Faculty of Journalism and Communication - Integration and Development

Emerging from a prestigious institution specializing in training and research in the social sciences and humanities.

In 1990, the Faculty of Journalism (now the Faculty of Journalism and Communication) was established, marking a significant milestone as it was the first time that journalism training and research was conducted within a university outside the Party school system, and moreover, within a leading university in training and research in social sciences and humanities in Vietnam - Hanoi University (now the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi).

From its early days, the Faculty of Journalism and Communication has gathered a dedicated and enthusiastic team of faculty and staff, many of whom are prominent and reputable scientists such as Prof. Ha Minh Duc, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Duong Xuan Son, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinh Van Huong, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Do Xuan Ha, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vu Quang Hao, Prof. Dr. Do Quang Hung, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thien Giap, Dr. Doan Huong, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Thai, Dr. Trinh Ho Khoa, etc. Prof. Ha Minh Duc, the first Dean of the Faculty, is one of the leading professors in the Social Sciences and Humanities. Professor has published nearly 50 books and has been honored with a State Prize for Literature and Arts (2000), a State Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities Research (2001), and notably, the Ho Chi Minh Prize for Science and Technology (2012) for his body of work: The literary and journalistic career of Ho Chi Minh and some theoretical and practical issues of Vietnamese culture and arts.

The faculty and staff of the Faculty of Journalism and Communication and the leadership of the University.
on Vietnam Press Day, June 21st

The academic knowledge and professional experience of the early professors and doctors laid a solid foundation for the existence and development of the Faculty, helping it to quickly grow and establish its position within the Social Sciences and Humanities sector of the Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Continuing the work of previous generations, the current faculty of the Faculty of Journalism and Communication largely consists of young, dynamic, and enthusiastic staff. 100% of the lecturers hold a Master's degree or higher, with 29% being Associate Professors and 43% holding a Doctorate. Many staff members received professional training in the Soviet Union, the UK, Australia, South Korea, etc., and are reputable experts in the academic and research fields of journalism and communication. Many faculty members have years of experience in journalism, have won journalism awards, and many are still directly working, advising, and supporting central and local press agencies. Besides its full-time faculty, the department also has over 50 part-time and visiting lecturers who are experts in journalism, media management, and many reputable and experienced journalists. In a leading training and research environment for social sciences and humanities in Vietnam, students of the department have access to and are imparted the most fundamental, foundational, and in-depth knowledge of the social sciences and humanities – an important and valuable knowledge base that helps future journalists create articles that resonate with readers, possessing cultural depth and a comprehensive understanding of society.

Training reform: Learner-centered approach, linking theory with practice.

Currently, the Faculty of Journalism and Communication (University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi) is one of the two largest training and research institutions in journalism and communication in Vietnam, offering three levels of study from bachelor's to doctoral degrees in Journalism.

What sets the Faculty of Journalism and Communication apart is that students are comprehensively equipped with skills and expertise in all forms of journalism and communication (from print, radio, and television to online journalism), rather than being divided into specialized departments from the first year. This creates broader opportunities for students upon graduation. Therefore, this model has been and is being applied by both the Faculty of Journalism and Communication (University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City) and the Faculty of Journalism and Communication (Hue University of Science).

Students of the Faculty of Journalism and Communication practice with modern equipment at the Center for Journalism and Communication Professional Training.

The Faculty of Journalism and Communication (University of Social Sciences and Humanities) is the first training institution to conduct joint training in journalism and communication with Guangxi University (China) at the undergraduate level, and is one of the first training institutions in Vietnam to organize international joint training at the master's level in "Media Management" with the University of Stirling (UK).

Since 2013, after successfully developing a Bachelor's program in Public Relations, the Faculty of Journalism and Communication (University of Social Sciences and Humanities) has been the only faculty in Vietnam offering both Journalism and Public Relations programs.

