Priority Action Areas of Education for Sustainable Development in Vietnam’s Policies
Main Article Content
Abstract
The Global Action Program was launched following the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) to ensure education's contribution to the post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda. It focuses on generating and scaling up Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) actions at all levels and across all education sectors and sustainable development fields. The program prioritizes five action areas: advancing policy, transforming learning environments, building capacities of educators, empowering and mobilizing youth and accelerating local level actions. This necessitates countries worldwide to consider and strategize on ESD policies and their practical implementation. This article examines Vietnam's prioritization of these five ESD areas in policies, identifying strengths and areas needing improvement in the context of Vietnam. It contributes evidence on ESD policies and practices in Vietnam, contextualizing the concept of ESD in developing countries as a basis for proposing suitable ESD roadmap and initiatives for Vietnam.
Keywords:
Policies; five priority action areas, ESD, Vietnam.
References
[1] UNESCO, Education for Sustainable Development Goals: Learning Objectives, Paris, France: UNESCO, 2017.
[2] O. O. Manteaw, Education for Sustainable Development in Africa: The Search for Pedagogical Logic, Int. J. Educ. Dev., Vol. 32, No. 3, 2012, pp. 376-383, https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2011.08.005.
[3] B. Jickling, A. Wals, Debating Education for Sustainable Development 20 Years after Rio: A Conversation between Bob Jickling and Arjen Wals, J. Educ. Sustain. Dev., Vol. 6, No. 1, 2012, pp. 49-57, https://doi.org/10.1177/097340821100600111.
[4] Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Implementation of Sustainable Development in Vietnam: National Report at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+ 20), Hanoi, 2012.
[5] UNESCO, Agenda 21, Paris, France: UNESCO, 1992.
[6] UNESCO, Issues and Trends in Education for Sustainable Development, Paris, France: UNESCO, 2018.
[7] R. Lozano et al., A Review of Commitment and Implementation of Sustainable Development in Higher Education: Results from a Worldwide Survey, J. Clean. Prod., Vol. 108, 2015, pp. 1-18, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.09.048.
[8] D. Easton, The Political System, New York, NY, USA: Knopf, 1953.
[9] D. Easton, A Framework for Political Analysis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, USA: Prentice Hall, 1965.
[10] W. I. Jenkins, Policy Analysis, London: Martin Robertson, 1978.
[11] Government of Kenya, Education for Sustainable Development Policy for the Education Sector, 2017, pp. 58.
[12] UNESCO, National Journeys Towards Education for Sustainable Development, Paris, France: UNESCO, 2014.
[13] P. O. Manu, R. J. Didham, Advancing Policy to Achieve Quality Education for Sustainable Development in Issues and Trends in Education for Sustainable Development, Paris, France: UNESCO, 2018, pp. 4.
[14] L. N. Hung, “Sustainable Development: From Global Theory to Practice in Vietnam", Journal of Scientific Information on Political Theory, Vol. 3, No. 109, 2024, pp. 28-37 (in Vietnamese).
[15] V. T. Son, Integrating Sustainable Development into National Policy: The Practice of Vietnam, Glob. Chang. Sustain. Dev. Asian Emerg. Mark. Econ. Vol. 2, No. 1, 2022, pp. 283-300, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81443-4_18.
[16] N. T. H. Van, N. L. Van Dung, National Policy on Education for Sustainable Development in Vietnam Preschool and General Education - Reality and Solution, No. 01, 2020, pp. 15-20.
[17] Communist Party of Vietnam, Documents of the 13th National Congress, Vol. 1, Su That National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021 (in Vietnamese).
[18] UNESCO, Shaping the Future we Want: UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
(2005-2014) Final Report, Paris: UNESCO, http://unesdoc.unesco.org/ images/0023/002301/230171e.pdf/,
2014 (accessed on: May 15th, 2020).
[19] WCED, Our Common Future: A Report from the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, Oxford, UK: Oxford Univ, Press, 1987.
[20] S. Sterling, Learning for Resilience, or the Resilient Learner? Towards a Necessary Reconciliation in a Paradigm of Sustainable Education, Environ. Educ. Res., Vol. 16, No. 5-6, 2010, pp. 511-528,
https://doi.org/ 10.1080/13504622.2010.505427.
