VNU Portal would like to introduce VNU's President welcome message.

The Covid-19 epidemic has caused profound changes in the traditional views to and ways in higher education (HE) operation; it is also a test of HE leadership skills and adaptability. A crisis of higher education is highly possible if HE institutions have no preparation and strong development of internal resources. In adaptation to the new situation, the factors that keep the development pace of higher education institutions are digital skills, knowledge and technology platform. Under such circumstances, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) has set the goal of becoming the country’s major centre with regional and international prestige of innovation, application and technology transfer as well as an important entity in the national innovation start-up ecosystem to make contributions to the country's socio-economic development.

With great efforts to assert its position, VNU has overcome the academic year’s challenges and largely completed its set tasks and goals.

With its determination and perseverance in synchronous innovation in all aspects, in the 2021 academic year, VNU’s training quality continued to be highly appreciated by the society. VNU's unique pioneering and innovative training models received positive feedback from both the learner and society. The structure of training careers has had a breakthrough development, shifting towards adapting to the digital transformation revolution, increasing applicability, start-up and innovation ability. VNU’s units linked their training with the labour market, proactively grasped the needs of enterprises and developed training programs involving the participation of enterprises to ensure outcome quality.

VNU continued to offer talented, advanced, high-quality and international standard training programs. The development of these programs was aimed at training high-quality human resources for the domestic and international labour market to meet social requirements in the process of integration and globalization. In addition, the expansion of interdisciplinary training programs made contributions to the provision of high-quality human resources with interdisciplinary thinking and intelligence for key economic sectors of the country.

VNU has established its development direction as a research- and innovation-oriented university. Accordingly, international publications, inventions and knowledge transfer were increasingly promoted. VNU’s innovation value chains have been promoted with outstanding results. The enormous intellectual property transferred into practice by VNU scientists has contributed effective solutions to practical social issues.

In 2021, VNU focused on investing in science and technology potentials. Many incentive mechanisms, compensation and benefit policies for scientists have been implemented to effectively promote science and technology potentials. The large number of highly-qualified scholars at VNU satisfies criteria of a research university; among them many leading experts and internationally-recognized scientists are able to implement breakthrough research as well as key tasks. VNU increasingly promoted the development of a large, interdisciplinary laboratory system, including the building of a 22.9-hectare laboratory system in Hoa Lac, to innovate research linked to enterprises’ needs and help solve major issues of the country as well as generate scientific and technological products for practical use.

VNU continued to demonstrate its national responsibility through chairing and implementing key research programs of great humanistic values, of scientific and practical significance to the country’s development, namely the National Project for Sustainable Development of the Northwest, the Vietnam National Gazetteer project, the project of Developing the Vietnamese Studies Learning Resource Centre, the Translation and Promotion of the Quintessence of Oriental Classics project, the national-level key program attracting investments in economic development of coastal provinces,  among others.

In the past year, VNU's organizational structure continued to be improved. Pursuant to Resolution No. 3768/NQ-HĐ dated November 24, 2021 by VNU Council, on December 1, 2021, VNU President signed and promulgated Decision No. 3868/QD-DHQGHN on the establishment of the International School and Decision No. 3869/QĐ-ĐHQGHN on the establishment of the School of Business and Administration. In addition, VNU issued an Official dispatch No. 3801/DHQGHN-TCCB dated November 26, 2021 requesting the Ministry of Education and Training to consider and support the completion of the Project on establishing VNU University of Law on the basis of the School of Law for subsequent submission to the Prime Minister for approval.

The enhancement of the S.L.U.B quadripartite cooperation among the State, Localities, University, and Businesses has affirmed the actual effectiveness of VNU's activities. VNU continued to attract resources from business partners such as Vingroup, Viettel Group, T&T Group, Vietcombank, BIDV, etc. for scholarship and sponsorship to VNU’s training programs and major projects.

The achievements in all activities in the past academic year have helped VNU strongly strive, affirm its reputation as well as establish its position as the leading university in Vietnam and feature among top universities in the region and the world. Over the past year, VNU's places in the world’s prestigious rankings have been either maintained or improved. VNU has constantly ranked No. 1 in Vietnam and recently featured among 801-1,000 best global universities according to the Times Higher Education Rankings (THE) and Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings (QS). VNU’s international rankings by subject have also been improved with a number of subjects listed among the world’s Top 500. Also, according to the THE Rankings, VNU's indicators of teaching, scientific research and international outlook were the best among those of the ranked Vietnamese higher education institutions. Especially, VNU featured in Group 101 - 150 universities by the most recent QS Top Under-50 University Rankings.

In response to the complicated Covid-19 epidemic, VNU has issued policies to promptly encourage, support and accompany its officials and employees to overcome difficulties and return to normal work and life, mitigating the negative impacts of the pandemic. Furthermore, in order to implement a preferential policy for highly-qualified scientists, besides the State's policies, VNU has developed a set of additional preferential policies for professors and associate professors, including health care policy. More attention to benefits for VNU faculty is also demonstrated through extensive polls on the draft of faculty working regulations.

VNU has always been ready to join hands with the country to cope with emerging challenges. VNU scientists, lecturers and students joined the frontline against the Covid-19 epidemic. In addition, VNU's units, scientists and experts have actively taken specific actions, namely conducting advisory research, providing the community with supportive consultation on the Covid-19 prevention and response to the epidemic. Many scientific works with a close connection between basic science and interdisciplinary research have made valuable contributions to the community’s health promotion, medical treatment as well as the Covid-19 prevention.

Notably, as a flagship in the national higher education system, VNU has coordinated with its partners to build and develop platforms to support the national education system; spread and develop quality culture; be the link between learners and employers through the online Primary education support channel, the Vocational and Higher Education Quality Hub, the Vietnamese language training channel for Vietnamese overseas nationals, the Business connecting and support platform, among others.

The fact that the 2021-2022 academic year commenced amid the complicated Covid-19 epidemic was a big challenge to VNU, which required more creative solutions to ensure the quality and effectiveness of its training and scientific research in the "new normal situation" as well as to develop its research and innovation-oriented university model.

On behalf of VNU's leaders, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the leaders of the Party, the State, and the Government for their attention, guidance and facilitation for VNU’s development; to the concerned ministries, sectors and agencies for their support and collaboration with VNU; to domestic and foreign partners for their effective cooperation with VNU over the past year; and to all VNU’s staff, lecturers, scientists and students for their contributions to the development of VNU.

Wishing you all a healthy, happy, and successful new year!

Best regards,

Le Quan

VNU Party Committee Secretary,

VNU President