With college application season coming soon here in Vietnam, a plethora of students will be cramming for their exams, jostling to find out what university they want to head to, and seeing where the next step in their educational journey will take them. For many, it’ll be a life changing decision. It’s a tough choice — after high school, students must decide their specialties, to decide what route they want to take.
We here at Vietcetera want to make that step easier. We’ve looked at thousands of data points regarding research academics, reputation, acceptance rate, average salary, and career success to compile a list of notable universities in Vietnam. Let’s have a look.
Hanoi University of Science and Technology
Hanoi University of Science and Technology, or Đại học Bách khoa Hà Nội, or colloquially, HUST, is known by many here as the “MIT of Vietnam.” Founded in 1956, this technical powerhouse is known for its selectivity and successful alumni. In the 2005 national university entrant exam, more than half of the perfect scorers enrolled at HUST, a testament to its prestige and reputation as a premiere institution.
With nearly 40000 students, it is the largest technical university in Vietnam, boasting eight national laboratories and an Olympic sized swimming pool. Academics at HUST is some serious stuff: it has set up cooperation in research and training with the best universities, research institutes, and companies from around the world (more than thirty nations). According to uniRank, it is the fourth best university in Vietnam, only behind powerhouses Can Tho University, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology.
Ho Chi Minh University of Science
Established in 1942, Ho Chi Minh University of Science is a member university of Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City. With programs in scientific research, undergraduate studies, and postgraduate studies, it is a bastion of Vietnamese scientific advancement and knowledge. It comes in at number eight on uniRank. To be admitted to this top tier university, you’ll need to be at the top of your class, academically — Ho Chi Minh University of Science’s admission rate ranges from 0-10%.
Foreign Trade University
Known for its legendary economics program, Foreign Trade University comes in at number 25 on the uniRank list. It was established in 1960, and it currently has campuses in both Ho Chi Minh City and Quang Ninh. Being truly a global university, courses at Foreign Trade University are taught in Vietnamese, English, Japanese, and French. This university offers specializations in economics, business, business administration, finance, banking, and foreign languages, with the goal being to prepare the student body for success in the global business community and economy.
At FTU, they value civic engagement — there are many community development programs and outreach programs, designed to foster cultural and educational exchange among countries all over the world. FTU is a top tier uni, no doubt about that.
Vietnamese National University, Hanoi
One of two national universities, Vietnamese National University, Hanoi (or, for short, VNU Hanoi) is an accredited public university in north Vietnam. It was created by merging the University of Hanoi, Hanoi University of Education and the College of Foreign Languages. VNU Hanoi is known for its science and education department, among many others.
A couple famous alumni from VNU Hanoi are Vietnam People’s Army general Võ Nguyên Giáp and mathematician and winner of the Fields Medal in 2010 Ngô Bảo Châu. This 111 year old academic institution has an admission rate that fluctuates between 20-30%, with the primary factors for admission being entrance exam scores and past GPA.
Can Tho University
Located in the urban setting of metropolis Can Tho in the Mekong Delta, Can Tho University comes in at number one on uniRank. Established in 1966 and accredited by the Ministry of Education and Training, Can Tho University not only supports a cosmopolitan group of students, but it also has phenomenal facilities — nine colleges, two research institutes, and a leading agricultural research center, just to name some of the perks of attending this top-tier uni.
Partly because of its active work in a wide gamut of scientific research projects, many locals consider Can Tho University the cultural, scientific, and technical center of the Delta. Gaining admission to this top dog isn’t an easy task; with an admission rate fluctuating from 0-10%, only the best of the best are welcome here.