A persistent public–private sector difference in returns to skills is one sign that Vietnam's transition from command to market economy remains incomplete. Matching this is a large gap in post‐compulsory education enrollments, favoring children from families with members employed by government or state enterprises. We compare that gap between 2004 and 2014, a decade during which Vietnam experienced a boom in private‐sector and foreign‐invested economic activity. Despite the boom, we find a persistent and widening enrollment gap between “state” and “non‐state” households, which are similar in other observable respects. This institutional gap is not the only basis for enrollment differences—the ethnicity gap has also widened, even as rural–urban disparities have diminished—but they may contribute to slow and unequal progress in overall educational attainment. Unless addressed, enrollment gaps are likely to worsen intergenerational inequality and may reduce long‐run economic growth.

中文翻译：

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永久特权？越南经济繁荣时期的制度教育差距

公私部门在技能回报上持续存在差异，这表明越南从命令经济向市场经济的过渡仍然不完全。与此相匹配的是，义务教育后的入学率差距很大，这有利于家庭成员由政府或国有企业雇用的孩子。我们比较了2004年至2014年之间的差距，这十年间越南经历了私营部门和外资经济活动的繁荣。尽管繁荣，但我们发现“州”和“非州”家庭之间的入学差距持续扩大，这在其他可观察的方面相似。这种制度上的差距不是招生差异的唯一基础-种族差距也在扩大，尽管城乡差距已经缩小，但它们可能会导致整体教育水平的缓慢和不平等进步。除非解决，否则入学差距可能会加剧代际不平等，并可能降低长期经济增长。