In an increasingly knowledge-based globalized world, higher education, advanced training and skill development are critical priorities for Vietnam. This paper aims to estimate the participation in higher education and its regional distribution in Vietnam, and to identify its determinants at the individual and contextual levels. Data used were from Vietnam Population and Housing Census 2009 linked with Vietnam living standard survey 2009. The participation rate overall in the colleges/universities among 19-22 year olds in Vietnam was 16.3%, but this rate varied significantly across the provinces. Household socioeconomic status, gender, ethnic group, migrant status, and urban/rural residence were significant individual level predictors of participation while indicator of fertility stabilization, income distribution, and average education level were significant predictors at the contextual (provincial) level. The results show that individual, social and regional inequalities are important impediments to higher education participation among the Vietnam youth. The government needs to pay more attention to promoting higher education and training in order to position Vietnam in the global economy.