The applied-oriented Master's program in Journalism that the faculty has developed and is preparing to offer will also be the first postgraduate journalism program in Vietnam that focuses on operational subjects and journalistic skills.

The Faculty's training program is designed with an output-based approach, building modules based on societal demands. The Faculty of Journalism and Communication is the first journalism training institution in Vietnam to adopt the credit-based training model (implemented since 2009 and comprehensively adjusted for greater depth since 2012), enabling students to proactively accumulate credits, manage their learning progress, and graduate 6 months to 1 year earlier than the traditional semester-based system.

Since its establishment in 1990, the Faculty has trained over 10,000 full-time and part-time undergraduates, along with more than 350 master's and doctoral graduates, effectively serving the Vietnamese press and media industry. The employment rate for graduates within a year consistently reaches nearly 90%. Over 100 alumni have won national and sectoral journalism awards. Many alumni hold important positions in central and local media organizations, such as leaders of Vietnam Television, Vietnam Radio, Ho Chi Minh City Television, and editors-in-chief and deputy editors-in-chief of various media outlets such as Women's Newspaper, Vietnamnet online newspaper, Customs Newspaper, VietnamPlus, etc.

Over the years, the Faculty of Journalism and Communication has trained thousands of reporters, editors, and media professionals for many localities across the country, from Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen, Ha Nam, Thuong Tin, Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Ho Chi Minh City,… to Ca Mau, effectively contributing to improving the professional skills, expertise, and professional competence of the country's journalists and media professionals.

Infrastructure development has also seen significant improvements, effectively and practically serving the teaching and research of journalism and media. The Faculty proposed a project to invest in the construction of a journalism and media training center, which was approved by the National University with a total investment of nearly 60 billion VND (phases 1 and 2). It has become the most modern and comprehensive journalism and media training facility in Vietnam today. Many student projects in practical courses have been broadcast and published on mass media channels, and many students have chosen to create journalistic products instead of writing their undergraduate theses. The gap between training and practical journalism is gradually narrowing, with theory being more closely linked to practice as the Faculty trains journalists in a miniature newsroom. At the same time, this modern and comprehensive infrastructure is one of the important factors that helps the faculty affirm its training conditions and quality during negotiations for student exchange and recognition of professional training credits with the network of 5 major journalism schools in the region.

Professional research forms the foundation for professional training.

In addition to its training mission, the Faculty of Journalism and Communication is also one of the leading centers for journalism and communication research in the country. Although the faculty staff is not large, they have completed and successfully completed 12 research projects at the Vietnam National University, Hanoi (achieving good and excellent results), and nearly 20 research projects at the university level, also achieving good and excellent results.

Currently, the Faculty of Journalism and Communication is implementing 2 state-level scientific research projects, 6 projects at the Vietnam National University, Hanoi, 1 project funded by the Asia Foundation, and 3 projects at the university level. Over the past 5 years, more than 200 scientific papers by faculty members have been published in scientific, theoretical, and specialized journals, or presented at conferences both domestically and internationally.

This scientific conference is organized by the Faculty of Journalism and Communication, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, in collaboration with the KAS Institute (Federal Republic of Germany).

Over the past five years, the faculty has organized numerous domestic and international scientific conferences, attracting the interest and participation of hundreds of Vietnamese and foreign scientists. Many of these conferences have resonated within the research community, offering recommendations, solutions, and contributions to relevant agencies for managing and promoting the improvement of journalistic quality in Vietnam today, such as the conference "Mass media culture in the context of a market economy and globalization.', “Social responsibility and journalistic ethics in the digital age”, “Models of economic journalism in Vietnam and Germany.”, “Social media, traditional media, and public opinion.”, 'Media management and information providers in the digital age”, “The role and impact of mass media culture on the Vietnamese public and society in the context of a market economy and international integration.”, “Operational skills for industry newspapers”, “Participatory discussion – When the audience is part of the television program." and "Legal issues in public relations activities"..."

