Name
Building Digital Skills for Inclusive Education and Inequality Reduction in Vietnam: A Multiple-Case Study Using Secondary Data
Date & Time
Monday, July 6, 2026, 9:50 AM - 10:15 AM
Description

Vietnam faces persistent educational inequality and a pronounced digital divide, undermining progress toward SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). Sustainable Development Goal Indicators on Children and Women and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys of UNICEF (SDGCW/MICS 2020–2021) reports that home internet access is 72% nationally but 33% among the poorest households, while home computer ownership is 29% nationally but 2.4% among the poorest; upper secondary completion is 58.1% overall versus 31.0% for the poorest. This article examines how digital skills and platform interventions can support inclusive education and inequality reduction in Vietnam. We apply a multiple case study design using secondary data: SDGCW/MICS statistical snapshots, program documents and news on the “Sóng và Máy Tính Cho Em” (“Internet and Personal computer for Students”) initiative, platform metrics for K12Online and ViettelStudy, and Vietnam’s digital education policy (Decision 131/QĐ TTg), complemented by benchmarks from India’s Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) and Kenya’s Digital Literacy Programme. Findings identify four conditions for equitable scaling: (1) integrated access packages (devices plus affordable, continuous connectivity) with technical support; (2) teacher digital competence as the key mediator converting access into meaningful participation; (3) inclusive platform/content design (low bandwidth, offline first, user friendly); and (4) equity monitoring that uses platform and administrative data to target learners most at risk of being left behind. These implications inform implementation priorities to accelerate Vietnam’s SDG 4 and SDG 10 commitments.

Thanh Tung Tran
Keywords
Digital skills; Digital divide; Inclusive education; Educational inequalit; Vietnam.
Theme
EDUCATION
Author 1
Thanh Tung Tran