Compared with the standards of some countries in the region and internationally, most of the learning materials compiled by distance learning institutions are not really suitable for distance learning technology. Some subjects still use the same materials with face-to-face types (full-time, part-time, joint training, specialized training...). For training programs, distance learning institutions compile themselves, there is no consensus among domestic distance learning institutions, making the connection (Learning materials, students) between distance learning institutions almost impossible. Regarding the compilation of textbooks and design of learning materials, each distance learning institution does it with a different color, leading to low quality of documents and low efficiency of use by learners, because there is no consensus among distance learning institutions, so the design of learning materials and teaching materials is significantly expensive. Distance learning institutions have not yet gathered a team of good teachers, lecturers, scientists, and experts in many fields to organize the development of programs, compile documents for common use for a number of subjects, especially textbooks and learning materials for natural sciences, engineering and technology, build "virtual" classrooms, "virtual" practice and experiment lessons, leading to a lot of direct learning time. Modern audio-visual equipment and information technology for application in distance learning have not been focused on and exploited by distance learning institutions. The use of central and local radio and television stations and other media organizations by distance learning students as learning support tools has not been significant and effective in recent times. The diversification of distance learning technologies in our country has been discussed a lot, to suit the diverse circumstances of many people participating in distance learning has not received due attention, also because investing in a distance learning technology is a major and costly expense, while the state has not supported distance learning institutions in this field.
2.2.2. Infrastructure investment
Distance learning institutions in our country in general have exploited well the ability to attract capital from the policy of "Socialization" in education and training. In recent years, distance learning institutions have basically used revenue to cover expenses, combining a small part of funding from domestic and foreign organizations and individuals to cover training costs.
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from a distance. Therefore, the facilities at distance training facilities of Universities, Academies and Institutes are mainly based on the foundation of regular, in-service and joint training for development, without appropriate initial investment in distance training technology, from equipment to textbooks and learning materials, serving distance learners, so the participation of distance learning methods of learners, mainly self-study, with guidance to answer questions about the subject, has been diversified into direct learning with shortened time on weekends and after office hours.
2.2.3. Organizing and managing the training process
Some distance training institutions and some distance training receiving institutions in the locality are currently not organized properly and strongly enough, and do not have strict procedures and measures for distance training management. The distance training program receiving institutions in the locality of some institutions are mostly staffed by officials of the Department of Education and Training, do not have a specialized apparatus, and the rented locations are unstable. Some schools also place satellite distance training centers in district-level continuing education centers or other units that do not comply with the regulations in the Regulations on organization and operation of continuing education centers issued under Decision No. 01/2007/QD-BGDDT dated January 2, 2007 of the Ministry of Education and Training, as well as the regulations in Circular No. 20/TT dated November 14, 1994 guiding the opening and management of non-concentrated university and vocational secondary school classes. This leads to a situation of scattered classes, the pedagogical environment does not ensure facilities and teaching and learning equipment, the ability to manage training and support training is limited, affecting the quality and effectiveness of distance training.
2.2.4. Examination and assessment process
The organization of exams, tests and assessments is often carried out using the essay method and organized at the local distance training program reception stations, distance training facilities, often sending staff to bring exam papers to the facilities, in conjunction with teachers and staff at the local distance training facilities to organize final exams for students. However, there are places and times when seriousness and objectivity are not guaranteed. In the current practical conditions when facilities are still lacking, training technology has not been improved, with the entrance examination method (no entrance exam) with
The current regulations on examinations, tests, and graduation exams mainly use essay form, which does not meet the requirements for testing and evaluation using objective multiple-choice methods, because most exams are held locally.
2.2.5. Training, fostering professional skills and pedagogical methods on distance learning for management staff and teachers
Currently, at distance learning facilities at Universities, Academies and Institutes, they mainly use a team of teachers who teach in the regular, part-time and specialized training systems, without professional skills and pedagogical methods for distance learning, participating in compiling learning materials, guiding and answering questions about subjects, guiding graduation internships for distance learners, which has greatly affected the quality of program compilation, designing learning materials specifically for distance learning as well as teaching through technical means and guiding subjects for learners. For the staff of distance education managers in localities as well as distance education facilities at Universities, Academies and Institutes, they have not been trained in professional skills, mainly education managers from the regular system and the part-time system and other systems, concurrently in charge of distance education management, so the consulting, guidance and management of distance education students are still limited, the understanding and response to the needs of students is not flexible and timely.
