The Ministry of Education and Training has said the schools will be assigned specific missions and subject to evaluation and not conferred automatic recognition, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Le Quan said at a conference on Aug. 10.

Under a higher education development strategy being drawn up by the ministry, Vietnam is expected to get three to five "elite" universities.

La Manh Hung, Chairman of VinDynamics, presents a humanoid robot on stage at the 2026 graduation ceremony of VinUniversity on June 27, 2026. Photo courtesy of the university

Prof. Nguyen Tien Thao, head of the ministry's higher education department, said these institutions are expected to "conduct cutting-edge research that can compete internationally, play a leading role, provide high-quality human resources and science and technology products, and have an impact on the economy."

Many experts agreed with these requirements. Prof. Chu Duc Trinh, president of the University of Engineering and Technology, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, said an elite institution must have the capacity to lead the higher education system, create new knowledge, and develop technology ecosystems with broad impacts.

Three core elements are quality, a culture of excellence, and clear social impact, he said.

"It is very difficult to fully achieve all of these requirements."

He said this would require a cohesive combination of commitment to outstanding quality and national responsibility and Vietnam needs to create a "new social contract" between the government, businesses, and universities.

Under this model, the government would grant universities greater autonomy and trust, while institutions would commit to building a sustainable culture of quality and be fully accountable.

Citing experiences from Germany, South Korea, and China, Prof. Vu Van Yem, vice president of the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, said two prerequisites for developing elite universities in Vietnam are focused spending by the government and its long-term commitment to individual institutions.

The effort would also require foundational conditions such as internationally competitive research infrastructure, close ties with industry, strong financial mechanisms, management autonomy, and an innovation ecosystem.

Quan said quality would remain the overarching priority for higher education in the coming period.

Developing elite and key universities could not be achieved by "treating all institutions equally," and requires identifying institutions and fields with potential and focusing resources on them, he said.

Being selected does not mean the ministry automatically recognizes an institution as an elite university, but only means assigning the institution specific missions and linking its development to clear goals, roadmaps and measurable outcomes, along with an evaluation mechanism that determines whether it can continue in the program, he explained.

Since last year, the ministry has held several conferences on "elite universities" and said it is developing a definition and set of criteria for them.