Nine Vietnamese universities have been listed in the THE Impact Rankings 2023 released by the Times Higher Education (THE) on June 1.

According to statistics of the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), the four subjects of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Social Services and Life Sciences have had the lowest number of students in the past three years.

In Vietnam, the laws have defined the role and responsibilities of the university council, but actual implementation has failed to keep up.

Vu Hai Quan, Director of Vietnam National University, HCM City, says the State needs to come forward and solve the difficult question of developing basic sciences.

"I told the Party Chief that I just wanted to set up a university, and I did not need the state’s money," recalled Professor and Dr of Science People’s Teacher Hoang Xuan Sinh.

This trend has raised concerns over a potential imbalance in the job market, leaving basic sciences with a shortage of qualified professionals.

A seminar on building partnerships between Vietnam and the US in higher education was organised on April 25 by the US Consulate General in HCM City with the participation of representatives from more than 30 Vietnamese higher education institutions.

Educators believe that it is necessary to pilot a program on computer-based high school finals as soon as possible. This can be done next year in localities that can satisfy requirements.

Although few candidates enroll and the entrance score is very low, many training majors of many universities still fail to admit enough students while the actual demand for human resources in this field is in great shortage.

Nguyen Vinh San from the University of Education, a member school of University of Da Nang, and a member of the Vietnam University Ranking Group, said the group has received opinions about the quality and reliability of the ranking.

To attract as many postgraduates as possible for master’s degrees, private schools, which consider the programs a good source of revenue, have lowered requirements on input students.

Most universities have not used up their annual quota for the master’s degree level though they have opened their doors widely to candidates. University graduates are increasingly not studying for master’s degrees if they remain unemployed.

Universities have loosened input requirements to lure more students to master's degree programs.

Some universities in Vietnam have a long history of over 100 years.

Duy Tan University and Thanh Do University have been listed among the 20 Private University Ranking: ASEAN+ 2023, as compiled by AppliedHE.

Many universities have opened new majors related to the digital era to meet students’ demands and the inevitable trend of digital transformation in the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0).

British University Vietnam (BUV) has become the first and only university in Vietnam awarded the university-wide accreditation of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA).

Vietnam’s University Ranking (VNUR) has announced the list of the nation’s top 100 universities in 2023.

Students at medical and pharmaceutical schools will be allowed a maximum study time of 12 years and 3 more years to complete conditions for graduation. Meanwhile, other schools have a maximum study time of 6-8 years.

Universities are returning tuition to students or deducting tuition for the next semester, following the government’s request to keep tuition unchanged for this academic year.