Vietnam has entered the annual global ranking compiled by the Times Higher Education (THE) for the first time, with three of its universities included in emerging economies’ top higher education institutions in 2020, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Vietnam National University-Hanoi is seen from above. Photo: Giang Huy

Specifically, the Vietnam National University-Hanoi ranked first in Vietnam and in the 201-250 group of the annual global ranking. The Hanoi University of Science and Technology and the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City were placed in the 251-300 group and 401-500 group, respectively.

THE’s prestigious rankings are published every year, judging universities from emerging economies. In 2020, 533 universities from 47 countries in four continents have been evaluated.

The rankings use the same indicators as the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, focusing primarily on performances in teaching, researching, knowledge transferring and international outlook. However, these criteria are adjusted to match the development priorities of universities in emerging economies.

The achievements of the three Vietnamese universities are evidence of the efforts of the national higher education system. Previously, no Vietnamese university had ever reached this ranking.

Recently, four Vietnamese universities joined the Center for World University Ranking (CWUR)'s 2,000 best universities in the academic year 2019-2020. They are the Vietnam National University-Hanoi (ranked 1,510), the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City (1,585), Duy Tan University of Danang (1,854) and Ton Duc Thang University of Ho Chi Minh City (1,978).

The CWUR’s rankings are based on four criteria: education quality (25%), alumni employment (25%), team quality (10%) and research performance (40%).