On the morning of September 25, 2010, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan, along with a delegation from the Government and the Ministry of Education and Training, visited and worked at the school.The Deputy Prime Minister's visit aimed to assess and summarize the two-tier university model and the outstanding achievements of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities over the past 10 years since becoming a member of the Vietnam National University, Hanoi, along with its management system and relationships with member universities. Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh – the Rector of the University – reviewed the important milestones in the University's development, organizational structure, and scale. He also reported on some of the University's outstanding achievements in training, scientific research, international cooperation, facilities, finance, and conditions serving training and research, as well as its development strategy.
In particular, the Rector proposed several recommendations to the working group, including: Promptly issuing a revised Decree on the National University to further affirm the National University model, enhancing its leading role and position as a cornerstone of the national education system. A special investment mechanism and policy are needed to enable the National University in general, and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in particular, to effectively fulfill its leading mission and quickly reach international standards in the second decade of this century. A special policy is needed to attract, train, and cultivate talent, based on granting high autonomy in student recruitment, financial management, and tuition fee control. Allowing for the strengthening of infrastructure in downtown Hanoi, and continuing investment to meet the ever-growing needs while a new campus in Hoa Lac is not yet under construction. The Ministry of Education and Training needs to quickly recognize and grant training codes for several undergraduate and postgraduate programs that the Vietnam National University has piloted and which have been inspected and found to be of good quality. Also at the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister and the delegation listened to nine recommendations from key officials of the University, representatives of the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Science and Technology, focusing on issues such as: the national university model, the autonomy of the Vietnam National University and its member universities, the structure of the teaching staff, mechanisms and policies for staff and civil servants, and the progress of the Hoa Lac campus construction… In his directives at the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan listened to the University's recommendations and directly discussed with key officials the following main issues: The Government always pays special attention to and focuses on the roadmap for the construction and development of the Vietnam National University. However, the University needs to be more proactive and assertive in all areas. Universities need to quickly strengthen their teaching staff, especially the professors, and the role of the Rector in this is extremely important. Autonomy, accountability, and evaluation and supervision are essential. Focus research on urgent issues relevant to the current situation (during the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister directly proposed that the University of Social Sciences and Humanities collaborate with research institutions to establish a research group on "The Vietnamese Family in Current Development: Solutions and Recommendations"). On behalf of the University, Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh accepted the Deputy Prime Minister's directives and will gradually incorporate them into the University's plan to further improve the quality of training. The Rector expressed his hope that the Government and higher-level agencies would create more favorable conditions for the Vietnam National University, Hanoi in general and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in particular to further enhance their autonomy and accountability.
Prior to the working session, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan and the delegation visited several facilities under the University: the Department of History, the Museum of Anthropology, the Film Project, the Center for Journalism and Communication, and observed a class on Han Nom (classical Chinese and Vietnamese script).
