The VNU model: affirming the essence of modern higher education.

Professor, what are the reasons behind the need for a new university model like the Vietnam National University, Hanoi?

In the early 1990s, the entire country was undergoing reforms. Education, and higher education in particular, was also entering a period of reform. When discussing the restructuring of the university system, new ideas began to emerge from the country's top leaders. Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet – a renowned reformist prime minister at the time – envisioned building a strong university center for high-quality training and scientific research, likened to a "steel fist" that would create a breakthrough in the development of Vietnamese higher education.

Previously, Vietnam's higher education system developed on the basis of single-discipline universities, suitable for a centrally planned economy; training human resources according to a plan aimed at working in specific job positions within the system of industries. With the transition to a market economy, the demand for human resources changed, and the economy needed workers who could flexibly switch careers. Therefore, we must equip students with professional knowledge on a broad general knowledge base. This reality led to the need to restructure the university system, necessitating the establishment of a number of multi-disciplinary universities to train human resources in this direction.

On the other hand, in the history of modern Vietnamese higher education, the University of Indochina under French rule was a multidisciplinary university. Many students and lecturers of the University of Indochina were very famous predecessors such as General Vo Nguyen Giap, the late General Secretary Truong Chinh, the late President of Laos Souphanouvong, the famous scientist Louis Pasteur, Professor Ton That Tung, Professor Ho Dac Di… After the August Revolution, the University of Indochina developed into the National University of Vietnam of the independent Vietnamese State. Thus, the model of the National University inherited from a university that already existed in the history of national education.

In fact, the re-establishment of a high-quality, multidisciplinary university (inheriting from the former Indochina University and Vietnam National University) based on the development of Hanoi University – which was a leading university in the field of basic sciences – to fulfill the mission of leading the innovation of higher education in Vietnam was also the aspiration of a large number of educators at that time.

So, in the founders' initial vision, what were the distinctive characteristics of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, compared to existing universities?

It must certainly be different and a modern university model, in line with global university development trends. In our view, Vietnam National University, Hanoi must meet three criteria: Firstly, it must have a structure.multidisciplinary, multi-sectoral,This means there must be fields of natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, engineering, technology, economics, law, medicine, etc.; secondly, there must be training and scientific research withhigh quality, high levelTo be worthy of its role as the leading force in educational reform in the country; Thirdly, to operate according toa mechanism of high autonomy and accountabilityThis means having the resources and motivation for development based on priority investment from the State in terms of infrastructure, finance, teaching staff, and most importantly, being granted autonomous management and operational mechanisms.

Such a new university model must have generated a lot of controversy, and what difficulties did those implementing it face at the time, Professor?

That's right. The establishment of Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) faced skepticism, even opposition, from many agencies and leaders. People wondered where VNU – with its unique professional structure and operating mechanism unlike other universities – should be placed within the education system.

The model was also new to those tasked with building the Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU). Several options had been proposed to create a multi-disciplinary structure for VNU, including the idea of ​​merging nearly a dozen key universities in Hanoi (Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi National University of Education, Hanoi University of Technology, Hanoi Medical University, National Economics University, etc.). However, merging universities was an exceptionally difficult task. Ultimately, the government decided to start with the first three universities: Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi University of Education, and Hanoi University of Foreign Languages. But in reality, these universities all belonged to the field of basic sciences, and not only did they not complement each other, but their professional structures also overlapped and conflicted.

Implementing a high degree of autonomy at Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) was also very challenging and encountered many obstacles because at that time there was no precedent for a university directly under the Government with the right to make independent decisions on many issues in training, scientific research, international cooperation, as well as in personnel organization and financial planning… At that time, the concept of high-quality education (CLC) was also very vague: what was CLC and what was the path to achieving CLC?

Thus, all three initial criteria for the Vietnam National University, Hanoi were conceived in a very simplistic way, and their implementation was fraught with difficulties and challenges. In particular, the reorganization and development of the professional structure was extremely complex. In this difficult context, there were thoughts of restoring the University of Hanoi and dissolving the Vietnam National University, Hanoi model.

Professor, what is the solution to resolve these issues?

