Growing up from Van Lang - value creators

Over the past thirty years, the picture of Vietnam's higher education has changed profoundly with the process of innovation and integration. From a centralized university system and subsidy mechanism, Vietnam's education has gradually shifted to an open model - diversifying types, increasing autonomy and encouraging socialization.

In 1995, in the wave of innovation and socialization of education, Van Lang University was established - among the first five private schools in the country, marking a turning point when non-public institutions began to participate in supplying human resources for the market economy . Van Lang soon demonstrated an autonomous university model, connecting with the community in the context of Vietnam's educational innovation.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training , the proportion of students studying at non-public higher education institutions has increased from about 18–19% in 2019 to 22.76% in 2024, and is expected to reach 30% in 2030 – reflecting the growing role of the private sector in the national higher education structure. The number of private schools accredited and participating in international rankings is increasing rapidly.

In that context, Van Lang University is considered one of the few non-public institutions that have developed steadily and sustainably over the past three decades. Up to now, the school has trained more than 156,000 engineers, bachelors, masters, architects, pharmacists and doctors, providing quality human resources for many fields: technology, economics, communications, culture - arts and health.

Stories of alumni starting businesses, participating in international research or working in creative fields are vivid snapshots, demonstrating the diversity and adaptability of learners in a rapidly changing labor market.

Three decades of development of the non-public university system have contributed to the formation of a dynamic, autonomous and integrated learner force. At Van Lang University alone, 26 graduating classes with nearly 78,000 alumni and graduate students have entered the labor market, present in many different fields at home and abroad - from engineering technology, business, communications, social sciences, to health and tourism .

Today’s university education is not only about providing professional knowledge, but also about creating real value – through innovation, social entrepreneurship, or community service projects. The training model at Van Lang University clearly reflects this trend by focusing on connecting businesses, building a startup ecosystem, and encouraging students to participate in applied research.

Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Thi My Dieu - Principal of Van Lang University, stated that in addition to the role of training human resources, the school aims to become a center of innovation associated with the community: "Van Lang regularly cooperates with businesses and organizations to implement projects serving the community, from volunteer programs, social startups to sustainable development projects in the locality. Through that, knowledge from the classroom is applied to solve practical problems, contributing to improving the quality of life."

From the first generation to today's young students, the journey of Van Lang alumni reflects the diversity in career paths - from management, law, environment to design, innovation and research.

Businesswoman Le Anh Tho - a first-year student of Tourism, was one of the first workers to enter the service - tourism sector during the period of Vietnam's opening up. At the age of 24, she became the Front Office Manager of the 5-star Sofitel hotel system, then continued to take on management roles at the British Council, the Mathnasium system (USA) and high-end brands of PNJ. She shared: "The decision to study at Van Lang in 1995 was my turning point. The training program in the US and the knowledge from experienced lecturers helped me feel confident when entering the international hotel environment and starting my professional management career."

Continuing the spirit of "learning to practice", Nguyen Huu Phu , a student majoring in Economic Law, and a group of friends founded Van Lang Law Training - Investment - Consulting LLC when he was a senior student, proactively creating jobs for young classmates.

From the engineering sector, MSc. Lam Tuan Qui - graduated in Environmental Technology, founded Van Lang Industrial Waste Treatment and Environmental Consulting Company Limited in 2000. The enterprise he built is currently participating in many industrial waste treatment projects and environmental consulting for production facilities in the South, gathering a team of engineers, most of whom are former students of the same school.

In the field of business administration, MSc. Ly Quang Thang , a former student of the 9th course of Business Administration, now the Global Human Resources Director of Katalon LLC, said that his learning experience at Van Lang helped him adapt quickly to the international business environment. According to him, the quality of training is clearly reflected in the way businesses receive and evaluate students after graduation. In addition to professional knowledge, extracurricular activities and experiential environments have supported learners to practice soft skills - factors that are increasingly required by the labor market. He also emphasized the role of the alumni network in orienting students' career attitudes, from the initial stage of enrollment until they are ready to join the workforce.

