Parents in Huế City looking for textbooks for their children in bookstores. — VNA/VNS Photo

HUẾ CITY — At the start of the 2026-2027 academic year, about 21 per cent of students in Huế City were left without printed textbooks amid a citywide shortage, according to the municipal education department.

To address the issue, the Viet Nam Education Publishing House is working with city education authorities to supply enough textbooks for all students by the end of the month.

Representatives of local bookstores, such as Hồng Đức Bookstore in Trương Định Street, have reported large numbers of parents searching for the textbooks that their children need.

Huế municipal authorities have instructed relevant agencies to carefully review textbook purchases to find out more about the shortage.

The city has also decided to halt a VNĐ12.3 billion (US$474,000) textbook purchasing package that failed to secure suppliers and shift to a flexible support mechanism, to ensure students will be able to receive books faster.

The Viet Nam Education Publishing House has been asked to boost the textbook supply in its distribution network and city bookstores, based on the Government Office's Announcement 467/TB-VPCP dated September 10 detailing instructions from Deputy Prime Minister Lê Tiến Châu.

Huế authorities also plan to use about VNĐ5 billion (US$192,000) from the Fund for the Poor and other sources to buy textbooks for students from low-income families and those living in remote regions.

Once the Ministry of Education and Training releases official information regarding the curriculum and textbook revision process, the city’s role will be redefined to ensure the allocation of stable, long-term investment resources.

To accelerate textbook distribution, Director of the city's Department of Education and Training Nguyễn Tân has instructed schools to provide parents who have not yet purchased all the required textbooks with the addresses and contact details of book suppliers.

For schools located far from urban centres, principals must compile lists of students requiring textbooks and contact the Viet Nam Education Publishing House directly to arrange delivery to their schools.

Schools must also submit lists of students eligible to receive free textbooks to the Department of Education and Training and the Viet Nam Education Publishing House so that books can be provided.

The department has asked principals to take full responsibility for the accuracy of these lists, ensuring that there are no excess, missing or ineligible registrations.

While awaiting the delivery of printed textbooks by the Viet Nam Education Publishing House, the Huế City Department of Education and Training has instructed all schools to maintain normal teaching and learning activities in accordance with their plans, without cutting any curriculum content or changing the total number of teaching hours.

The education sector has called on schools to flexibly implement support measures, such as allowing students to share textbooks, use library books or access free digital learning materials and electronic textbooks provided by the Viet Nam Education Publishing House.

Decisive action by the Huế City Party Committee, People's Committee and Department of Education and Training, together with the Viet Nam Education Publishing House, is rapidly helping resolve bottlenecks in textbook supplies in the city. — VNS