Ho Chi Minh City National University starts journey to Asia's top 100

'In the next 12 months, we will select at least 70 outstanding young PhDs and 20 international visiting professors under the VNU350 Program. This will be a strong starting point for the journey to reach the top 100 in Asia by 2030'.

Students study and research at member universities of Ho Chi Minh City National University - Photo: KHAC HIEU

That is the affirmation of Associate Professor Dr. Vu Hai Quan - Director of Ho Chi Minh City National University - when looking back on the 30-year development journey of Ho Chi Minh City National University and preparing for a new "growing" phase.

We orient three main resources: increasing revenue from technology transfer and science and technology services; public-private partnership to develop infrastructure and build a development fund for Ho Chi Minh City National University from socialization, alumni, and businesses. The goal is that by 2030, non-tuition revenue will account for over 60% of total revenue.

Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Hai Quan

Persistent innovation

* What are the most outstanding highlights of Ho Chi Minh City National University and what lessons have you personally learned to prepare for the new phase?

- After 30 years of construction and development, Ho Chi Minh City National University is the largest educational institution in Vietnam with about 6,600 teachers, staff and employees, nearly 100,000 full-time university students and 9,000 graduate and doctoral students.

With the attention of the Party and State, and the direct leadership of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, Ho Chi Minh City National University has achieved a number of important achievements: it is the leading unit in the country in the number of training majors ranked in the top 500 best training majors in the world : 15 majors.

Regarding the number of international publications, we have about 3,000 articles per year; 181 internationally accredited programs; more than 460 international partners; a green, friendly, modern university urban area with the largest student population in the country is gradually taking shape.

I think the most important lesson is to firmly innovate the governance model towards autonomy, streamlining, promoting the strength of the system, daring to set goals on par with the continent and the world but always closely linked to the development needs of Ho Chi Minh City and the country.

* In training, Ho Chi Minh City National University has made great strides in accreditation and international rankings, but the post-graduate rate is still low...

- It is true that the current post-graduate rate is only 14.8%, lower than the target of 20%. Some reasons include the lack of job opportunities for those with master's and doctoral degrees. The State's financial investment in training is still limited, post-graduate tuition fees are high, and there is no scholarship policy for graduate students. In addition, there is a shortage of leading professors in some fields...

In particular, regulations on postgraduate training are not flexible, not close to international standards, and the training time is still long. Recently, Ho Chi Minh City National University issued a pilot regulation on some contents on doctoral training, as a breakthrough solution to expand the scale, improve the quality of doctoral training, and at the same time build a more flexible legal corridor.

We will focus on three main directions such as strongly developing interdisciplinary and joint programs in basic sciences and strategic technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), microchip design, biotechnology - biomedicine; expanding scholarships, preferential credits to reduce financial burdens and more closely linking with research institutes, hospitals, and domestic and foreign technology enterprises to provide practical training, increasing the value of master's and doctoral degrees.

Investing in interdisciplinary research

* Scientific research at Ho Chi Minh City National University has tripled compared to the previous term, with transfer revenue reaching 260 billion VND/year. How can we not only "increase quantity" in the coming period but also have national strategic science and technology products?

- In order to not only increase quantity but also create national strategic products in the 2025-2030 period, we will invest in interdisciplinary research, including building research centers to develop new, interdisciplinary, highly applicable technologies, closely linked to the National Innovation Center.

We will connect with universities and global technology corporations to co-develop national strategic technologies, aiming to increase the number of applications and patents by 16-18% per year, while prioritizing funding for high-impact projects, using integrated data systems to manage scientific research transparently and effectively.

* International cooperation and business-locality linkages are reported to be increasingly substantial but still limited in depth. How will Ho Chi Minh City National University innovate the "three houses" model to both spread knowledge and create development resources?

- We will follow the "3 together" approach: co-design, co-implement and co-share. To deepen the three-way cooperation, Ho Chi Minh City National University will move from sporadic cooperation to long-term, structured partnerships.

The strategy includes building a National Innovation Center as a connecting center, focusing on technology transfer and start-up incubation. Developing joint R&D projects with businesses in strategic areas such as AI, renewable energy, semiconductor chips... to ensure harmony of common interests.

We will host training programs and policy forums with local governments to address regional challenges such as sustainable urban development, and expand our relationships with leading universities in Asia and the world to bring cutting-edge expertise to local businesses and communities.

* If you could only choose one "strategic breakthrough" to achieve the goal of Ho Chi Minh City National University entering the top 100 in Asia by 2030, what would you choose and what specific commitment would you make in the next 12 months so that society can see the first step?

- If I had to choose only one, I would choose to make a breakthrough in attracting, training and nurturing talent. Ho Chi Minh City National University cannot reach the regional level without talented students and excellent scientists. We commit to recruiting at least 70 excellent young PhDs and 20 international visiting professors under the VNU350 Program in the next 12 months. This will be a strong starting point for the journey to reach the top 100 in Asia by 2030.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dai-hoc-quoc-gia-tp-hcm-khoi-dong-hanh-trinh-vao-top-100-chau-a-20250823092057755.htm