The young generation of students of Van Lang University today continues to expand their footprint in the fields of creativity and research. Tran Thi Chi , a former student of Architecture, won the First Prize of the International Graduation Project Award 2023 and received a master's scholarship at Polytechnic University of Milan (Italy). Van Lang University has been training in Architecture since 1995, and is among the few schools licensed to train and award Architects degrees specializing in architectural construction. At the graduate level, Van Lang is the second school in the Southern region to be licensed to train and award Master of Architecture degrees. The training program is built towards approaching global design standards, in the context of the architecture industry increasingly emphasizing interdisciplinary thinking and integration capabilities.

Tran Thi Chi - Alumni of Course 24, Architecture major won First Prize in the International Graduation Project Award 2023

Phung Vi Khang , a former student of Interior Design, is currently the Art Director of programs such as Anh Trai Vuon Ngan Chong Gai, Chi Dep Dap Gio Re Song 2023 and Tet Dep 2024 - representing a young, high-quality workforce in the Vietnamese creative industry. The Faculty of Fine Arts & Design of Van Lang University is known for its project-based and in-depth practice-based training program, constantly updated to keep up with international design trends. This is also one of the University's strengths, with two fields ranked highly by QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025: Performing Arts in the 51-100 group in the world and Art & Design in the 101-150 group in the world.

Phung Vi Khang - Former student of Course 24, Interior Design major is the Art Director of many famous music programs/products.

In the context of higher education strengthening cooperation and expanding academic exchanges, many alumni of Van Lang University are working at international research institutes and scientific organizations. Dr. Dang Huyen Chau , a former student of the 13th course of Environmental Science, is currently a researcher at the Leibniz Institute (Germany) - one of the major scientific institute systems in Europe. In 2011, while still a Van Lang student, Huyen Chau and her research team carried out the project "Reusing coffee grounds to produce recycled products", and this project won an award at Falling Walls Lab 2016 in Berlin (Germany). Looking back on her learning and research journey, Dr. Dang Huyen Chau shared: "Van Lang is not only a place to impart knowledge, but also a place to nurture the soul, arouse the spirit of academic freedom and the desire to excel in each generation of students."

After three decades of formation and development, the alumni community of Van Lang University is present in many different fields. Thousands of alumni have become influential experts, entrepreneurs, artists, and designers.

In addition to their professional activities, many alumni maintain strong ties with the school through teaching, advising, recruiting and academic support. There are currently more than 186 alumni working at Van Lang, along with thousands of other alumni regularly participating in career orientation and business cooperation programs – contributing to spreading the spirit of "Van Lang people" in the community.

The Van Lang Alumni Business Club was established in August 2025, with 261 founding members, bringing together entrepreneurs, founders, and experts in many fields to promote professional cooperation and support start-up initiatives. From this foundation, many connection programs have been implemented such as "VLU Future Leaders" - a mentor-mentee model between alumni and new graduates; "VLU CafeBiz" exchange series, "Company Insight Tour" trips, alumni business recruitment days, "Raising the Generation" forum, or scholarship funds to support disadvantaged students. These activities contribute to narrowing the gap between the classroom and the labor market, helping learners approach their careers early.

Over three decades of formation and development, Van Lang University has become one of the largest private universities in Vietnam, associated with the philosophy: "Through experiential learning, training comprehensive people, capable of lifelong learning, ethics, influence and bringing positive change to the community." The school currently implements more than 100 multidisciplinary and multi-level training programs in 8 fields, which are compared with international university programs. In recent years, Van Lang has continued to improve academic quality, develop in-depth research and expand cooperation, gradually enhancing its position in the regional higher education community.

Van Lang's learning environment meets international quality accreditation standards and is recognized by many prestigious ranking systems: Top 251 universities in Asia (QS Asia University Rankings 2026), Top 1001–1200 universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2026) and Top 601–800 in the world for sustainable development impact (THE Impact Rankings). Van Lang University also achieved international certifications such as FIBAA (Switzerland, 2024) and 4-star QS Stars in the first accreditation (2021). The first thirty years are the foundation for Van Lang to affirm its stature, the next thirty years will be a journey to expand influence, nurture the spirit of humanity – creativity – integration, towards building a knowledge community that actively contributes to the future of Vietnam.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/truong-thanh-tu-van-lang-nhung-nguoi-kien-tao-gia-tri-185251117125137465.htm