After a period of being "stuck" in the restructuring of the Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU), the VNU Party Committee decided to change the development method of the multi-disciplinary, multi-field structure towards leveraging internal strengths and building new fields based on existing disciplines. The first Congress of the VNU Party Committee initially advocated establishing faculties directly under VNU in new fields, gradually developing them and upgrading them to member schools when conditions were met. A series of faculties were subsequently established: the Faculty of Technology was established on the basis of the Faculty of Information Technology and the Faculty of Electronics and Telecommunications of the University of Science; the Faculty of Economics and the Faculty of Law developed from the Faculty of Political Economy and the Faculty of Law of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities; the Faculty of Education was completely newly established… The strength was still identified as basic sciences, while other fields were not developed comprehensively or broadly, but only in the most modern and cutting-edge directions.

This can be considered a major initiative of the Party Committee of Vietnam National University, Hanoi in its search for a suitable path forward. Thanks to this, the multi-disciplinary and multi-field structure has been effectively and firmly established.

So how has Vietnam National University, Hanoi implemented the criteria for quality assurance?

CLC (Competency-Based Learning) is also a challenging issue that VNU has had to painstakingly address, both conceptually and in terms of implementation. The perspective on CLC is defined as:"The overall quality of all sectors and fields is high, and in particular, the quality of basic science, high technology, and key economic and social sectors must be among the best in the country, on par with the region, and gradually approaching international standards."To date, persistently pursuing the goal of high-quality education, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) has implemented numerous initiatives to improve the quality of its training towards international standards. Following this path, VNU's natural sciences and life sciences fields have achieved high rankings on the QS Asia rankings. Several academic disciplines have been accredited according to AUN standards. Currently, the Strategic Task Project has selected several undergraduate and postgraduate disciplines to focus investment on developing to international standards, thereby spreading and creating a high overall quality for VNU. Thus, VNU has initially successfully addressed the criteria for high-quality training and scientific research.

Professor, what is the significance of the National University model being recognized in the 2013 Law on Higher Education for Vietnam National University, Hanoi in particular and for Vietnamese higher education in general?

The Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) has affirmed its position in a document with the highest legal standing. The Law on Higher Education not only recognizes multi-disciplinary universities as a type of higher education institution, but also defines the three initial criteria of VNU as characteristic of the VNU model. This is an enormous achievement of the collective leadership and staff of VNU throughout the years, affirming the recognition of society and the State for the model and quality of VNU's training. VNU is also the first educational institution to be awarded the Golden Star Medal. VNU has asserted itself through its operational results. In particular, the way VNU asserts itself through the brand of high-quality education is very impressive, because before that, no one in our country had defined what high-quality education was. But VNU has succeeded, not only offering a rational approach but also implementing it in practice, gaining international recognition through quality accreditation according to AUN standards and international university ranking systems.

It is worth noting that VNU has formulated a development strategy with a specific path to gradually establish itself. The understanding of VNU's leadership regarding the VNU model has also changed significantly compared to the early period.

This event also contributes to affirming the nature of modern Vietnamese higher education, which emphasizes the autonomy and accountability of higher education institutions, aiming for all universities to enjoy the same autonomy as the National University. Many rights previously reserved only for the National University have now been granted to other universities, such as autonomy in student admissions, diploma printing, and the signing of doctoral and master's degrees. Based on the example of the National Universities, the Higher Education Law has granted additional necessary autonomy to other universities. The Vietnam National University, Hanoi has successfully fulfilled its responsibility as a pioneer and the leading force in the reform of Vietnamese education. The inclusion of the National University in the Law accurately reflects the nature and characteristics of modern higher education: autonomy and accountability are inherent attributes of higher education institutions.

According to the professor, what should Vietnam National University, Hanoi focus on in the coming period?

Of the three criteria, the multi-disciplinary and multi-field structure has been fundamentally established. The mechanism of high autonomy and accountability has also been enshrined in the Law. Only the criterion of achieving regional-level quality and progressing towards international standards remains. The Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) has only "touched" upon some areas at the regional level; reaching international standards is a long process. Achieving international-level training quality is a crucial goal that still requires significant effort. Through accreditation and ranking, we have made significant progress, reaching what can be considered regional-level standards; now we need to strive for international standards, as outlined in the Strategic Task Plan. Stronger disciplines should advance first, weaker ones later. International integration must be understood in this way, not just as participating in the common activities of the international community.

Professor, could you use a few concise words to describe the 20-year journey of Vietnam National University, Hanoi?

Twenty years is not a long time for a higher education institution. But in my opinion, what Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) has experienced to date is extraordinary, considering the results and achievements, especially the difficulties and challenges overcome. This extraordinary achievement is due to the dedication, perseverance, unwavering determination, and creativity of the leadership, faculty, and students throughout the years. With such people, the future of VNU is very bright.

Thank you, Professor!