According to the rankings released on Nov. 3, the eight new Vietnamese entrants are the National Economics University, Thai Nguyen University, Dong Nai Technology University, Lac Hong University, Nam Can Tho University, the University of Finance - Marketing, Thang Long University and Vinh Long University of Technology and Engineering.

Vietnam National University, Hanoi campus. Photo courtesy of the school

Vietnam National University, Hanoi, remains the country's highest-ranked institution, despite dropping one place to 159th. Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, and Duy Tan University rank second and third among Vietnamese institutions, but fell seven and 45 places, respectively.

Of the 25 Vietnamese institutions ranked last year, only eight improved their positions. Phenikaa University recorded one of the biggest gains, rising from the 951–1,000 band to 697th place. Thuyloi University, a leading technical institution for water resources, climbed from the 1,001–1,100 band to the 731–740 range.

Several universities recorded steep declines. Hue University fell 111 places, while Nguyen Tat Thanh University dropped 132. Other institutions lost between one and 45 places.

33 Vietnamese universities in the QS World University Rankings: Asia Region 2027:

QS evaluates universities using 11 criteria. Academic reputation carries the highest weighting, at 30%, followed by employer reputation at 20%.

The remaining criteria, weighted between 2.5% and 10%, include the faculty-to-student ratio, the proportion of faculty members with PhDs, research papers per faculty member, citations per paper, international research networks, the shares of international faculty and students, and student exchange rates.

More than 1,700 institutions are included in the 2027 rankings. Eight of the top 10 are in China, with the University of Hong Kong (HKU) taking first place.