[21] Prime Minister, Decision No. 153/2004/QD-TTg dated August 17, 2004, on the promulgation of the Strategic Orientation for Sustainable Development in Vietnam (Vietnam's Agenda 21), 2004 (in Vietnamese).
[22] Prime Minister, Decision No. 160/QD-TTg Approving the National Action Plan on Sustainable Development for the 2013 - 2015 Period, 2013 (in Vietnamese).
[23] Prime Minister, Decision No. 432/QD-TTg Approving the Vietnam Sustainable Development Strategy for the 2011-2020 Period, 2012 (in Vietnamese).
[24] Prime Minister, Decision No. 622/QD-TTg on the Promulgation of the National Action Plan for the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 2017 (in Vietnamese).
[25] Ministry of Education and Training, General Education Program, Issued with Circular No. 32/2018/TT-BGDDT, 2018, https://data.moet.gov.vn/, 2018 (accessed on: May 15th, 2020) (in Vietnamese).
[26] G. Pataki, Education Policy Centers Network., 2005.
[27] Ministry of Education and Training, Decision
No. 3033/QD-BGDDT on the Promulgation of the Plan to Implement Sustainable Development Goals for Ethnic Minorities in the Field of Education and Training for the 2021-2025 Period, 2021 (in Vietnamese).
[28] Ministry of Education and Training, Circular No. 12/2021/TT-BGDDT Promulgating the Pedagogical Training Program for People with Suitable Bachelor's Degrees who Wish to Become Junior High School and High School Teachers, 2021 (in Vietnamese).
[29] J. Læssøe, Y. Mochizuki, Recent Trends in National Policy on Education for Sustainable Development and Climate Change Education, J. Educ. Sustain. Dev., Vol. 9, No. 1, 2015, pp. 27-43.
[30] A. Bieler, R. H. delay, A. Dale, M. Mckenzie, A National Overview of Climate Change between Subnational Climate and, J. Educ. Sustain. Dev., Vol. 11, No. 2, 2018, pp. 63-85.
[31] D. W. W. Lake, L., Flanagan, C. A. Osgood., Examing Trends in Adolescent Environmental Attitudes, Beliefs, and Behaviors Across Three Decades., Environ. Behav, Vol. 42, No. 1, 2010, pp. 61-85, https//doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107415324.004, 2010.
[32] T. J. Kieu, T. K. Singer, J. Gannon, Education for Sustainable Development in Vietnam: Lessons Learned from Teacher Education., In Interna, Vol. 17, Issue 6, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-05-2015-0098, 2016.
[33] Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Resolution 57-NQ/TW on Breakthroughs in the Development of Science, Technology, Innovation, and National Digital Transformation, https://thuvienphapluat.vn/van-ban/Cong-nghe-thong/, 2024 (accessed on: May 15th, 2020) (in Vietnamese).
[34] Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW on Breakthroughs in the Development of Education and Training, Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, 2025, https://thuvienphapluat.vn/van-ban/Giao-duc/Nghi-q/, 2025 (accessed on: May 15th, 2020) (in Vietnamese).
[35] T. P. Nguyen, Searching for Education for Sustainable Development in Vietnam, Environ. Educ. Res., Vol. 0, No. 0, 2019, pp. 1-13, https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2019.1569202.
[36] A. N. Nguyen et al., Assessing Teacher Training Programs for the Prevalence of Sustainability in Learning Outcomes, Learning Content and Didactic Approaches, J. Clean. Prod., Vol. 365, No. June, 2022, https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132786.
[37] R. J. O. Manu, P. Didham, Assessment of Learning Performance in Education for Sustainable Development: Investigating the Key Factors in Effective Educational Practice and Outcomes for Sustainable Development, 2012.
[38] M. Phang, F. A. Wong, W. Y. Ho, C. S. Musa, A. N. Fujino, J. Suda, Iskandar Malaysia Ecolife Challenge: Low-carbon Education for Teachers and Students., Clean Technol, Environ, Policy, Vol. 18, No. 8, 2016, pp. 2525-2532, https//doi.org/10.1007/s10098-016-1215-y., 2016.
