The University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, the HCMC University of Medicine and Pharmacy, and Vietnamese-German University also in the city were chosen following a rigorous review process, Education and Training Minister Hoang Minh Son said at a meeting on April 28.
An action program is to be issued by the end of May.
The selection criteria required the universities to be leading public institutions with strong operational autonomy, hold an established international reputation, and offer training in fields tied to the region’s strategic talent needs, such as semiconductor microchips, international finance, smart medicine, and core technology.
The three institutions join a broader campaign anchored in the Politburo’s Resolution 71 from August 2025, which calls for at least eight Vietnamese higher education institutions to enter Asia’s top 200 and at least one to break into the world’s top 100 in selected fields by 2030.
Each of the three serves a distinct strategic niche. The University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, founded in 1976 and now home to about 36,000 students, had earlier set a target of reaching Asia’s top 250 by 2030. That goal has already been met: the school sits at 184th in the Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings 2026 released last week, the highest of any Vietnamese institution.
University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City. Photo courtesy of UEH |
The University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, established in 1947 with about 20,000 students, is aiming for the top 100 in Asia for health sciences.
Vietnamese-German University, founded in 2008 through cooperation between Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training and Germany’s Hessen state Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts, has roughly 3,500 students. The school received $200 million in total investment and sits on a campus of more than 50 hectares, among the largest of any Vietnamese university. It has not yet set a specific ranking target.
The new selections expand a list that already includes four other institutions designated for priority investment under a more ambitious program targeting Asia’s top 150 by 2030. Those four are Vietnam National University Hanoi, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, the University of Da Nang, and Hanoi University of Science and Technology. Chosen by the Central Steering Committee for Science, Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation last September, they are tasked with attracting at least $50 million per year in research funding through 2030.
The expanded campaign comes against an unflattering backdrop. Vietnam currently has 11 universities in the Times Higher Education Asia rankings, up from nine last year, but six slipped this year amid intensifying regional competition. The University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City retained its position as the country’s top performer but dropped 48 places from 136 to 184. The lowest-ranked Vietnamese institution sits in the 801+ band, and no Vietnamese university has cracked Asia’s top 100.
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