Vietnam higher education has attempted innovations in increased efforts to integrate well into the world’s education. One of the most prominent innovative activities is quality assurance. Adopting a historical approach, this paper presents the Vietnam higher education quality assurance renovating process including three phases: the centrally planned economy period (1954–1986), the reform period (1986–2000) and the international integration period (2000–2017). | Quality assurance in Vietnam’s higher education: Insights into past and present challenges