THE SECOND EDUCATION REFORM (1956): FROM HISTORICAL IMPERATIVES TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL EDUCATION SYSTEM IN NORTH VIETNAM

The Second Education Reform in North Vietnam in 1956 marked a turning point in the establishment of a national education system oriented toward socialism. Emerging from the context of the 1954 Geneva Agreement, the reform aimed to eliminate colonial legacies, unify parallel systems, and address the urgent demands to improve literacy and train human resources for national reconstruction. This study uses historical–logical, analytical–synthetic, and comparative methods to elucidate the reform’s content and impact. Findings show that the reform introduced a unified 10-year general education system, promulgated new curricula and textbooks, expanded school networks and teacher training, and reinforced state management and financial resources. Notable achievements include the eradication of illiteracy, rapid educational expansion, and the cultivation of intellectuals to serve socialist construction. However, the reform also indicates limitations in training quality and teaching methods, and its implementation occurred in the context of the country’s temporary partition, which confined the new educational model to the North. The study provides scientific grounds for assessing the values and historical lessons of this reform model.