Internationalization of Higher Educationin Vietnam: The case study of Vietnam
National University, Hanoi
Nguyen Thuy Anh
Vietnam National University, Hanoi

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Contents

1

Philosophy of Internationalization

2

Institutional Cooperation

3

Student Mobility

4

Staff and Professionals

5International Education Programs

6

Internationalization Strategy

Brief History of VNU, Hanoi

Vietnam National University
1993 December 10th

University of Hanoi
1956 June

Vietnam National University
1945 November

University of Indochina
1906 May 16th

Training and Research Institutes
College of Sciences

College of Social Sciences & Humanity

College of Foreign Languages

Faculty of Law

Faculty of Education

School of BusinessCollege of Economics

VNU, H

College of Technology

International School

School of Graduate Studies

Research Institutes/Research Centers/Service Units

Philosophy of Internationalization
International cooperationand integration is one of the
top priorities of VNU,H, inorder to: To realize missions ofexcellence in training andresearch To meet the regional andinternational standards
 To improve the quality ofstaffs, professionals andstudents
 To contribute toestablishing image andtrademark of Vietnameseuniversities in generalInstitutional Cooperation

 Close relationships and cooperation with more than 100
higher education institutions, research institutes andeducational organizations all over the world 2001-2007: signed about 150 MOUs & MOAs with foreignorganizations, among which more than 70 are from Asiancountries

Institutional CooperationpanMemoranda Singed with Foreign Organizations(2001-2007)

ore

La

apo
M salay
Ph si aili pins
Ir an

Korea

Ja

Sing

5yan

Taiw
an
Chin
a

10Russ
Be ialg
Ne iumtherlandEnsgl
Ne anw dZealan
d15erm20

G25

USAAu
stralia
FranceNumber of Memoranda

300Countries

Source: VNU,H website: http://www.vnu.edu.vn/en/contents/index.php?ID=943

Institutional Cooperation

 Organizing international/regional training
courses, international/national workshops
and conferences jointly with other foreign
institutions
 Implementing 12 major joint projects withtotally $20,000,000 funding Being member of regional and internationalorganizations and associations (UMAP, AUF,AUN, AUAP, ASAIHL, ACEID, CONFRASIE,BESETOHA, ect)

Students sent abroad Students sent abroad belong to 3 categories:
 Sponsored by Governmental Scholarships,Governmental Bilateral Agreements, Local Budgets
 Sent under Bilateral Agreements between VNU,H andother foreign institutions/organizations
 Privately financed

 Yearly, hundreds of students are sent abroad
to study or take part in workshops, seminars
and extracurricular activities

Host countries for Studying Abroad of VNU,H Students

Number of Countries

Host countries for studying abroad of students from the College ofSocial Sciences and Humanity, VNU,H

Host countries for studying abroad in Academic year 2006-2007 ofStudents from the College of Sciences, VNU,H20Russia (3/27)
015
101Canada (1/27)

1Non-Asian countries

61656192178130

Singapore (9/27)

France (1/27)

Asian countries
1370

Taiwan (1/27)
China (1/27)

2000 2001

2002 2003

2004 2005

2006 2007

Korea (1/27)

Japan (8/27)

Year

Source: Annual Reports of the College ofSocial Sciences and Humanity, VNU,H

Source: Annual Report 2006-2007 of theCollege of Sciences, VNU, H

Foreign students received

 VNU,H receives about 500 foreign students
every year for short or long-term courses andresearch projects
 Most of these students come to study
Vietnamese language and Vietnamese culture atundergraduate level These students arrive under 3 categories:
Governmental Bilateral Agreements
 Bilateral Exchange Agreements between VNU,H andother foreign institutions/organizations
 Privately applyingForeign students received

Number of Foreign Students in Short-term courses of the College ofSocial Sciences and Humanity
Academic Year 2006-2007
America, 25, 9%Thailand, 14, 5%

China, 248, 86%

Source: 2007 Annual Report of the College of Social Sciencesand Humanity, VNU, H

Foreign students received

Number of Foreign Students at the College of Foreign Languages in
Academic Year 2006-2007
China250

Thailand

1Japan1Korea2France2050100

150200250300

Number of Students

Source: 2007 Annual Report of the College of Foreign Languages, VNU, H

Foreign students received

Number of Foreign Students at the Collegeof Sciences from 2003-2007
542

Number of 3
Students 20120232323

LaosCambodia

02003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Source: 2007 Annual Report of the College of Sciences, VNU,HForeign students received

 VNU,H has not had a center offering
special support services for foreign
students
 Two departments in charge of foreign
students are: the International Relations
Department and the Political-StudentsAffairs Department

Faculty and Professionals

 Sending overseas hundreds of faculty, staffand researchers each year for short or longterm training courses, joint research projects,
workshops and conferences Implementing policies to encourage faculty to
publish research results in international
journals (e.g. financial support schemes)
 Number of foreign faculty members is still
very low (except for joint venture programs)

International Education Programs Rationales: To develop and improve quality of faculty and professionals
 To transfer curricula and technology
 To utilize international knowledge and teaching materials
 To learn management skills and experiences
 To be acknowledged by international community
 To build up and enhance reputation and position
 Not for economic motivations (except for the InternationalSchool) Becoming more selective in signing MOUs andimplementing joint training programs with foreignorganizations

International Education Programs

 From 1998, 14 undergraduate and 20
graduate joint training programs have beenimplemented
 Only 9/34 joint training programs have
Asian institution partners (Malaysia: 4,China: 4, Taiwan: 1)
 Fields of study of joint training programs:
 Undergraduate level: 7/14 are Economics andBusiness Administration Courses
 Graduate level: 9/20 are MBA courses

International Education Programs Students of joint training programs are able
to access digital libraries of partnerinstitutions
 College of Technology and Carnegie
Melon University (USA) to carry out a joint
training course using video tutorials sinceJanuary 2008

Internationalization Strategy

 16+23 Project (2007-2011)
 “Establishing and developing a number of key

basic scientific, high technology and socioeconomic fields and sub-fields at VNU,H in order
to archive international level”
 Internationalizing step by step in order to archive
international standards at 16 fields and 23 subfields by 2010
 2010: To meet the level of advanced universities
in Southeast Asian region and later on in Asianregion and in the world

Internationalization Strategy

 Setting priority for international training programs,
students/staffs exchange, focusing on upgrading
qualification of academic staffs and researchcooperating in key science and technology fields
 Effectively utilize international sponsor resourcesin order to improve physical facilities andequipment for training and researching
institutions
 Attracting external and internal scholarshipsources for staffs and students

Internationalization Strategy
 Promoting cooperation with powerful countries in the fieldof education and scientific research such as North
American, EU, Northeast Asian and Eastern Europeancountries
 Strengthening and developing traditional relationships
with Russia, Laos, Cambodia
 Expending cooperation with ASEAN and East Asiancountries
 Enhancing bilateral and multilateral relations withgovernmental and non-governmental organizations,regional and international associations, especially via
regional and international university networks such as
AUN, UMAP, BESETOHA, CONFRASIEConclusions

 VNU,H is being influenced more by AngloSaxon and European countries Asian dimension is not clear enough in theinternationalization process and strategy ofVNU,H More effective cooperation initiatives
among Asian countries need to be
implemented

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