2.3. Causes of limitations and weaknesses
Distance learning facilities at Universities, Academies and Institutes have not focused on investing in building audio-visual learning materials, electronic learning materials, and information technology equipment to deliver distance learning programs to students. Current learning materials for distance learning students are mainly pre-printed textbooks and lectures by teachers. Learning materials to support students in self-study, self-research, and self-reference before answering questions about subjects are still limited. Facilities receiving distance learning programs in localities have not been fully equipped with learning materials, support facilities, especially practical experiments for distance learning students before having lecturers to guide the subjects, making students' learning passive and lacking initiative. Therefore, guiding and answering questions about subjects for students to train
Remote learning is ineffective because students have not really prepared their lessons at home fully, thoughtfully, and proactively, so guiding and answering questions about the subject sometimes becomes a systematized knowledge session for students.
The work of building, training and fostering a team of managers and teachers in professional expertise, skills and distance learning pedagogical methods, especially distance teaching and learning methods and through information technology and communication means, has not received due attention, and has not been properly trained before class. Most of them are still part-time, so they have not promoted the proactive learning of distance learners.
For textbooks and learning materials that have been prepared in advance, printed and distributed to students with similar content, there is no coordination or connection between distance learning institutions (especially sharing learning resources and developing training technology). This makes the research and application of distance learning in our country still isolated, without uniformity in programs and training processes, and the interconnectivity of distance learning between distance learning institutions is almost non-existent, so the inheritance and use of students' learning outcomes cannot be implemented.
Most distance learning students do not have the ability to equip themselves with the conditions to study at home, do not have the habit, have not practiced self-study methods, because of low input level, while having to work at agencies, offices and go to school, easily influenced by work and personal conditions of each individual. Therefore, advising and reminding students to complete their courses is necessary, avoiding the current situation of many distance learning students dropping out of school, leading to waste in training.
Management from the central to the grassroots level still has many shortcomings. There is a lack of a strict system of legal documents to manage and operate distance training activities. There is a lack of sanctions to handle violations of regulations, creating favorable conditions for our country's distance training system to operate effectively and with high consistency in training.
Distance education in our country really does not have appropriate investment policies from different sources, such as the State budget at the Central and Local levels, other funding sources, making distance education in our country in terms of investment in infrastructure.
The first level is that distance learning technology is relatively limited, so the number of students studying distance learning is still limited compared to the potential of a country of more than eighty million people today.
2.4 Favorable conditions for distance learning in Vietnam
According to the data of the Ministry of Education and Training in 2012, the number of students studying distance education nationwide was 161,047 students with 90 trained professions, the number of distance education students who graduated as of 2009 was 159,947 students [Appendix 1]. The phenomenal increase in demand for distance education in Vietnam in recent years is attributed to the following reasons:
Firstly , the Government's policy when entering the period of innovation, implementing the policy of diversifying training types, the Ministry of Education and Training has issued the Regulation on University training in the form of "Self-study with guidance". This Regulation is the legal basis, distance training facilities at Universities, Academies and Institutes, localities implement distance training activities to ensure the quality and effectiveness of training. Distance training has been considered by the Government as a method of socializing learning, a roadmap to improve socio-economic status, improve employment for Vietnamese people, to develop training demand in general and distance training demand in particular. Because, distance training demand is an important part of training demand in general in the era of educational technology and distance training means increasingly developing strongly in our country and other countries in the world.
Second , the great social changes that took place during the years of “Doi Moi” also encouraged the expansion of general education and university training. In the 90s of the 20th century, traditional occupations such as agriculture, handicrafts, and occupations related to agriculture and forestry lost their position in the hearts of the Vietnamese people. Most of the working-age people have switched to new occupations that require skills and training. The emergence and introduction of new technologies from abroad that were put into operation and production in Vietnam, in various industries and occupations, have created many new occupational positions, increasing the number of Vietnamese people choosing education and training, in an effort to find new occupational positions, making
The need for training according to an increasingly diverse occupational structure accounts for an important part of the general training needs in Vietnam.
Third , the Government's Gender Equality Policy has come into life, the gradual liberation of Vietnamese women to participate in the socio-economic fields, also contributed an important part to the increase in demand for training in general, and demand for distance learning in particular in the late 20th century and early 21st century.
Fourth, the increase in demand for education in general and distance education in particular in Vietnam today, must mention the success of the Government in Population Strategies, including: (i) Population Strategy - Family Planning, period 1993 - 2000, (ii) Vietnam Population Strategy, period 2001 - 2010, (iii) Vietnam Population and Reproductive Health Strategy, period 2011 - 2020, thoroughly implemented after 63 years of the founding of the country, the first time calculated from 1993 to present.
