POLICIES ON UNIVERSITY TEACHER SALARY SYSTEMS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CHINA AND VIETNAM

Authors: Nguyen Huu Thiet & Le Minh Ngoc

ABSTRACT

This study compares university teacher salary systems in China and Vietnam by using qualitative document analysis of official policy documents, legal statutes, institutional reports, and peer-reviewed studies. The research examines how salary structures, performance-based incentives, and reform measures shape faculty motivation, research productivity, and job satisfaction. Its main innovation lies in combining policy document analysis with institutional and academic evidence to build a systematic comparative framework, rather than relying on a single type of source. The study finds that China has developed a more differentiated and performance-oriented salary model, while Vietnam maintains a more centralized and equity-based system. China’s approach supports stronger research incentives and institutional competitiveness, but it may also create regional disparities and excessive pressure on measurable output. Vietnam’s system promotes fairness and stability, yet its limited flexibility reduces competitiveness in attracting and retaining talented academics. Based on these findings, the article argues that Vietnam can learn from China’s performance-linked reforms while adapting them to its own governance conditions and fiscal capacity. The study contributes to comparative higher education policy by showing how salary design affects faculty performance and institutional development in different political and economic contexts.

Keywords: university teacher salary system; China; Vietnam; higher education policy; document analysis

REFERENCE

  1. Cardno, C. (2018). Policy document analysis: A practical educational leadership tool and a qualitative research method. Educational Administration: Theory and Practice, 24(4), 623–640.
  2. Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam. (2018). Resolution No. 27-NQ/TW on salary policy reform.
  3. Chai, J. (2022). Study on the impact of teacher salary incentives on teachers’ performance in higher education. Frontiers in Humanities and Social Sciences, 2(5), 111-116.
  4. Chen, X. (2003). The academic profession in China. In The decline of the guru: the academic profession in the third world (pp. 107-134). New York: Palgrave Macmillan US.
  5. Decree No. 204/2004/ND-CP of December 14, 2004 on salary regimes applicable to officials, public employees, public servants and armed force personnel. (2004).
  6. FPT Corporation. (2024). 2023 annual report. https://fpt.com/-/media/project/fpt-corporation/fpt/ir/information-disclosures/year-report/2024/march/cbtt_2023-fpt-annual-report
  7. Fudan University Institute of International Studies. (2025). Fudan International Strategy Report 2024.
  8. Gao, M. (2019, January). A Comparative Study on the Salary System of Chinese and American Universities. In 3rd International Seminar on Education Innovation and Economic Management (SEIEM 2018) (pp. 593-596). Atlantis Press.
  9. Government of Vietnam. (2004). Decree No. 204/2004/ND-CP on salary regimes applicable to officials, public employees, public servants and armed force personnel.
  10. Government of Vietnam. (2023). Decree No. 24/2023/ND-CP on statutory pay rates.
  11. Government of Vietnam. (2024). Resolution No. 01/NQ-CP.
  12. HÀ, L., THỦY, N., & THỊNH, T. (2024). Salary satisfaction of Vietnamese teachers. EVALUATION IN EDUCATION, 6(1).
  13. Hanoi University of Science and Technology. (2024). Annual report 2023. https://www.hust.edu.vn/uploads/sys/about/annual-report-2023.pdf
  14. Hongyu, Z., & Shanjun, T. (2025). Multidimensional Evaluation of Higher Education Compensation Systems: An Empirical Study Based on China’s Universities. Higher Education Policy, 1-19.
  15. Hu, Y., & Yuan, J. (2021). An empirical study on the salary disparity of faculty in China. Journal of Beijing Normal University (Social Sciences), 6, 27-49.
  16. Lien, P. T. (2017). Factors affecting lecturer job satisfaction: case of Vietnam universities. International journal of academic research in economics and management sciences, 6(2), 138-148.
  17. Linh, V. K., Dung, T. A., Quy, H. T. N., Thanh, P. C., & Tien, N. H. (2022). Reforming salary system to improve competitiveness of public higher education in Vietnam. International journal of multidisciplinary research and growth evaluation, 3(1), 541-549.
  18. Liu, S., & Zhao, D. (2013). Teacher evaluation in China: latest trends and future directions. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 25(3), 231-250.
  19. Liu, S., & Zhao, D. (2013). Teacher evaluation in China: latest trends and future directions. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 25(3), 231-250.
