On 05/09/2013, the Minister of Education and Training established the Center for Education Accreditation located at VNU. VNU - CEA is the first center for educational quality accreditation in Vietnam. Then, on 17/12/2013, the Minister of Education and Training appointed the VNU - CEA. When meeting the conditions of accreditors, facilities, accreditation processes, methods and assessment tools, VNU - CEA was granted the operation license by the Minister of Education and Training and VNU - CEA is allowed to carry out the accreditation activities to the HEIs and training programs at all levels of higher education, pedagogical colleges, except for higher education institutions and training programs under the management of VNU.

VNU Center for Education Accreditation is mission: providing public services on education quality accreditation, consulting, supervising the assurance and improvement of education quality according to national, regional and international standards with a vision to become a prestigious quality assessment center by 2035 in the region, meeting the standards of international education quality assessment organizations. In addition to its main functions and tasks of organizing activities to assess and recognize the meeting education quality standards for higher education institutions, pedagogical colleges, and training programs in the national education system; organizing or participating in domestic and international education quality assessment activities in accordance with the State's regulations, the Center also provides the consultation to educational institutions to improve their education quality after accreditation. Furthermore, VNUCEA delivers training courses to foster knowledge and skills in education quality accreditation.

VNU CEA’s remarkable achievements since its establishment:

At present, VNU - CEA has its consolidated organizational structure, including: The Party Cellb; Board of Directors; Trade Union; Youth Union (10 union members), Accreditation Council (15 members); 01 administration and personnel office, functional divisions with 19 permanent staff; 15 full-time staff who sign contracts to carry out education quality accreditation activities. The Center has also built its source of accreditors/assessors including: 1,709 trainees with completion certificates of the assessor training program (345 people have accreditor cards); 182 assessors have joined in the Center’s network of accreditors and assessors (24 professors, 85 associate professors, 68 doctorates and 05 masters). Especially, a number of 193 accreditors/assessors (26% professors, associate professors; 45% doctorates and 29% masters) are working at VNU, among those, 53 accreditors/assessors have participated in VNU - CEA’s external assessment activities.

Building the management documents system: In addition to complying with the general regulatory documents promulgated by the State, MOET, VNU, VNU - CEA has developed and issued a full system of internal management documents and accreditation processes and tools. It has a full system of documents to implement activities of educational quality assessment and recognition; development cooperation; organization and personnel; inspection - legal; administration; planning and finance; emulation and commendation. The Center's documents are periodically updated and supplemented in accordance with current provisions of law and VNU and in accordance with reality.

Training activities: Up to March 2024, VNU - CEA has conducted external assessments for 102 higher education institutions, 04 pedagogical colleges and 432 training programs (398 university degrees, 31 master's degrees, 03 pedagogical college training programs). Among those, 97 higher education institutions have been appraised and awarded certificates (institutions have evaluated 2nd cycle), 04 pedagogical colleges (01 institution has evaluated 2nd cycle) and 387 training programs.

Training and improving capacity for assessors and accreditors:  Up to March 2024, the Center has organized and coordinated 43 professional training courses with 1,847 students. Among those, 1,709 students have been granted certificates of training completion. VNU - CEA has also organized 31 seminars, training workshops, and professional training for accreditors, managers, lecturers and full-time staff in charge of quality assurance throughout the country. VNU - CEA has implemented 29 rounds of consultation and training for educational institutions to improve their capacity to ensure and accredit education quality.

Cooperation and Development:

ii) Domestic cooperation activities: VNUC - EA has cooperation agreements in the field of educational quality accreditation with 03 regional universities. VNU - CEA also has relationships with the School Department - Ministry of National Defense, the Training Department - Ministry of Public Security, Departments of Education and Training; higher education institutions, pedagogical colleges in the country. Based on the agreements, the Center has implemented activities to improve the capacity for assessors, accreditors, officials in charge of quality assurance and managers of educational institutions in terms of assurance, education accreditation, university administration, development of learning outcomes and training program development, etc.  

Research and teaching: The Center’s staff participate in research and teaching activities according to the mechanism of using common resources in VNU. In March 2024, 03 scientific research projects at the ministerial and VNU levels has completed; 40 scientific publications, including 18 papers published in international journals in the Wos/Scopus and more than 30 domestic articles on governance and management in higher education. The team also participated in writing/publishing 12 books, monographs and reference books; supervised for 21 masters and 04 doctors. In particular, the Center supported the development of a question bank of 380 questions to assess and select vocational education quality accreditors within the framework of cooperation with the Directorate of Vocational Education, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs. In addition, the Center built its own question bank for the assessment of the training for accreditors for the Higher Education and Pedagogical College. The Center's research products are awarded the certificate for the software copyright issued by the National Office of Intellectual Property; the other product is undergoing procedures for copyright registration.

Facilities: At present, the Center’s venue is on the 6th floor, HT2 Building, VNU Urban Area, Hoa Lac, Thach That, Hanoi. VNU - CEA have 09 working rooms and a meeting room with well equipment and infrastructure to ensure for VNU - CEA team to work. In addition, VNU - CEA is also allowed to utilize a shared system of equipment and facilities among VNU, creating favorable conditions for organizing activities.

Service activities and contributions to serve the community: VNU - CEA have actively participated in policy consultancy activities on assurance and education quality accreditation, participated in suggestions to improve the legal document system, proposed guidelines and policies on education quality accreditation for the Ministry of Education and Training; consulted and trained to improve the capacity of quality assurance for educational institutions,  improving the quality of educational institutions and training programs; actively participated in research and consulting activities, contributing to improving the capacity of assurance and education quality accreditation for accreditors. The Center has actively participated in the development of 14 legal documents, professional guidance on assurance and education quality accreditation issued by the Ministry of Education and Training, supervised interns and students to practice activities in the education quality accreditation. VNU - CEA also actively participates in advisory councils, develops policies on quality assurance in higher education.

The union activities: VNU - CEA has its own Trade Union, established in 2014 and the youth union. Under the direction of the Center’s Party Cell, the Center’s Trade Union has conducted different activities to take care of the Center’s staff, officials and employees. Since its establishment, every year, the Center’s Trade Union has been evaluated as a strong grassroot. In 2023, it received the Certificate of Merit from the Vietnam Education Trade Union. The Youth Union has also been awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Hanoi Youth Union for many years for its excellent achievements in the work of the Youth Union and the youth movement.

Emulation and commendation achievements have been achieved: With efforts and striving, VNU - CEA has achieved: Excellent labor collective (2021; 2022; 2023); Emulation flag of VNU in 2022, 2023; Certificate of Merit from the President of VNU (2019; 2023); Certificate of Merit from the Minister of Education and Training for outstanding achievements in the process of 15 years of building and developing the assurance system and the education quality accreditation (2021); Certificate of Merit from the Minister of Education and Training for outstanding achievements in the construction and development process on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of its establishment (2013 - 2023).