The faculty of the department has compiled 20 textbooks and 24 specialized lectures, nearly 30 monographs, and translated more than 15 documents on foreign journalism. The books published by the department have systematically and comprehensively established fundamental issues in research and practice of journalism and media in Vietnam today, effectively serving the training and research of journalism, for example, 'Journalism – Theoretical and Practical Issues” (9 episodes), “Time and Witnesses” (3 episodes), 'Theoretical foundations of journalism and media” (reprinted 4 times), “News genres”, “Main genres of essays”, “Artistic genres”, “Journalistic language”, “Marx, Engels, and Lenin discussed literature and journalism.”, “Ho Chi Minh's literary and journalistic career"...Many books have been reprinted numerous times, effectively serving the study and research of journalism and media in Vietnam. With these results, the department has provided nearly 80% of textbooks, lectures, and specialized materials, many of which are not only essential reading for the department's students but also serve as handbooks for lecturers and students at many other universities."

Cooperation, integration, and development

The Faculty of Journalism and Communication (University of Social Sciences and Humanities) is one of the major hubs for international exchange in research and training in journalism and communication in Vietnam, with cooperative partnerships with many foreign media organizations such as Reuters (UK), AFP (France), and many leading journalism training institutions worldwide such as the University of Southern California (USA), City University London, Stirling University, Bournemouth University (UK),... and foreign organizations such as the British Council, the British, US, and Singaporean Embassies, the Konrad Adenauer Institute (Germany)...

Richard Kilborn, professor at the University of Stirling (UK), gave a presentation on the topic "Participation Agreements - When the Audience is Involved".
as part of a television program with students from the Faculty of Journalism and Communication.

Dozens of staff members have been sent to attend long-term and short-term training courses in the UK, Australia, South Korea, India, Sweden, the US, Japan, Thailand, China, and other countries. Many international cooperation projects have been implemented, notably the 'Assisting the Development of Journalism Training Schools in Vietnam' project (funded by the SASAKAWA Peace Foundation, Japan), the Vietnam History Research Project (funded by the Toyota Foundation), the MediaPro Project – Building a Journalism Training Framework according to international standards (funded by the British Council), and the Young Journalists Capacity Building Project (funded by the US Embassy). The results of these cooperation projects include the publication of numerous monographs, the training of dozens of staff members to improve their teaching skills both domestically and internationally, and the gradual revision and improvement of journalism training frameworks to align with the development trends of the global and Vietnamese media industry.

The Faculty of Journalism and Communication is gradually joining the network of five major journalism schools in the region, and in the near future, these five schools will exchange students and recognize practical training credits in each other's undergraduate programs. This is one of the steps the Faculty is taking to continuously improve the quality of its training to be on par with regional and international standards.

Over 25 years of establishment and development, the Faculty of Journalism and Communication has achieved many encouraging accomplishments and has been honored with the Third-Class Labor Medal (2015), Certificates of Merit from the Prime Minister (2009), Certificates of Merit from Hanoi National University (2000, 2005, 2010, 2013, 2015), Certificates of Merit from the Central Propaganda Department (2015), the Vietnam Journalists Association (2015), and the People's Committee of Ca Mau province (2015). The profound lessons that have led to the Faculty's success today are the spirit of unity, consensus, and close ties among generations of faculty and students; the responsible, dedicated, dynamic, and effective work ethic of the staff and lecturers; the diligent, serious, open-minded, eager-to-learn, and creative efforts of the students and trainees of the Faculty of Journalism and Communication; and the collaborative support of many forces both inside and outside the Faculty.

The Faculty of Journalism and Communication will continue to leverage its internal strengths and collective power, maintain unity and stability, capitalize on advantages, and overcome difficulties to build and develop the Faculty in depth and towards standardization and modernization of all aspects of its work within the overall development of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and Vietnam National University, Hanoi, in line with the research-oriented university model.