From De Jure Autonomy to De Facto Autonomy: Implementation Gaps in Vietnam’s Higher Education Reform

Abstract

This article examines the gap between de jure university autonomy and de facto autonomy in Vietnam within the broader context of higher education reform. The study addresses the central research question: Why has the expansion of legal autonomy not fully translated into substantive autonomy in the operational practices of higher education institutions in Vietnam? Drawing on an integrated theoretical framework that combines new public management, state–university relations, and historical institutionalism, the study employed a qualitative institutional analysis. This approach included a systematic content analysis of key legal documents—namely the amended Law on Higher Education (2018), its 2025 revision, and related regulations—alongside a structured synthesis of domestic empirical studies on financial autonomy, governance, and accountability. The findings indicate that Vietnam has significantly expanded institutional autonomy across organizational, academic, and financial dimensions. However, implementation remains constrained by legal fragmentation, administrative inertia, proceduralized accreditation mechanisms, and uneven institutional capacity across universities. The implementation gap thus arises not only from policy design but also from historically embedded institutional legacies and power structures. The study contributes to the literature by identifying the underlying mechanisms that generate the “autonomy gap” in a transitional higher education system and by advancing an analytical approach that integrates legal, organizational, and institutional perspectives. The findings suggest that expanding formal autonomy must be accompanied by governance reform and capacity-building to ensure effective and sustainable institutional autonomy in practice.

https://doi.org/10.26803/MyRes.2026.24