All 34 provinces and cities have completed the restructuring, reducing the number of public educational institutions from 37,530 to 18,555, or 50.6 per cent, according to the Ministry of Education and Training.
The overhaul created 13,518 multi-campus institutions, accounting for 72.9 per cent of the total, and 2,418 multi-level schools. Local authorities also reported 10,534 branch campuses.
Despite the sharp reduction in the number of institutions, necessary campuses and teaching sites have been retained to minimise disruption to students.
Thai Van Tai, head of the ministry's General Education Department, said many schools still had multiple branches and teaching sites, which would need further streamlining to improve efficiency and make better use of facilities and teaching staff.
Thanh Hoa, which recorded one of the country's highest reduction rates at 60.4 per cent, cut 1,660 management positions, with 1,541 staff reassigned to teaching and 119 leaving under applicable policies.
HCM City now has 2,841 educational institutions, including 1,486 public schools, and has built 1,027 new classrooms to meet rising demand.
Education Minister Hoang Minh Son urged local authorities to put students' interests first and ensure the restructuring does not reduce access to education.
He also called for teacher transfers to be based on accurate staffing data to address localised shortages and surpluses.