  20. Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam. (2023). Circular No. 22/2023/TT-BGDDT.
  21. Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. (1994). Teachers Law of the People’s Republic of China (adopted 1993, effective 1994).
  22. Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. (2017). Guiding opinions on accelerating high-level personnel development in universities.
  23. Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. (2020). Opinions on deepening the reform of the evaluation system in education.
  24. National Assembly of Vietnam. (2009). Education Law (amended).
  25. National Assembly of Vietnam. (2023). Resolution No. 104/2023/QH15.
  26. National Economics University. (2023). Public disclosure report 2023–2024
  27. National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China. (2005). Law on civil servants.
  28. National Sun Yat-sen University. (2022). 2022 annual report of higher education. https://hesp.nsysy.edu.tw/static/file/278/1278/img/3299/261219715.pdf
  29. Nguyen, H. T., & Fraser, S. (2007, September). The impact of globalisation on higher education in China and Vietnam: Policies and practices. In a conference, Education in a Changing Environment, University of Salford (pp. 12-14).
  30. Nguyen, V. T. (2026). Higher education governance in Vietnam. In Governance, Quality Assurance and Future Direction of Higher Education in Vietnam: Towards a Sustainable Development Agenda (pp. 89-110). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
  31. Owen, G. T. (2014). Qualitative methods in higher education policy analysis: Using interviews and document analysis. The Qualitative Report, 19(26), 1–19.
  32. Peking University Statistics Science Center. (2024). 2024 annual report.
  33. Pham, L. T., & Hayden, M. (2019). Research in Vietnam: The experience of the humanities and social sciences. Journal of International and Comparative Education (JICE), 27-40.
  34. Shanghai Jiao Tong University Global College. (n.d.). Research annual report. Shanghai Jiao Tong University. https://gc.sjtu.edu.cn/research/other-resources/research-annual-report/
  35. Shi, G., Jain, V., Rao, A., & Zou, F. (2023). Has China’s Young Thousand Talents program been successful in recruiting and nurturing top Chinese scientists? Science, 379(6629), 201–202.
  36. State Council of the People’s Republic of China. (1993). Provisional regulations for state civil servants.
  37. State Council of the People’s Republic of China. (2006). Performance salary system.
  38. State Council of the People’s Republic of China. (2015). Reform of the salary system of public institutions.
  39. Tang, W., Zhang, X., & Tian, Y. (2022). Mitigation of Regional disparities in quality education for maintaining sustainable development at local study centres: Diagnosis and remedies for open universities in China. Sustainability, 14(22), 14834.
  40. Tham, P. T. H., & Cheng, Z. Y. (2019). Investigation and Analysis on the Development of Chinese Teachers in Vietnam University. Journal of Education and e-Learning Research, 6(2), 69-75.
  41. Ton Duc Thang University. (2024). Annual report of Ton Duc Thang University: Year 2024. https://tdtu.edu.vn/sites/www/files/public-disclosure/Annual-report-of-Ton-Duc-Thang-University-2024.pdf
  42. Trung, T., Tien-Trung, N., Thao, T. T. P., & Hien, L. T. T. (2019). Does education improve employee benefits in Vietnam? The first evidence from matched employer–employee data. Cogent Education, 6(1), 1662162.
  43. Tsinghua University. (2024). Tsinghua 2024 in review. https://www.tsinghua.edu.cn/en/pdf/Tsinghua_2024_in_Review.pdf
  44. University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City. (2025, January 1). Launching Ho Chi Minh City economic report: Recovery and readiness for a new era. https://ueh.edu.vn/en/news/launching-ho-chi-minh-city-economic-report-recovery-and-readiness-for-a-new-era-73257
  45. Van Quyet, P., & Hai, P. T. T. (2023). Autonomy Governance Transformation in the Higher Education Institutions Towards the Typical Models in Vietnam. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 23(20), 1-14.
  46. Van Tran, H., Tran, A. V., & Le, M. N. B. (2023). The relationship between organizational culture, job satisfaction, and commitment of lecturers at universities. Emerging Science Journal, 7, 279-292.
  47. Van Tuan, V., & Anh, B. H. (2024). Measuring Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction And Engagement Among Academic Staff At The Tertiary Level.
  48. Walt, G., Shiffman, J., Schneider, H., Murray, S. F., Brugha, R., & Gilson, L. (2021). Document analysis in health policy research: The READ approach. Health Policy and Planning, 35(10), 1424–1431.
  49. Wang, L., Lai, M., & Lo, L. N.-K. (2014). Teacher professionalism under the recent reform of performance pay in mainland China. Prospects, 44(3), 429–443.