According to the Statistical Yearbook published by the General Statistics Office in 2011, the proportion of workers aged 15 and over working compared to the total population in 2011 was 57.3%. This shows that Vietnam's population structure is in the "Golden Population" period, meaning that our country is in a period of population structure showing that the number of people in working age accounts for a higher proportion than the number of dependents. Thus, this large labor force needs to be trained to create a large volume of products and material wealth, creating accumulation for the future, by developing distance education, creating conditions for workers who do not have the conditions for vocational training or retraining. The demand for distance education in particular and training demand in general is to increase the ability to supply high-quality workers to the labor market, narrowing the gap between the labor demand of employers and the training demand in general.
Fifth , since 1986, Vietnam has entered the process of "Innovation and integration", building the country, political security is relatively stable, war is pushed back, the number of young people joining the army has decreased significantly, the military service time of soldiers is now two years and less than two years compared to the previous time of three to four years, which is also a factor affecting training demand.
Sixth , Institutions, culture, and economics are also considered to influence the increase in demand for distance education in Vietnam. Economic factors are a significant influence on the demand for distance education through the difference in income and wages between university graduates and those who have not been trained and entered the labor market. Vietnamese youth and adults see university education as a means to secure a job with a good salary. At the same time, Vietnam's unemployment rate is relatively low, annual GDP growth is relatively high, averaging about 6 to 9% / year in the years (1995-2005), which has encouraged learners to consider university degrees as an investment in their future livelihood. The cultural traits of the Vietnamese people are to value trained people, who have working skills, are proficient in their profession, and have a deep understanding of life, rather than untrained, unskilled manual workers. This concept has maintained its influence on Vietnamese society for quite a long time. Therefore, for those who have jobs, those of mature age who have not had the opportunity to study, they will turn to distance learning, which is a place that gives them the opportunity to be trained in professional skills in life. Furthermore, the educational institutions have preserved and promoted cultural traits that support the pursuit of higher education in Vietnam. As a result, general education programs aim to prepare learners for higher education and focus largely on imparting basic knowledge. Therefore, the increased demand for university education in general and distance education in particular in Vietnam after the renovation period can be attributed to the presence and influence of a diverse force of factors that maintain and promote positive attitudes towards the path of learning after high school or after having a job of workers. The increase in demand for training in general and distance education in particular, has led to the inevitable fact that from 1993 to 2010 in Vietnam, there were 17 distance education institutions at Universities, Academies and Institutes licensed by the Ministry of Education and Training to provide distance education to meet the needs of society, this is also considered necessary in the effort to regulate the rapidly increasing demand for distance education.
The Government now views the phenomenal increase in demand for university education with greater concern as it fears that Vietnam's economy
Currently, the university education system is not capable of meeting the increasing demand for university training in terms of training facilities and teaching staff. At the 2008-2009 school year summary conference of the University and College bloc, the Minister of Education and Training cited two impressive figures: After two decades, the number of students in our country has increased 13 times, while the number of teachers has increased about 3 times. According to statistics for the 2008-2009 school year, the total number of university and college students is 1,719,499, the total number of teachers is
61,190. In 3 years, the number of newly established Universities and Colleges was relatively high, from 230 in the school year (2004-2005) to 376 in the school year (2008-2009) including both public and private schools. According to Professor, Doctor Lam Quang Thiep at the National Scientific Conference on Open and Distance Education in 2009, held in Hanoi, he said: "With the current situation in our country, rapidly increasing the quantity and quality of the teaching staff is impossible; Meanwhile, the socio-economic development and the people's learning needs in the new era require a relatively rapid increase in the number of university students". Professor, Doctor Lam Quang Thiep also pointed out that: "The solution to this difficult problem can be found not only in international experience but also in Resolution 14 of the Party and State"; Resolution 14 clearly states: “Pay attention to the Community College system and Open Universities, to expand the scale. For Community Colleges, pay attention to transfer programs and vocational programs; For the two Open Universities, pay attention to the use of a standardized assessment system for self-studyers and those who study by other methods and want to get a degree”. So in reality, to solve the problem of large-scale training with limited resources, it can only be overcome by distance training, with training technology for the majority, by applying advanced achievements to support training, demonstrating high economic efficiency in training.
With a great desire to go to university, most high school students fail the entrance exam to public universities, they choose private schools with less strict entrance requirements in Vietnam, or universities in other countries with acceptable financial levels. Most students studying at private schools or schools abroad rely on their family's financial resources. The remaining large number of students, with different circumstances and conditions, who do not continue to university will join