The Research Role of Vietnam’s Universities

Abstract

The Government of Vietnam plans that research and development (R&D), especially in science and technology (S&T), should be the key element of its growth strategy to create an industrial and modernised society by 2020. This growth strategy also envisages an enhanced role for university research and for university research and technology transfer links with industry. While substantial higher education reform has been achieved since the early 1990 s, the capacity of universities to contribute to R&D and technology transfer is still severely limited, owing to relatively few university staff being active researchers, inadequate research facilities, lack of trained younger research personnel, inadequate government research funding and lack of a research culture that values research activities and the production of research outputs.