Issues in transnational higher education regulation in Vietnam

The expansion of western education into many Asian countries has raised concerns about maintaining the quality of higher education as compared to the home location and complying with quality requirements in the destination location. Similar to other countries in Asia, Vietnam is in a period of significant transnational education influx from the West (Mok, International Journal of Educational Management, 22(6):527-546, 2008). Research has identified that the role of government in setting up appropriate regulations to regulate HE offerings from external providers is very important to safeguard benefits and address issues faced by Vietnamese students.A series of violations of cooperation programs with western partners in Vietnam demonstrate that there is a lack of appropriate governance in quality control for the penetration of western transnational education in this country( Vietnam Breaking News, 2012; Vietnamnet Foreign business school closes down, leaves students in lurch, 2012). This paper examines the approach of the Vietnamese government to the regulation of transnational higher education and the impact of residual issues.