[39] V. N. Do, J. D. Kinney, Reviewing National ESD Experiences from Vietnam, in National Journeys towards Education for Sustainable Development 2013: Reviewing National ESD Experiences from Costa Rica, Morocco, South Africa, Sweden, Vietnam, Paris, France: UNESCO, 2013, pp. 109-134.
[40] VNIES, Education for Sustainable Development in Vietnam, The Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences, 2022.
[2] O. O. Manteaw, Education for Sustainable Development in Africa: The Search for Pedagogical Logic, Int. J. Educ. Dev., Vol. 32, No. 3, 2012, pp. 376-383, https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2011.08.005.
[3] B. Jickling, A. Wals, Debating Education for Sustainable Development 20 Years after Rio: A Conversation between Bob Jickling and Arjen Wals, J. Educ. Sustain. Dev., Vol. 6, No. 1, 2012, pp. 49-57, https://doi.org/10.1177/097340821100600111.
[4] Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Implementation of Sustainable Development in Vietnam: National Report at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+ 20), Hanoi, 2012.
[5] UNESCO, Agenda 21, Paris, France: UNESCO, 1992.
[6] UNESCO, Issues and Trends in Education for Sustainable Development, Paris, France: UNESCO, 2018.
[7] R. Lozano et al., A Review of Commitment and Implementation of Sustainable Development in Higher Education: Results from a Worldwide Survey, J. Clean. Prod., Vol. 108, 2015, pp. 1-18, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.09.048.
[8] D. Easton, The Political System, New York, NY, USA: Knopf, 1953.
[9] D. Easton, A Framework for Political Analysis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, USA: Prentice Hall, 1965.
[10] W. I. Jenkins, Policy Analysis, London: Martin Robertson, 1978.
[11] Government of Kenya, Education for Sustainable Development Policy for the Education Sector, 2017, pp. 58.
[12] UNESCO, National Journeys Towards Education for Sustainable Development, Paris, France: UNESCO, 2014.
[13] P. O. Manu, R. J. Didham, Advancing Policy to Achieve Quality Education for Sustainable Development in Issues and Trends in Education for Sustainable Development, Paris, France: UNESCO, 2018, pp. 4.
[14] L. N. Hung, “Sustainable Development: From Global Theory to Practice in Vietnam", Journal of Scientific Information on Political Theory, Vol. 3, No. 109, 2024, pp. 28-37 (in Vietnamese).
[15] V. T. Son, Integrating Sustainable Development into National Policy: The Practice of Vietnam, Glob. Chang. Sustain. Dev. Asian Emerg. Mark. Econ. Vol. 2, No. 1, 2022, pp. 283-300, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81443-4_18.
[16] N. T. H. Van, N. L. Van Dung, National Policy on Education for Sustainable Development in Vietnam Preschool and General Education - Reality and Solution, No. 01, 2020, pp. 15-20.
[17] Communist Party of Vietnam, Documents of the 13th National Congress, Vol. 1, Su That National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021 (in Vietnamese).
[18] UNESCO, Shaping the Future we Want: UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
(2005-2014) Final Report, Paris: UNESCO, http://unesdoc.unesco.org/ images/0023/002301/230171e.pdf/,
2014 (accessed on: May 15th, 2020).
[19] WCED, Our Common Future: A Report from the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, Oxford, UK: Oxford Univ, Press, 1987.
[20] S. Sterling, Learning for Resilience, or the Resilient Learner? Towards a Necessary Reconciliation in a Paradigm of Sustainable Education, Environ. Educ. Res., Vol. 16, No. 5-6, 2010, pp. 511-528,
https://doi.org/ 10.1080/13504622.2010.505427.
[21] Prime Minister, Decision No. 153/2004/QD-TTg dated August 17, 2004, on the promulgation of the Strategic Orientation for Sustainable Development in Vietnam (Vietnam's Agenda 21), 2004 (in Vietnamese).
[22] Prime Minister, Decision No. 160/QD-TTg Approving the National Action Plan on Sustainable Development for the 2013 - 2015 Period, 2013 (in Vietnamese).
