Inside Vietnam's largest university city

Numerous lecture halls, dormitories, research facilities, and physical education centers are being built in a coordinated manner within the more than 1,100-hectare campus of Hanoi National University in Hoa Lac, a 30-minute drive from the city center.

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The master plan for the investment and construction of Hanoi National University in Hoa Lac was approved by the Prime Minister in October 2013, comprising 21 component projects with a scale of approximately 60,000 students; an area of ​​about 1,113.7 hectares, and a total investment of over 25,000 billion VND.

Compared to 2013, the largest university urban area in the country is now covered in greenery with many trees and lawns. Several construction projects have also been completed and put into operation, such as the No. 1 staff housing complex (20,000 m2 floor area), the dormitory complex (20,000 m2 floor area), two lecture halls (35,000 m2), along with other facilities such as research areas, experiential activity areas, physical education facilities, utility services, and medical facilities .

The main gate of the Hanoi National University urban area is located on Thang Long Boulevard, about 30 km from the center of Hanoi. The Hoa Lac campus is built according to the "5-in-1" model: a talent training center; a research and technology transfer center; an innovation center; a smart university city; and a center for public-private partnerships and research and training.

The HT1 and HT2 buildings, with a floor area of ​​35,000 m2 and accompanying infrastructure, have been completed, becoming one of the busiest lecture hall complexes with numerous activities ranging from training to scientific research. Major events of Hanoi National University in Hoa Lac, such as the opening and closing ceremonies, are also held in the space between these two buildings.

Eight key infrastructure routes, four canal routes, and basic internal infrastructure are in place, creating favorable conditions for 6,000 students along with thousands of staff, lecturers, and scientists to come and teach, study, research, work, and live. This number is four times higher than last year.

Students from the University of Technology visit and learn at the university's modern laboratory. Photo: VNU.

According to Mr. Le Quan, Director of Hanoi National University, the 6,000 students studying at Hoa Lac this year come from 8 schools and faculties: the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, the University of Technology, the Vietnam-Japan University, the University of Law, the University of Education, the International School, the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Sciences, and all 10th-grade students of the High School of Science and Education.

The laboratories of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, located in Hoa Lac, are equipped with modern facilities and equipment, serving both student learning and research groups. This is one of the important conditions to help Vietnam National University, Hanoi, achieve its goal of being in the top 100 in Asia and top 500 in the world by 2025. Photo: VNU

Students are reading books at a location within the Vietnam National University Library and Digital Knowledge Center (VNU-LIC). In a distant corner, staff are digitizing documents to facilitate reading for faculty and students through websites and applications developed by the center. This center utilizes the world's most advanced digitization equipment, such as Treventus and Zeutschel, with high scanning and processing speeds.

VNU-LIC plans to have 4 locations in Hoa Lac, and has currently implemented 3. Over the past 10 years, this unit has digitized over 170,000 textbooks and reference books; 93,500 internally generated documents (theses, dissertations, research results, etc.); and 53,000 e-books from Springer, ScienceDirect, etc.

Students learn golf on the campus of Hanoi National University in Hoa Lac. This is the first public university in Vietnam to offer golf as an elective subject in its Physical Education curriculum.

Mr. Phung Hoai Nam, lecturer in the Department of Theory and Individual Sports (wearing an orange shirt), said that this subject has been taught at Hanoi National University since 2021, but the facilities in the city center were not yet adequate. Since the second semester last year, when classes began in Hoa Lac with its spacious grounds and open space, a large number of students, up to several hundred, have registered to study.

Students participate in an archery experience – one of the traditional sports activities that is expected to be included as an elective subject in Physical Education in the near future.

According to Director Le Quan, Hanoi National University is implementing a comprehensive education model for first-year students at Hoa Lac campus, encompassing three aspects: physical health, mental strength, and social skills. The diversification of content in Physical Education and experiential activities is part of the university's comprehensive education plan.

Students from the University of Technology study and live in the dormitories of Hanoi National University. This year, all more than 700 first-year students from this university are residing in the dorms, with separate areas for male and female students, eight students per room.

Bui Nguyen Gia Bao (second from the right), from Thanh Hoa province, said he was initially quite disappointed because he thought he would be studying in the city center with many better experiences. "But when I came to Hoa Lac, I had very interesting experiences, such as walking at least 1-2 km around the campus every day," Bao said.

A cafeteria in the dormitory area of ​​Hanoi National University. The area has full amenities such as a supermarket and a gym for students.

Hanoi National University currently comprises 9 member universities, 2 affiliated schools and 2 faculties, 6 research institutes, and centers for training, scientific research, and knowledge transfer. The total university student body is approximately 40,000. It is projected that by 2025, the first phase of the Hoa Lac campus will be completed, accommodating 15,000 students.

Ngoc Thanh - Duong Tam

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