ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA TP HỒ CHÍ MINH
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HO CHI MINH CITY
DOCTORAL EDUCATION IN
VIETNAM
High in Demand, Enormous Opportunity and
Challenge, New Approach
Dr. Le Quang Minh, Assoc. Prof.
Vice President
Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh city
Second EUA-CDE Global Strategic Forum on Doctoral Education
Dublin 20-22 March 2013
HIGHER EDUCATION IN VN IN BRIEF
Key words
• Opened door policy from 90s
• Transition + fast-growing economics
3 paces
of
reform
Economical
Educational
Institutional
Reforms in higher education system in Vietnam
Period Before
1954
Colony
1954-1975
1975-1990
1990 to date
Vietnam war
Reunification
Reform
North French
system
 Russian
(++++)
 French (+)
 Russian
(++++)
 French (+)
South French
system
 American
(+++)
 French (+)
 Russian
(+++)
 American
(++)
 French (+)
 Broadening
curricula
 More
comprehensive
university
 More practical,
less theoretical
 “Standard”
degrees, QA
 2 national,
3 regional,
>100 monodisciplinary, >30
Remarks
1. Majority of leaders in HE studied before reform
2. A lot of brand-new concepts, not well-defined
VISION 2020 OF HE
By 2020, advanced HE system: international
standard, highly competitive, appropriate to
socialist-oriented market mechanism
Private
universities
Foreign
universities
PRESSURE
OF CHANGE
open door
VN Universities
Economics/
society
VISION 2020 OF HE
By 2020, advanced HE system: international
standard, highly competitive, appropriate to
socialist-oriented market mechanism
DOCTORAL EDUCATION IN VN
DOCTORAL EDUCATION IN VIETNAM
IN A NUTSHELL
• strongly influenced by French and then Russian
• before 1996: very complicated, now it’s less
complex
• 2 levels of Doctor degrees: DSc (mostly offered by
the Former Eastern Bloc and the French Docteur
d’Etat) and PhD
o French: Dr. 3rd Cycle, Dr. Universitaire, Dr. d’État,…
o American: Ph.D., and all kind of Doctor degrees
o Russian: Candidate of Science (3-3.5 years after
Bachelor) = PhD and Dr.Sc.
DOCTORAL EDUCATION IN VIETNAM
IN A NUTSHELL
• offered by near 160 institutions (including 50
universities).
• very un-balanced in subject: very diverse quality
(it’s looked very much like) research-based
HOW ISOLATION PERIOD AFFECTED HE SYSTEM?
Isolation period (1975-1990)
FRENCH
UN
natural
sciences
Almost no
change
Narrowlyspecialized
engineering
Old-fashioned
scientists
social
sciences
BIG GAP
Very limited external info
MOST IMPORTANT: CRITICAL MASS
New generation
of scientists
DOCTORAL EDUCATION IN VIETNAM
PROGRAM
• duration (in theory): 3 years for Master-degree
holders,
• 4 years for Bachelor (hon.)
• in reality: 5-6 years, max 7 years
• 3 seminars and one thesis with one big topic or
series of smaller ones (all related)
• at least 1 or 2 papers in local journal*
• proficiency in English
DOCTORAL EDUCATION IN VIETNAM
INSTITUTION
• minimum requirement for an institution to offer PhD
programs: 15 or more PhD holders and at least 5
Prof. or Assoc. Prof.
• at least 5 PhD holders/PhD program
• approval by the Prime Minister
DOCTORAL EDUCATION IN VIETNAM
PROCESS
• entrance examination
• at least 3 seminars
• research outline proposal approved by department
• research
• thesis draft defense at the department
• short version for comments
• anonymous reading committee: full version
• public defense
HIGH IN DEMAND, SHORT IN SUPPLY
IN QUANTITY
• Fast-growing number of HE institutions: from about
160 (2000) to more than 400 (now) and more than
700 (2020)
• number of students: 900,000 (2000) => 1.8 M (now)
• low ratio Student/Faculty: 30/1 now => 15/1 (2020)
• PhD-holders in universities: 15% (now) => 35%
(2020)
• 70% PhD holders: outside universities
HIGH IN DEMAND, SHORT IN SUPPLY
IN QUALITY
 unbalanced
• 46% PhD degrees issued in Social Science and
Humanity => weak
• 18% in Natural Sciences => very strong
• the rest in Engineering, Medicine, Agriculture,… =>
OK, VN needed most
 large spectrum of quality
 numerous “sources” => “user-defined” quality =>
chaotic
HIGH IN DEMAND, SHORT IN SUPPLY
IN QUALITY
 mostly part-time
 in-breeding effects
 staff “mobility”
OPPORTUNITIES
 high demand, top priority of the country:
• National Fellowship Program: 911 (5M USD/year)
• 20,000 PhD program (700 M in 10 years): 3 forms
1. full-time in foreign university
2. local cooperated with foreign university (sandwich)
3. local university with a short practicum in foreign
universities
• Regional Fellowship Programs: HCM 500,
Mekong 1000, ECV 1000,…
• bi-lateral fellowship grants: Europe, Australia,
USA, Japan, Korea, …
OPPORTUNITIES
 National Science and Technology R&D Programs (4
excellent universities, about 20 National Key Labs)
 interested research topics (2% National Budget =>
Science and Technology R&D)
 Vietnamese universities: eager to build long-term
partnership
STRENGTHS OF VIETNAMESE STUDENTS
 brilliant, hard-working
 Strong foundation of math, physics,
chemistry,… (hated subjects of other
students)
 Soft- complaining
 Disciplined
WEAKNESS OF VIETNAMESE STUDENTS
 Passive learning => take time to adapt
 Communication
 Team work
 Rigid “family” hierarchy (king-teacher-father)
=> difficult to think out-of-the-box
NEW APPROACH
NEW APPROACH
 international collaboration, partnership: top priority
 selection and preparation for candidates => Predoctoral Training Center
• Languages, including “coaching” TOEFL, IELTS,
… other exams
• Strengthen “foundation” subjects
• Research method
• Culture
• Critical thinking, independence in research,…
PRE-DOCTORAL CENTER ACTIVITY
English
Strengthen
foundation
Strengthen
research
co-supervisor
research methods
research outline prep
Networking
team up foreign Prof.
research topic collect
find resources
Paper works
12 m
(Math, physics, stat.,…)
NEW APPROACH
 partnership (long-term) with well-reputed universities
• assistance to the Center
• pair up the scientists (local and foreign)
• identify topics
• develop research (and study) plan
• co-supervision
• long-term strategic research: build up research team
(example: Climate Change, BioTechnology, …)
3rd story
A dialog between an American prof. and a Vietnamese prof.
about social research in VN
Q: Do you have academic freedom in VN?
A: Yes
Thank you
THANK YOU VERY MUCH
lqminh@vnuhcm.edu.vn