Continuing education is part of the national education system. Continuing education takes various forms, including complementary education, distance education, open education, and independent study. The aim is to create favourable conditions for citizens of any intellectual level (literacy education, post-literacy education, undergraduate and graduate education) to receive continuing education in accordance with their own situations. The main goal of continuing education is to raise the people’s intellectual level, and develop human resources for economic, social, scientific, and technological development.

Curricula are based on the time frame of full-time education. The duration of training varies from one training profile to another; the duration of courses at the secondary level is three or four years, and at the higher level is three to five years. Those who meet the requirements for graduation established by the Ministry of Education and Training are awarded degrees specifying the type of training received.

The institutional network of continuing education consists of: in-service training faculties and departments in 64 universities and colleges and 59 secondary vocational schools; one in-service training school in Halphong; one open university in Ho Chi Minh City and one in Hanoi; one Foreign Language Distance Training Centre in Hanoi; 43 continuing education centres in different provinces and cities; 160 distance education centres at the district level; 340 full-time and part-time complementary education schools; and more than 200 language and informatics centres and literacy and post-literacy education courses in 53 provinces and cities.

In 1993/94, there were 120,000 undergraduate in-service trainees and learners enrolled in open and distance education; 10,000 students enrolled in in-service secondary vocational education; 100,000 learners enrolled in complementary education; 300,000 learners in foreign language centres; 250,000 learners in literacy and post-literacy programmes; and thousands of participants in various seminars and workshops.

According to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training, institutions must bear full responsibility for the entire training process: considering application forms, holding entrance examinations, choosing teachers, planning curricula, and organizing examination tests to award certificates and degrees.

Distance education centres are the basic unit of the distance education system at the local level. These centres offer training programmes to meet the diversified learning needs of those who want to raise their intellectual level, develop their capacity, and update their knowledge in order to increase job opportunities or change their profession. Distance education centres at the different levels must operate in accordance with the regulation of the Ministry of Education and Training.

The main task of provincial distance education centres is to establish and maintain links with universities, colleges and secondary vocational schools as well as with experienced experts in many fields, in order to organize undergraduate and secondary vocational training at the local level. The main task of the district distance education centres is to organize literacy and post-literacy education courses, complementary education, and vocational training activities.

Complementary education schools have the responsibility to offer complementary programmes equivalent to the secondary education level to adults and youth beyond school age. Many of these schools have expanded their functions and responsibilities so as to become district centres of continuing education.

The independent language and informatics centres established by provincial education and training departments, associations, ministries, branches, universities or colleges, offer training programmes at three levels in foreign languages and informatics. The foreign language programme consists of 400 class hours at each level, equivalent to twenty-seven basic credits.

The National Committee for Literacy estimates that the adult literacy rate reached 92% at the end of 1997 (MOET, 1999).