No contractor participates in the book purchase package
On September 10, the Standing Committee of Hue City Party Committee agreed on the policy of postponing the time to implement free general education textbooks (SGK) in the 2026 - 2027 school year, in order to ensure the efficiency of budget use and avoid waste.
Previously, implementing Decree 271/2026 of the Government on free general education textbooks and Resolution 47/NQ-HDND dated July 26, 2026 of the City People's Council, Hue City People's Committee has allocated funds to implement policies from the 2026 - 2027 school year.
Hue Department of Education and Training (GDĐT) surveyed the needs and initially recorded that 133,734 sets of textbooks were registered to be borrowed, with an estimated cost of about 28.2 billion VND.
However, before the start of school, the actual demand decreased sharply. The number of students still needing to borrow textbooks decreased to 52,824 sets, lower than 80,910 sets compared to the initial registration. The procurement cost accordingly decreased to about 12.3 billion VND.
According to the Hue Department of Education and Training, the reason is that many parents have proactively bought textbooks for their children and no longer need to borrow books from schools.
The Department of Education and Training has carried out procedures to select contractors and is expected to open bidding on August 29, 2026. However, no contractors participated and no units met the capacity to appoint contractors.
On August 30, the Department of Education and Training will continue to organize a re-bid based on actual needs that have been updated, expected to open the bid on September 19. With this progress, textbooks for the remaining students are expected to be supplied about 10 days to 2 weeks after the opening ceremony.
While waiting for books, Hue Department of Education and Training requests schools not to wait for enough textbooks to organize teaching. Schools must implement the 2018 general education program according to plan, ensuring the required requirements, without cutting content and without changing the total duration.
For students who do not have printed textbooks, schools are allowed to use library books, shared books, official digital learning materials and electronic textbooks provided free of charge by Vietnam Education Publishing House.
Switching to supporting disadvantaged students
According to Hue City, the adjustment of the roadmap stems from the requirement to use the budget economically and effectively, especially in the context that the program and textbooks are being considered for adjustment.
On September 10, the Government Office issued Notice No. 467/TB-VPCP on the conclusion of Deputy Prime Minister Le Tien Chau at the meeting on the textbook supply situation for the 2026-2027 school year.
The notice requests the Ministry of Education and Training to review, adjust, streamline, and complete the 2018 General Education Program; and at the same time organize the compilation and completion of a set of textbooks of the State for unified use nationwide.
Faced with this development, the Standing Committee of Hue City Party Committee believes that continuing to use the budget to buy textbooks for students to borrow annually risks causing waste if the program and textbooks are adjusted in the near future.
The city decided to temporarily suspend the textbook procurement package worth about 12.3 billion VND, and at the same time review the timing and investment method.
In the immediate future, the education sector is required to coordinate with the Vietnam Education Publishing House to focus on book sources, ensuring sufficient supply of textbooks for parents and students who need to buy at bookstores and distribution units in the area before September 15.
For students from poor, near-poor households, households in difficult circumstances and students in mountainous areas, the city will support free textbooks from the Fund for the Poor and other legal mobilized sources.
After the Ministry of Education and Training has official information about the roadmap for amending the curriculum and textbooks, the Department of Education and Training will advise the city to re-determine the needs and appropriate investment time.
The goal is that when using the budget to buy textbooks, books must be used stably, long-term and have the ability to be reused many times, thereby improving the efficiency of state resources and limiting the risk of waste.
Hue City affirms that the adjustment of the implementation method in the 2026 - 2027 school year does not change the goal of ensuring students' learning rights, in which priority is given to students in difficult circumstances.
When the program and textbooks are determined to be stable, the city will consider allocating budget to buy textbooks for students to borrow, implemented in the direction of thrift, efficiency and long-term use.
