Vietnam universities make biggest presence in global rankings, two in top 100

According to the rankings released on March 25 by higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), both the number of participating institutions and overall rankings have increased globally, including in Vietnam.

This year’s rankings cover 55 disciplines across five broad academic fields: Arts and Humanities, Engineering and Technology, Life Sciences and Medicine, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences and Management. More than 1,900 universities were evaluated, an increase of around 200 from the previous year.

Vietnam recorded its strongest performance yet, with seven institutions appearing in the broad field rankings: Duy Tan University, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Ton Duc Thang University, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, Van Lang University, Vietnam National University – Hanoi, and Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City.

In subject-specific rankings, 13 Vietnamese universities were listed across 23 disciplines, up four institutions but down two subjects compared to 2025.

Four universities entered the subject rankings for the first time: Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City, British University Vietnam (BUV), Vietnam National University of Agriculture, and Foreign Trade University

Across the five broad subject areas, including Arts & Humanities, Engineering & Technology, Life Sciences & Medicine, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences & Management, Van Lang University led Vietnam in Arts and Humanities, ranking 260th globally.

Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City topped the country in both Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and Management, ranking in the 401-450 bracket and at 341, respectively.

Duy Tan University remained Vietnam’s highest-ranked institution in Engineering and Technology at 346th.

Top 100 by subjects

At the discipline level, Computer Science had the strongest Vietnamese representation, with eight universities ranked. Duy Tan University led domestically in this field, placing 144th globally.

Two Vietnamese institutions made it into the global top 100 by subject: Van Lang University, ranked 69th in Art and Design, and Duy Tan University, ranked 41st in Hospitality and Leisure Management. Vietnam National University – HCMC made it into the top 100 last year but has dropped out.

QS is one of the world’s three major university ranking organizations, alongside Times Higher Education (THE) and the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

The rankings are based on five key indicators, with academic reputation accounting for the largest share (40-60%). Other metrics include employer reputation, citations per paper, the H-index, and the International Research Network (IRN), which measures global collaboration. Institutions with strong international research output tend to perform better.

Regionally, South Asia recorded the highest rate of improvement this year, while East Asia saw the largest number of new entrants.

Earlier this year, Times Higher Education released a similar ranking featuring 11 Vietnamese universities, with the highest position, 251-300, achieved by Duy Tan University in Physical Sciences.

The ranked institutions are as follows: