On June 1, 2023, Times Higher Education (THE) published the results of the THE Impact Rankings 2023, according to which Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) improved its ranking compared to 2022. In 2023, overall, VNU is in the 401-600 group globally, with a strong breakthrough in the Quality Education objective, ranking 70th globally, 5th in Southeast Asia, and 1st in Vietnam.
Besides VNU, other Vietnamese higher education institutions are also included in this year's ranking, such as Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Ton Duc Thang University, Phenikaa University, Duy Tan University, FPT University, National Economics University, Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics, and Ho Chi Minh City Open University.
VNU's ranking in the THE Impact Ranking 2023
The THE Impact Rankings aim to measure the success of higher education institutions in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (effective since 2016), calling for global action to build a peaceful, just, and prosperous society. In other words, this ranking assesses the impact and contribution of educational institutions to social development, human development, and environmental protection. In the 2023 ranking, THE Impact Rankings continued to attract the attention of 1,591 higher education institutions worldwide (an increase of 185 institutions compared to the previous ranking).
Also in this ranking period, VNU participated in the ranking of 7 SDGs, including 2 SDGs in the top 100 and 4 SDGs in the top 201-300, specifically as follows:
- SDG 3. Good Health and Wellbeing: ranked in the 801-1000 group out of 1218 educational institutions participating in the ranking.
- SDG 4. Quality Education: ranked 70th out of 1304 educational institutions participating in the ranking.
Results of SDG4: Quality Education of Vietnam National University, Hanoi in the THE Impact Rankings 2023(Source: timeshighereducation.com)
- SDG 5: Gender Equality: ranked 97th out of 1081 educational institutions participating in the ranking.
Results of the SDG5 ranking: Gender Equality of Vietnam National University, Hanoi in the THE Impact Rankings 2023.(Source: timeshighereducation.com)
- SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth: ranked in the 201-300 group out of 960 educational institutions participating in the ranking.
- SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: ranked in the 201-300 group out of 901 educational institutions participating in the ranking.
- SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions: ranked in the 201-300 group out of 910 educational institutions participating in the ranking.
- SDG 17: Partnership for the Goals: ranked in the 201-300 group out of 1625 educational institutions participating in the ranking.
With improved rankings across all participating SDGs, VNU has made significant progress, ranking 401-600 with a score of 70.1 – an increase of 9.1 points compared to the 2022 ranking (61 points). The specific SDGs of VNU selected by THE Impact Rankings for scoring are shown in the image below.
Vietnam National University, Hanoi's ranking results in the THE Impact Rankings 2023 (Source: timeshighereducation.com)
In recent years, more and more Vietnamese higher education institutions have appeared in the THE Impact Ranking, with 9 institutions ranked in 2023 compared to 7 in 2022, 4 in 2021, and only 2 in 2020. Specifically: Vietnam National University, Hanoi (ranked 401-600), Duy Tan University (ranked 401-600), Ton Duc Thang University (ranked 601-800), Hanoi University of Science and Technology (ranked 601-800), National Economics University (ranked 601-800), FPT University (ranked 601-800), Phenikaa University (ranked 801-1000), and 2 universities participating for the first time. The rankings are the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (positions 301-400) and the Open University of Ho Chi Minh City (position 1001+).
Rankings of Vietnamese higher education institutions in THE Impact Rankings 2023 (Source: timeshighereducation.com)
In Southeast Asia, Thailand has 65 higher education institutions included in this ranking, with Chulalongkorn University ranking highest at 17th. Malaysia has 24 higher education institutions, with Universiti Sains Malaysia achieving a remarkable 4th place. Indonesia has 32 higher education institutions, the Philippines has 29, and Cambodia has 1 higher education institution included in this ranking.
The THE Impact Rankings are based on the following criteria:
| SDG |
Content |
| 1 |
No Poverty |
| 2 |
Eliminate hunger (Zero Hunger) |
| 3 |
Good Health and Wellbeing |
| 4 |
Quality Education |
| 5 |
Gender Equality |
| 8 |
Decent Work and Economic Growth |
| 9 |
Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Development |
| 10 |
Reduced Inequalities |
| 11 |
Sustainable Cities and Communities |
| 12 |
Responsible Consumption and Production |
| 13 |
Climate Action |
| 14 |
Water Resources and Environment (Life Below Water) |
| 15 |
Resources and environment on land (Life on Land) |
| 16 |
Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions |
| 17 |
Partnership for the Goals |
Accordingly, the final ranking score of a higher education institution in the ranking is the average of the 17th (mandatory) SDG score (accounting for 22% of the total score) and the three highest scores among the remaining 16 SDGs (each SDG having a weight of 26%).
For each SDG, the accompanying indicators are analyzed and used in the ranking based on four factors:
In March 2023, in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023 (QS WUR by Subject 2023), Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) continued to maintain its leading position in key fields, with six fields remaining ranked compared to 2022. In addition, two VNU fields continued to be ranked: Engineering & Technology and Natural Sciences, with the Natural Sciences field ranking number 1 in Vietnam. Of the six VNU fields that continued to be ranked in the QS WUR by Subject 2023, two maintained their rankings: Computer Science & Information Systems (top 501-550) and Mathematics (top 351-400). Within these six fields, VNU Hanoi continues to maintain its number one position in Vietnam in two areas: Physics and Astronomy, and Business and Management Studies.
In early February 2023, the Cybermetrics Labs (part of the Spanish National Research Council) published its first ranking for 2023. According to this ranking, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) rose 97 places compared to the results published in August 2022, from 758th to 661st in the world, continuing to maintain its number one position in Vietnam. Webometrics is a ranking that assesses the digital transformation capabilities and international publication excellence on the Scopus and Google Scholar systems of higher education institutions worldwide.
