Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presents the Decision appointing Associate Professor Bui The Duy as Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
Also attending the event were Deputy Prime Ministers Tran Hong Ha, Le Thanh Long, Mai Van Chinh, and Ho Quoc Dung; representatives from ministries, agencies, the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, and Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
The new Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Bui The Duy, has just been appointed by the Prime Minister.
Decision No. 529/QD-TTg dated March 31, 2026.
Associate Professor Bui The Duy, born in 1978 in Ha Tinh province, is an Associate Professor and Doctor of Computer Science with advanced political theory qualifications. He is a reserve member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam in the 13th and 14th terms and has held many important leadership and management positions in the field of science and technology in the country.
Prior to his appointment as Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Associate Professor Bui The Duy had worked for nearly 8 years as Deputy Minister of Science and Technology (from 2018 to January 2026), and was subsequently transferred and appointed by the Prime Minister as Vice President of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology.
As a scientist who matured within a university environment, Associate Professor Bui The Duy previously served as the Head of the Faculty of Information Technology - University of Technology, Vietnam National University, Hanoi; and was also the founder and head of the Human-Machine Interaction Research Laboratory, making significant contributions to the development of modern information technology research directions.
During his studies, as a former student of the High School for Gifted Students in Natural Sciences, he quickly demonstrated outstanding abilities in the field of natural sciences, winning two Bronze Medals at the International Informatics Olympiad in 1995 (in the Netherlands) and 1996 (in Hungary). Subsequently, he received a government scholarship to study at a university in Australia, successfully defended his doctoral thesis in the Netherlands at the age of 26, and was recognized as an Associate Professor at the age of 31.
Besides research and teaching activities, the new Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi also held many important management positions such as Director of the Vietnam Youth Academy, Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Science and Technology, before being appointed as Deputy Minister of Science and Technology from April 2018.
Having held various positions ranging from research and university teaching to state administration, Associate Professor Dr. Bui The Duy is regarded as an official with innovative thinking, strategic vision, and management experience in formulating policies for the development of science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation.
Throughout his studies, research, and work, Associate Professor Dr. Bui The Duy has achieved many outstanding accomplishments in the field of information technology and the training of scientific and technological personnel. He was one of the young scientists awarded the Golden Globe Science and Technology Award in 2006 in the field of information and communication technology. In addition, he was one of the 10 outstanding young Vietnamese in 2009 and was honored as one of the 10 outstanding citizens of Hanoi in 2011.
Comrade Bui The Duy has also received numerous Certificates of Commendation from the Prime Minister and the Minister of Science and Technology for his contributions to research, training, and policy planning for the development of science, technology, and innovation.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh assessed Comrade Bui The Duy as a young, experienced manager and scientist, a graduate of a university, well-trained, with a solid academic foundation, and having held many important positions.
Presenting the appointment decision, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh congratulated Comrade Bui The Duy on being entrusted by the Party and the State with the important responsibility of leading the Vietnam National University, Hanoi - the country's leading center for training, scientific research and innovation, with a core role in leading the Vietnamese higher education system.
Stating that this is a great honor, but also demands a very high responsibility, the Prime Minister assessed Comrade Bui The Duy as a young, experienced manager and scientist. He is a scientist who rose through the ranks of university, received thorough training, possesses a solid academic foundation, and has held many important positions.
Throughout his career, he has demonstrated innovative thinking, strategic vision, and a deep understanding of education, training, science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation; making significant contributions to scientific research, human resource training, and policy planning for the development of science and technology in the country.
The appointment of Comrade Bui The Duy as Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) reflects the great trust and expectations of the Party, State, Government, and Prime Minister in him; it is also an important task for the development of VNU in the new phase.
The Prime Minister stated that, with its 120-year tradition, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) has affirmed its position as a leading center for training, scientific research, and innovation in the country; a place for the convergence, nurturing, and dissemination of knowledge, making a significant contribution to the cause of national construction and defense.
Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) has been a pioneer and exemplary institution in concretizing and effectively implementing the Party's resolutions, especially those on science, technology, innovation, digital transformation, education and training, and building a team of intellectuals. With the motto "Pioneering - Innovation - Humanism - Excellence - Service," VNU has achieved many important results in training high-quality human resources, developing cutting-edge scientific fields, building an innovation ecosystem, and continuously improving its position and ranking on international lists. These results clearly reflect the effectiveness of VNU's innovation process and the improvement of teaching and learning quality.
Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) has also made many efforts to innovate its university governance model, develop research universities, promote comprehensive digital transformation, and gradually approach international standards; playing an important role in implementing the three strategic breakthroughs set forth by the Party, especially the breakthrough in high-quality human resources, linked to the development of science, technology and innovation.
