Circular 38/2020 status · Replacement by Circular 07/2025
What this means for you
- Circular 38/2020 has been replaced; use Circular 07/2025 for the current foreign-linked delivery framework.
- Check the approval and cohort dates before changing an existing program; the replacement has a transition provision.
- Program delivery and foreign-degree recognition are separate questions. Do not assume an older online threshold guarantees recognition.
Questions about how this applies to your institution? Talk it through with a USVN senior advisor.
The detail
Policy Center update, 2026-10-22: the references to Circular 38 here are historical. Circular 07/2025 Library page explains the replacement; Circular 49/2026 and Circular 65/2026 add the current identified technology and recognition rules. Circular 38 must not be cited as current authority.
Last verified: 2026-10-21. Not legal advice.
Circular 38/2020/TT-BGDĐT is no longer in force. The national legal database labels it “Hết hiệu lực toàn bộ” (fully expired). Official database, status banner. Last verified: 2026-10-21.
Circular 07/2025/TT-BGDĐT replaces it from May 5, 2025. Article 8(1) states both the effective date and replacement expressly. Article 8(2) lets programs approved before that date continue under their published provisions until the expiry stated in their approval decision; programs approved or extended afterward must follow the applicable higher-education law, foreign-cooperation decree, circular and related law. Official Gazette, printed page 6, Article 8; continuation on page 7. Last verified: 2026-10-21.
Which rules to use
Do not use the 2020 circular's thresholds as the current default. First inspect each program's approval and renewal dates, then apply the correct regime. Replacement alone does not invalidate a previously approved program.
Article 2 of the replacement classifies delivery by total program workload, rather than the old wording about teaching time:
| Form | Online share | Levels covered |
|---|---|---|
| In person | At most 30% | Bachelor's, master's and doctoral within the circular's scope |
| Blended | More than 30%, up to and including 50% | Bachelor's and master's |
| Online | More than 50% | Bachelor's only |
Source for all rows: Official Gazette, printed pages 3–4, Article 2. Last verified: 2026-10-21. These are delivery categories, not automatic permission to launch or a guarantee of degree recognition.
Sources and scope
Check the applicable current instrument and transition before acting.
Later repeal check
Circular 47/2026/TT-BGDĐT was issued June 22 and took effect August 7, 2026. Its eleven-item repeal list does not list Circular 07/2025. Check other later instruments as well before applying 07/2025. Official signed text. Last verified: 2026-10-21.
For general information only, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with qualified counsel and the relevant Vietnamese authorities before acting.