Vietnam to develop higher education in Southeast region

Deputy Prime Minister Le Tien Chau signed Decision No.966/QD-TTg on May 29, approving the scheme for the development of several large higher education institutions in the Southeast region.

The scheme aims to develop the Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics, the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vietnamese-German University, and the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City into leading regional centres for high-quality human resource training, scientific research, innovation, and technology transfer.

The institutions are also expected to drive higher education development and support the socioeconomic growth and international integration of Ho Chi Minh City and the southeast region.

Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: VNUHCM

By 2035, the goal is for the Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics, the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, and Vietnamese-German University to be key public higher education institutions in the Southeast and the whole country, with modern technical infrastructure and facilities meeting regional standards, striving to maintain their position among the leading universities in Asia.

By 2050, the Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics, the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Ho Chi Minh City, and Vietnamese-German University aim to maintain their training, research, and management quality among the top 100 higher education institutions in Asia.

They, together with the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, will play a core role in training, scientific research, development, and technology transfer in areas with regional competitiveness, while also contributing to socioeconomic development, transforming Ho Chi Minh City and the southeast region into one of the leading financial, educational, and medical centres in the country and Southeast Asia.

The scheme outlines five key tasks and solutions to achieve the above objectives, including modernising technical infrastructure and facilities, expanding the development space of higher education institutions; building and developing a workforce that meets the requirements of international integration; innovating and improving the quality of training according to international standards.

Other tasks include enhancing research capacity and international publications, encouraging collaboration and commissioning scientific research tasks and technology transfer; strengthening coordination with localities and cooperating with businesses in the Southeast region in training human resources, addressing local issues, and contributing to socioeconomic development.

The scheme also emphasises application of AI in teaching, research, and management; ensuring safety, transparency, accountability, and compliance with regulations on data protection, ethics, and academic integrity.

It also highlights developing open educational resources, connecting, integrating, and sharing university databases with specialised databases on higher education and the national data centre; strengthening cooperation in training and student exchange with leading universities in Asia; encouraging joint learning and research projects in Vietnam and the wider region.

In November 2025, Quacquarelli Symonds released the QS Asia University Rankings 2026, with 25 Vietnamese higher education institutions listed, including eight first-time entrants, the country’s highest ever ranking.

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University of Medicine and Pharmacy develops vaccinology postgrad course The University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City held a seminar on strategic directions for its vaccinology postgraduate curriculum on November 10, in collaboration with GSK Vietnam.

AmCham scholarships awarded to students The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Ho Chi Minh City has awarded scholarships to 60 university students.