[23] Prime Minister, Decision No. 432/QD-TTg Approving the Vietnam Sustainable Development Strategy for the 2011-2020 Period, 2012 (in Vietnamese).
[24] Prime Minister, Decision No. 622/QD-TTg on the Promulgation of the National Action Plan for the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 2017 (in Vietnamese).
[25] Ministry of Education and Training, General Education Program, Issued with Circular No. 32/2018/TT-BGDDT, 2018, https://data.moet.gov.vn/, 2018 (accessed on: May 15th, 2020) (in Vietnamese).
[26] G. Pataki, Education Policy Centers Network., 2005.
[27] Ministry of Education and Training, Decision
No. 3033/QD-BGDDT on the Promulgation of the Plan to Implement Sustainable Development Goals for Ethnic Minorities in the Field of Education and Training for the 2021-2025 Period, 2021 (in Vietnamese).
[28] Ministry of Education and Training, Circular No. 12/2021/TT-BGDDT Promulgating the Pedagogical Training Program for People with Suitable Bachelor's Degrees who Wish to Become Junior High School and High School Teachers, 2021 (in Vietnamese).
[29] J. Læssøe, Y. Mochizuki, Recent Trends in National Policy on Education for Sustainable Development and Climate Change Education, J. Educ. Sustain. Dev., Vol. 9, No. 1, 2015, pp. 27-43.
[30] A. Bieler, R. H. delay, A. Dale, M. Mckenzie, A National Overview of Climate Change between Subnational Climate and, J. Educ. Sustain. Dev., Vol. 11, No. 2, 2018, pp. 63-85.
[31] D. W. W. Lake, L., Flanagan, C. A. Osgood., Examing Trends in Adolescent Environmental Attitudes, Beliefs, and Behaviors Across Three Decades., Environ. Behav, Vol. 42, No. 1, 2010, pp. 61-85, https//doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107415324.004, 2010.
[32] T. J. Kieu, T. K. Singer, J. Gannon, Education for Sustainable Development in Vietnam: Lessons Learned from Teacher Education., In Interna, Vol. 17, Issue 6, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-05-2015-0098, 2016.
[33] Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Resolution 57-NQ/TW on Breakthroughs in the Development of Science, Technology, Innovation, and National Digital Transformation, https://thuvienphapluat.vn/van-ban/Cong-nghe-thong/, 2024 (accessed on: May 15th, 2020) (in Vietnamese).
[34] Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW on Breakthroughs in the Development of Education and Training, Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, 2025, https://thuvienphapluat.vn/van-ban/Giao-duc/Nghi-q/, 2025 (accessed on: May 15th, 2020) (in Vietnamese).
[35] T. P. Nguyen, Searching for Education for Sustainable Development in Vietnam, Environ. Educ. Res., Vol. 0, No. 0, 2019, pp. 1-13, https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2019.1569202.
[36] A. N. Nguyen et al., Assessing Teacher Training Programs for the Prevalence of Sustainability in Learning Outcomes, Learning Content and Didactic Approaches, J. Clean. Prod., Vol. 365, No. June, 2022, https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132786.
[37] R. J. O. Manu, P. Didham, Assessment of Learning Performance in Education for Sustainable Development: Investigating the Key Factors in Effective Educational Practice and Outcomes for Sustainable Development, 2012.
[38] M. Phang, F. A. Wong, W. Y. Ho, C. S. Musa, A. N. Fujino, J. Suda, Iskandar Malaysia Ecolife Challenge: Low-carbon Education for Teachers and Students., Clean Technol, Environ, Policy, Vol. 18, No. 8, 2016, pp. 2525-2532, https//doi.org/10.1007/s10098-016-1215-y., 2016.
[39] V. N. Do, J. D. Kinney, Reviewing National ESD Experiences from Vietnam, in National Journeys towards Education for Sustainable Development 2013: Reviewing National ESD Experiences from Costa Rica, Morocco, South Africa, Sweden, Vietnam, Paris, France: UNESCO, 2013, pp. 109-134.
[40] VNIES, Education for Sustainable Development in Vietnam, The Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences, 2022.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.