Two leaders of the Ministry of Health were considered for the title of Professor and Associate Professor.

According to statistics from Tien Phong reporter from the list of the State Council of Professors that has just been approved, in 2025 there will be 835 candidates proposed for recognition as meeting the standards of professor (GS) and associate professor (PGS), including 71 GS candidates and 764 PGS candidates.

The list shows a clear disparity between disciplines, with many councils completely blank of professor candidates.

Many industries lack professor candidates

In 25 interdisciplinary and interdisciplinary Professor Councils, the leading in the number of candidates is the Economics Council, with 136 candidates (7 professors, 129 associate professors); Medicine has 117 candidates (14 professors, 103 associate professors); Chemistry - Food Technology: 58 candidates (6 professors, 52 associate professors); Physics: 51 candidates (8 professors, 43 associate professors); Mechanics - Power: 45 candidates (4 professors, 41 associate professors); Transportation: 41 candidates (4 professors, 37 associate professors); Construction - Architecture: 39 candidates (7 professors, 32 associate professors)...

However, many fields do not have any professor candidates recommended for consideration, such as: Literature (1 Associate Professor), Law (22 Associate Professors), Linguistics (13 Associate Professors), Interdisciplinary History - Archaeology - Ethnology/Anthropology (6 Associate Professors), Interdisciplinary Culture - Arts - Sports (13 Associate Professors), Irrigation (7 Associate Professors), Interdisciplinary Agriculture - Forestry (31 Associate Professors) and Mechanics (4 Associate Professors).

According to some experts, this difference reflects the uneven academic picture between fields. Engineering, medicine, and economics still attract a large number of candidates thanks to the great opportunities for international publication, while the humanities, social sciences, and agriculture face many challenges in the research environment.

The lack of professors in many fields shows the need for more policies to encourage and invest in basic research, especially in the social and humanities fields.

Deputy Minister of Health is a candidate for Associate Professor title

In the list of candidates proposed for recognition this year, Dr. Nguyen Tri Thuc - Deputy Minister of Health is a candidate for Associate Professor of Medicine.

Mr. Nguyen Tri Thuc is an intensive care specialist and former Director of Cho Ray Hospital before being appointed Deputy Minister of Health in mid-2024.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Tri Thuc - candidate for Associate Professor of Medicine in 2025

Mr. Thuc is known for many research topics and applied initiatives in the treatment of critically ill patients, especially in resuscitation, cardiology and trauma emergency.

In the same medical field, Mr. Tran Viet Hung - Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Drug Testing (Ministry of Health) was also proposed to be recognized as a Professor in Pharmacy, with many applied researches in drug testing and pharmaceutical quality management.

In 2024, Mr. Hung was the only candidate proposed for recognition as meeting the standards for the title of Professor in the field of pharmacy, but later submitted an application to withdraw his application.

Experts say the presence of leaders of ministries and sectors in the list of candidates for the title of Professor and Associate Professor is a positive sign for Vietnam’s academic sector. Those who hold administrative positions but still maintain scientific research show the trend of “academic leadership” – a combination of management and specialized knowledge.

The State Council of Professors is expected to complete the appraisal process and announce the official list of new professors and associate professors by the end of 2025.