How can Vietnam build world-class private universities?

Experts believe that higher education in general, and the private university system in particular, is facing a great opportunity to break through and assert its position, creating a reputation and significant influence in the new context.

Báo Thanh niên•23/06/2026

ACADEMIC IN-DEPTH, FINANCIAL RESOURCES, ALUMNI…

Dr. Vo Van Tuan, Vice Rector of Van Lang University, assessed: "Looking back over the past 30 years, it is clear that the private university sector in Vietnam has made remarkable progress. From being considered merely a supplement to the public system, many universities now have tens of thousands of students, possess modern facilities, have strong internationalization capabilities, their brands are increasingly recognized by society, and they are making increasingly significant contributions to higher education ."

Để Việt Nam xây dựng trường ĐH tư thục đẳng cấp - Ảnh 1. — After 30 years, private universities in Vietnam have developed significantly, boasting large-scale training programs, modern facilities, and international standards.

However, if the goal is to build a strong reputation, Dr. Tuan believes that Vietnamese private universities are still lacking some strategic elements.

First and foremost is academic depth. Over the years, many universities have invested heavily in facilities, technology, student experience, and recruitment. However, a university's long-term reputation is not determined by campus size or student numbers, but by the intellectual contributions it makes to society.

Secondly, there is the issue of long-term academic financial resources. Currently, most private universities in Vietnam still operate primarily based on tuition fees. This puts them under constant pressure to recruit students, maintain scale, and secure revenue to operate.

Next, there is a lack of sufficiently strong alumni ecosystems. Large universities around the world often have hundreds of thousands of successful alumni holding leadership roles in politics , economics, science, and society. This community not only builds the university's prestige but also contributes financial resources, career opportunities, research, and social influence. Meanwhile, most private universities in Vietnam have only developed strongly in the last 2-3 decades. Many have not had enough time to form a network of influential alumni.

Not to mention that many universities are currently in the process of expanding into multiple disciplines and developing in scale, so they haven't really formed a distinctive academic identity to differentiate themselves on the map of higher education. And finally, a strong university needs not only good quality education but also to build long-term trust with society, students, parents, businesses, and scientists .

Dr. Nguyen Quoc Anh, Vice Rector of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, believes that private universities in Vietnam are in a very positive stage of development and are increasingly asserting their important and indispensable role in the national higher education system.

"In terms of advantages, the most prominent feature is their ability to adapt quickly. Private schools can boldly open new training programs that meet social needs, invest heavily in technology, promote the internationalization of programs, and proactively cooperate with businesses to enhance practical job opportunities for students immediately after graduation. Flexible governance mechanisms also help schools quickly implement innovative training models, continuously improve the learner experience, and invest systematically in modern facilities and learning environments," Dr. Quoc Anh assessed.

CREATING A FAIR AND EQUAL PLAYING FIELD FOR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS

Associate Professor Nguyen Huy Vi, former Vice Rector of Phu Yen University and former senior lecturer at the Faculty of Education, University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City), believes that the current relationship between the state and private higher education in Vietnam contains many paradoxes, such as: The legal framework still has many constraints and bottlenecks that hinder the development of private higher education. "The legislative efforts over the past nearly three decades aimed at opening up private higher education are commendable, but in reality, the results achieved have not been commensurate with the potential of this field," Professor Vi stated.

According to Mr. Vi, the legal documents are also unclear, not in line with Vietnam's reality and the trend of international integration, and difficult to understand not only for private higher education institutions but also for the public, especially students and parents.

"Besides that, there are strict regulations on opening schools and majors... At the same time, the advantages of public higher education, largely created by policy, have made investors feel insecure when wanting to participate in the private higher education sector," Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Huy Vi observed.

Drawing on practical experience in private higher education worldwide, Mr. Vi proposed adjusting the relationship between the state and private higher education by shifting the state's role from control to supervision and support. "The state plays the role of designing policy tools; influencing and regulating higher education through framework policies; and creating a fair and equal playing field for both public and private higher education. The relationship between the state and private higher education will never achieve its expected goals without a clear legal basis. We can derive guiding principles to more clearly institutionalize the goals of private higher education, such as clearly distinguishing between for-profit and non-profit private universities," Mr. Vi shared.

Can Vietnam build world-class private universities?

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