A Comparative Analysis of Governance Mechanisms  and Quality Assurance in Transnational Higher  Education: The Cases of China and Vietnam

Dinh Thi Bich Loan; Ngo Thi Thanh Tung; Pham Thao Ngoc; Pham Thi Van

Ngo Thi Thanh Tung	ngotung2012@gmail.com	Independent Specialist 36, Hoang Cau Str, O Cho Dua Ward, Hanoi, (Vietnam)
Dinh Thi Bich Loan*	loandtb@vnies.edu.vn	The Vietnam National Institute of Educational Sciences 101 Tran Hung Dao Street, Hanoi, (Vietnam)
Pham Thi Van	van.pt@vnies.edu.vn	The Vietnam National Institute of Educational Sciences 101 Tran Hung Dao Street, Hanoi, (Vietnam)
Pham Thao Ngoc	phamthaongoc19102000@gmail.com	The Vietnam National Institute of Educational Sciences 101 Tran Hung Dao Street, Hanoi, (Vietnam)

Summary:

This study conducts a systematic comparative review of governance and quality assurance in transnational higher education in China and Vietnam. Drawing on 55 Scopus-indexed articles and following PRISMA guidelines, the analysis employs a three-level applied policy framework (macro, meso, micro) to synthesise how both countries, as East Asian developmental states, regulate cross-border education. The findings reveal a marked divergence in theoretical orientations and governance models. Chinese scholarship, reflecting a “Strategic Macro Governance” model, relies heavily on macro-organisational theories-particularly Institutional Logic and Bourdieu’s field concepts-to explain state sovereignty and the regulation of knowledge flows. In contrast, research on Vietnam, indicative of a “Centralised Operational” model, predominantly focuses on meso-level internal quality assurance mechanisms and micro-level issues such as academic staffing. Both countries confront a “double barrier” of English-Medium Instruction, where students must simultaneously cope with language demands and disciplinary content within Confucian learning cultures. The review identifies a theoretical opportunity to transfer robust macro-organisational frameworks developed in the Chinese context to deepen policy governance analysis in Vietnam, thereby informing more strategic and transparent transnational higher education governance in emerging economies.

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Keywords:

Transnational higher education; higher education governance; quality assurance; institutional logic; China and Vietnam

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Journal:

Volume. 22 - issue 1 / 2026

VIETNAM JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES

A Comparative Analysis of Governance Mechanisms and Quality Assurance in Transnational Higher Education: The Cases of China and Vietnam