Marketisation of higher education in Vietnam: perspectives of public higher education institution (HEI) senior managers

Submission note: A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Education, College of Arts, Social Sciences and Commerce, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria.

Vietnamese higher education has undergone significant transformation in response to the complex and diverse requirements of developing a socialist-oriented market economy. This transformation also involves the transition from an agricultural/industrial economy to a more advanced industrial, services and knowledge economy. Such change requires substantial growth in higher education graduates. Therefore, the problem that Vietnamese higher education institutions (HEIs) face is their need to grow access and provision, but with very limited increase to their budgets. Within the context of neoliberal global influences, the implementation of marketisation has emerged as a solution. Accordingly, this study documents and discusses the perceptions and experiences of Vietnamese higher education senior managers who work in Vietnamese public HEIs as they grapple with the introduction of a uniquely Vietnamese version of marketisation. The study involves the analysis of semi-structured interviews with ten Rectors and Vice-Rectors of public HEIs located in the South of Vietnam as they implement marketisation strategies. The study found that Vietnamese higher education managers understood the challenges this entailed. Some tended to view marketisation of higher education as socialisation aimed at increasing not only private investment but also the contributions of various other benefiting parties and users. The study also addressed public higher education institutions’ constraints in regard to funding, quality and quality assurance, competition, and institutional autonomy. The findings suggest that along with increasing marketisation there should be clear separation of power, roles and responsibilities among the key governing bodies within higher education institutions and that tuition fees should be determined by market forces. In higher education institutions, there needs to be rising awareness and understanding of institutional autonomy along with the development of an institutional culture that includes quality assurance. Further, higher education institutions should explore funding opportunities from other sources in addition to tuition fees.