Overview
In Vietnam, teachers and other staff of public schools, colleges and universities are "public employees" (viên chức): people hired under a work contract by a public service unit (đơn vị sự nghiệp công lập). There is no single national teacher or education-staff exam. Each ministry, provincial people's committee, or higher-level body that manages education units announces its own recruitment round, and the unit's head signs the work contract.
All rounds follow the Law on Public Employees No. 129/2025/QH15 and Government Decree 259/2026/NĐ-CP of 30 June 2026, both in force from 1 July 2026. The decree replaced the earlier Decrees 115/2020 and 85/2023. This page was written from Vietnamese-language pages on the Government portal and a provincial portal, not the legal gazette itself, so confirm details in the notice of the unit you are applying to. Rules specific to teaching posts, such as required teaching qualifications, are set by education-sector law and the individual notice, and are not covered here.
Who can apply
Eligibility follows Article 19 of the Law on Public Employees 2025. The unit running the round sets the specific requirements of each post (for example, degree and field), but they cannot be below the common standards. For posts in culture, arts and sport, candidates can be under 18 but must be at least 15 and have written consent from a legal representative.
Recruitment routes
Competitive exam (thi tuyển): the standard route, described below.
Assessment without the full exam (xét tuyển): used separately for specific groups. These include people who commit to at least 3 years of work in areas with exceptionally difficult conditions in health, education and other essential fields, students trained under the nominated-student (cử tuyển) system who return to their home locality, outstanding graduates and talented people under the Government's talent policy, and other cases set by sector law.
Direct intake (tiếp nhận): the law allows experts, scientists, people with special talent and some experienced people, including long-serving contract staff of the same unit, to be taken in directly without the exam.
Exam pattern
Competitive exams have two rounds, under Article 11 of Decree 259/2026.
| Round | Format | Content | Scoring |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1, part A: general knowledge | Computer-based multiple choice, 60 questions, 60 minutes | The law on public employees, Party guidelines, and policy and law for the field being recruited | At least 50% correct in each part is needed to reach round 2 |
| Round 1, part B: foreign language | Computer-based multiple choice, up to 60 minutes, set according to the notice. The recruitment council decides the content and number of questions | Foreign-language ability as the notice requires | Candidates with a qualification recognised as meeting the language requirement are exempt from this part |
| Round 2: professional subject | One of two formats. Practical test, or written paper plus interview | Professional knowledge and practical skills for the post. The interview covers thinking, communication, handling situations, attitude and similar abilities | Practical test, written paper and interview are each marked out of 100 |
Round 2 details:
A written paper lasts 180 minutes. The head of the recruiting body may instead hold it on computer with 60 to 120 multiple-choice questions, taking 90 to 180 minutes.
An interview lasts at most 30 minutes, with up to 15 minutes of preparation.
Practical test time is set by the head of the recruiting body for the post.
If written paper and interview are combined, the written paper counts 70% and the interview 30%.
A body can set higher requirements for round 2, or special language requirements, but must state them in its recruitment plan and notice.
Assessment-based recruitment (for the groups above) also has two rounds. Round 1 checks the application form against the post requirements. Round 2 is an oral or practical test marked out of 100: an oral test lasts 30 minutes with up to 15 minutes of preparation, and the time for a practical test is set by the unit. No foreign-language test is held unless the recruiting body decides otherwise.
Marking and results
For a competitive exam, a candidate needs at least 50 points in the professional round. If the written paper and interview are combined, they must sit both and score at least half the maximum on each. Candidates are ranked by professional score plus priority points, within the number of posts for each position. A tie at the last place is broken by the higher professional score, then the higher written score, and then by the head of the body. Results are not carried over to later rounds.
Priority points are added to the round 2 result. They are 7.5 points for war invalids and Heroes of the Armed Forces or of Labour, 5 points for ethnic minorities, demobilised officers, children of martyrs and similar groups, 2.5 points for people who completed military or police service, and 1.5 points for trade-union officials who grew up in the movement. Only the highest applicable amount is added.
Important dates
There are no fixed national dates. The recruiting body sets the application window and exam dates in its notice. The decree sets these limits:
The council announces eligible candidates within 15 days of the application deadline, or 30 days if there are 500 or more applicants.
Round 1 takes place within 30 days of the deadline (45 days if extended), and round 2 within 10 days after round 1.
Written results are published within 15 days of the exam. Appeals are accepted for 5 working days, and there are no appeals for computer-based, practical, oral or interview results.
The total time allowed for the process is at most 140 days after the application deadline.
Fees
The sources read for this page do not state an exam fee. Check the recruitment notice.
How to apply
Read the recruitment notice of the body or unit, which lists posts, quotas, requirements and how to apply.
Submit the application form (Form 1 to Decree 259/2026) in person, by email, through the body's portal or by another electronic method named in the notice. One set of documents is needed.
Take the exam if your application is accepted.
Within 15 days of the pass list being published, provide copies of your qualifications (not including IT or language certificates) and priority-group proof. The body then requests your criminal-record certificate.
After the exam
The body informs the selected candidates and sends the file to the education unit that will employ them. The head of that unit signs a work contract within 5 working days and agrees a start date; the contract serves as the recruitment decision. If you do not report for work by the agreed date, the contract lapses unless the head of the unit agrees otherwise. Contracts can be fixed-term or open-ended.
Preparation tips
Read the notice first, since each body sets its own posts, requirements and language test.
For round 1, revise the law on public employees and the policy and law for education, and practise timed 60-question multiple-choice sets, since you need at least half right in each part.
For round 2, prepare for your own post: practise the practical task, or timed writing and an interview about handling situations.
Is there a national teacher recruitment exam in Vietnam?
No. Each ministry, province or higher-level body that manages education units runs its own round and publishes its own notice. They all follow the same national decree on format and scoring.
Do I have to take a foreign-language test?
In a competitive exam, yes unless you hold a qualification that the notice accepts as meeting the language requirement. In assessment-based recruitment there is no language test unless the recruiting body decides otherwise.
Can I carry my score over if I am not selected?
No. Results from a competitive or assessment-based round are not kept for later rounds.