Education, skills and training

The bilateral engagement on education policy fosters opportunities for trade in education services and enhances Australia's reputation for education excellence.

The Australian Strategy for International Education 2021-30, will harness mutual opportunities with Vietnam that will support the long-term sustainability of Australia’s education sector, enhance the student learning experience, help to meet our countries’ economic and workforce needs and strengthen our people-to-people links.

Australia and Vietnam are committed to working together on education and training for the benefit of our respective economies. Through our active bilateral education cooperation, Australia works to support Vietnam implement reforms in a strategic manner and reduce regulatory barriers for Australian education investment in Vietnam.

Our bilateral engagement also extends to multilateral fora, particularly under the long-term ASEAN Qualifications Referencing Framework project. Australia offers technical expertise to Vietnam (and other ASEAN nations) in developing a national qualifications framework that will facilitate student and labour mobility across borders, to meet skilled labour and economic needs.

Trade

Prior to the impact of COVID-19, Australia was the fourth largest destination for Vietnamese students studying abroad²⁴. In 2020, in Australia there were close to 30,000 Vietnamese enrolments across our education sectors, contributing to education-related exports valued at A$1.3 billion in 2020 ²⁵ and demonstrating the value Vietnamese students place on an Australian education. The quality of Australian educational institutions and the international student experience in Australia are important reasons why many Vietnamese students choose Australia for their studies.

Despite the impact of COVID-19 on the ability to travel internationally, Australian education services providers with an in-market offering have seen steady growth in enrollments at their facilities in Vietnam²⁶.

Investment

The Government of Vietnam welcomes foreign investment in the education sector which offers opportunities for Australia. Already, a number of Australian universities have invested in establishing a presence or education programs in Vietnam, including RMIT University, Swinburne University, the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), the University of Western Sydney and Monash University.

Further opportunities

As the Government of Vietnam undertakes fundamental and comprehensive reform of education and training, which will further improve the quality of Vietnam’s education system and provide opportunities for international partnerships and collaboration, there will be additional opportunities for Australia and Vietnam. Both public and private Vietnamese institutions are actively seeking international partnerships to diversify and enhance their education programs, and Australian institutions are looking to Vietnam as a priority education partner.

Australian education has an excellent reputation in Vietnam. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, Australian education institutions welcome and value the return of Vietnamese international students to Australia, once it is safe to do so.

There is excellent potential for in-market partner universities under Australia’s “Start Now, Come Later” international education strategy. For example, in 2020 Vingroup University (VinUni) launched an Orientation Day for Vietnamese students enrolled at the UTS to spend another semester at VinUni Campus.

COVID-19 has also demonstrated the demand for Australian education services delivered in Vietnam. There is considerable potential for further growth by Australian education providers in Vietnam across sectors, including, schools, vocational education and training and higher education, as well as in edtech, online delivery, and transnational education.

There is good potential for Vietnamese and Australian universities to broaden and diversify their relationships, incorporating program delivery, staff and student exchanges and innovation and research collaboration.

As Vietnam’s economy grows, new industries are emerging, offering partnership opportunities for Australian providers to develop industry-relevant skills. Increasing linkages and partnerships in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) will support these demands, as will opportunities to support Vietnam to develop its ten-year TVET strategy.

The impact of COVID-19 has demonstrated the potential for Australia and Vietnam to collaborate on flexible delivery products like micro-credentials and short courses, which are of increasing importance for building a skilled workforce and supporting economic recovery.

There are new opportunities for Australian qualifications and partnerships which deliver joint articulation for degrees – this flexibility could create further connections and collaboration.

Australia has an excellent reputation in online delivery and in developing strong quality assurance frameworks. Australia looks forward to delivering the joint online and blended pilot courses that will test the efficacy of the framework, as agreed under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Successful delivery of the pilot offers much potential for other Vietnamese institutions wanting to deliver online or hybrid education, in partnership with Australian universities.