The Prime Minister requested that Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) play a pioneering and exemplary role in reforming thinking and implementation; uphold intellectual capacity, value time, act with high determination and decisive action; and simultaneously develop a development plan with a 100-year vision, encompassing the VNU urban area, guiding training programs and objectives, scientific research programs, and a strategy for developing the intellectual workforce. In particular, the Prime Minister emphasized that talented individuals are the lifeblood of the nation, and that the human factor should be considered the most important element contributing to the development of the country's intellectual workforce over the next 100 years; as well as key industries serving double-digit growth and the two strategic goals of the 100-year period.
The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers congratulate the new Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
The Prime Minister requested Comrade Bui The Duy and the leaders of Vietnam National University, Hanoi to maximize their capabilities, set a leading example, and focus on successfully completing a number of tasks.
Firstly, we must continue to strengthen unity and cohesion, build a clean and strong Party organization, promote democracy and collective intelligence, and uphold the qualities and exemplary responsibilities of the leaders and the leadership team.
Secondly, we must focus on proactively developing plans and implementing quickly, vigorously, and effectively the resolutions of the 14th Party Congress and the Politburo's thematic resolutions on science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, education and training, state-owned and private economic development, and international integration…
Thirdly, we must promote the development of research universities and innovative universities, closely linking training, research, and application; placing students at the center, teachers as the driving force, and the university as the foundation; and closely linking universities, the government, and businesses.
Fourth, leverage its role as a major national knowledge center, proactively participate in advising and critiquing policies, and contribute intellectual resources to the Party and State in formulating strategic guidelines for national development in general, and in education and science and training in particular.
Fifth, clearly stating that in the long-term development strategy, the construction of the Vietnam National University urban area in Hoa Lac is of great importance, becoming a crucial knowledge hub of Hanoi and the whole country, the Prime Minister assigned the Vietnam National University to be the pioneer and leader in this with the "5-in-1" orientation of the university urban area: a center for talent training; a center for modern technology transfer and research; a center for innovation on par with national and international standards; a smart and modern university city; and a center for testing public-private partnerships and research and training, combining three parties: the university, the state, and businesses.
Sixth, continue to vigorously innovate university governance, moving towards smart governance in line with new development trends; setting an example in building a model university.
The Prime Minister affirmed that the Government is always committed to accompanying the Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) in its rapid and sustainable development, fulfilling its mission in the best possible way, for the cause of education and training of the country. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hoped that VNU would be a pioneer in the country's education and training sector, becoming a leading research and innovation university in the region, gradually reaching world-class standards, and joining the top 500 universities in the world; worthy of being a "center for the convergence of intellectual excellence" and spreading benefits to the community, society, and the country.
The new Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Bui The Duy, pledged to make the utmost effort, uphold responsibility, maintain integrity, and set a good example in his work; together with the Party Committee, the Board of Directors, and all staff, lecturers, and students of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, to focus on implementing key tasks, developing Vietnam National University, Hanoi to live up to the trust and expectations of the Party, the State, the Government, and the Prime Minister, and making practical contributions to the cause of national construction and defense.
In his acceptance speech, Comrade Bui The Duy expressed his honor at being entrusted by the Party, the State, and the Prime Minister with the important responsibility of serving as Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU); he sincerely thanked the Prime Minister and other leaders for their attention, trust, and thorough, specific, and comprehensive guidance to VNU. The VNU leadership team seriously and fully absorbed this guidance and identified it as the guiding principle for all actions in the coming period.
The new Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) stated that he is well aware that students desire an increasingly better learning environment; faculty members expect more favorable conditions for teaching, contributing, and conducting research; and the Party and State place high expectations on VNU. In light of these demands, VNU still has many tasks to undertake to meet these expectations and gradually enhance its international standing.
According to Comrade Bui The Duy, in the current context, as the country enters a new phase with higher demands and greater goals, science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation are becoming the main drivers of growth. Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) is entrusted with the responsibility of being a leading center for training, research, and innovation, aiming to be among the world's top universities. This is a great opportunity, but also a great challenge and responsibility, requiring new thinking, new approaches, and strong determination to act.
Comrade Bui The Duy pledged to make the utmost effort, uphold responsibility, maintain integrity, and set a good example in his work; together with the Party Committee, the Board of Directors, and all staff, lecturers, and students of Vietnam National University, Hanoi, to focus on implementing the key tasks assigned by the Prime Minister; to develop Vietnam National University, Hanoi, worthy of the trust and expectations of the Party, the State, the Government, and the Prime Minister, and to make practical contributions to the cause of national construction and defense.
>>> Details of Decision No. 529/QD-TTg dated March 31, 2026 can be found here.
