Significant changes in the policies of higher education in Vietnam have changed the structure and governance of the system since the mid-1990s. The most commonly agreed-upon positive outcome of the governance renovation process is that the formation of a nationwide quality assurance scheme, which is stimulated by accreditation, in the higher education system has been putting higher education institutions (HEIs) under pressure to ensure a threshold quality level, to be accountable for their performance, and to develop internal quality assurance. The external assessment of higher education quality in Vietnam has had an impact on quality management and on improving conditions for teaching and learning. However, the governance renovation will not help enhance the quality of higher education continuously unless it provides HEIs with incentives to start initiatives. (Contains 1 table and 2 notes.)