This study identifies the major characteristics of "effective" primary schools in isolated areas in Vietnam. It suggests areas in which the implementation of beneficial changes can occur. Pupils in isolated areas of Vietnam are, in many respects, educationally disadvantaged. Usually, these pupils are in schools that have fewer educational resources, and fewer trained teachers, and consequently achieve lower scores than pupils in schools in urban and rural areas. In order to improve education in isolated areas in Vietnam, it is crucial to consider the means for achieving educational equity and increasing the educational quality in that country as a whole. Using student assessment data from the "Vietnam: Reading and Mathematics Assessment Study" collected jointly in 2001 by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and the World Bank, as well as qualitative interview data that the researcher collected during school visits in 2002, this study identified two extreme groups--the most effective school (MES) group and the least effective school (LES) group--by accounting for pupils' home background, and compared the similarities and differences between these two extreme groups. This study found that in the LES group, pupils' achievement level was mainly determined by the level of their home background. In the MES group, however, regardless of the level of their home backgrounds, pupils had the chance to achieve at a high level. In order to investigate the variables which enabled the MES group to be free of the hierarchical socio-economic structure which exists outside school, this study compared school input variables and school process and climate variables between the LES and MES groups. It identified the major differences between the LES and MES groups: teachers' subject matter knowledge and level of school resources out of the 57 school input variables tested; and frequent reception of mathematics homework, frequency of teachers meeting parents, and community's contributions to schools in the form of salary for non-teaching staff out of the 81 school process and climate variables. After discussing the limitations, the dissertation concluded with some policy implications and suggestions for future research. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]