s opening and celebration are more than an event or a ceremony; they embody unity and the national spirit in education,” Minister Son said. He expressed profound gratitude to President Ho Chi Minh, and paid tribute to the fallen heroes, and generations of teachers and students who sacrificed for national independence and freedom.

Reviewing the 80-year journey, Minister Son said it has been guided by President Ho Chi Minh’s educational vision. From the first days of independence, the President sought not only to raise literacy and eradicate illiteracy, but more importantly, to invigorate the nation’s spirit, kindle willpower, entrust a mission and responsibility, and inspire generations of young people.

Over the past eight decades, education and training have both carried forward tradition and embraced international integration, building Vietnam’s own identity and values. From a starting point where 95% of the population was illiterate, with only a sparse intelligentsia and a handful of higher-level schools, and despite decades of war, the country has now universalized education from five-year-old preschool through lower secondary.

The quality of general education has steadily improved; Vietnam is recognized internationally among countries with strong school systems. For many years, Vietnamese students have ranked among the top 10 worldwide at international Olympiads. Nationwide there are more than 52,000 schools, providing learning space for 24 million students; 65% of general schools meet national standards, and many campuses are modern and well-equipped.

“We have a workforce of 1.6 million well-trained teachers, including elite groups that can stand alongside their peers anywhere in the world. We have 243 universities and over 800 colleges and vocational schools, both public and private as well as international. While not every institution is large or top-tier, some disciplines and institutions are now within the world’s top 500; higher education covers almost all fields taught globally and contributes 75% of the country’s research outputs, inventions, and patents. Our community of scientists is sizable, with many distinguished individuals contributing both at home and internationally. The nation’s current achievements and potential owe an important share to education and training,” Son said.

He stressed that the newly issued Resolution No. 71 identifies education and training as a top national policy and a decisive factor for the nation’s future. It situates education within the mindset of national and social governance, and places educational objectives and tasks at the center of strategies, planning, policies, programs, and development plans across sectors, he said.

On this occasion, Party General Secretary To Lam presented the First-Class Labor Order to the Ministry of Education and Training.

More than 23 million students begin new school year

VOV.VN - More than 23 million students of all grades in Vietnam on September 5 began a new school year – the fifth year of the new general education program.

Poor schools access to drinkable water in new school year

Lifestart Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation based in Hoi An City and originating from Australia, has provided ten clean water filtration systems and water tanks to underprivileged schools in the mountainous Bac Tra My and Phuoc Son districts of central Quang Nam province.