Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City aims at becoming nucleus of Ho Chi Minh City’s innovative eastern urban area

Spread over 643 ha, VNUHCM
has
been developed as a centre to train undergraduates and postgraduates and carry on
high-quality research in many fields to serve the country’s socio-economic
development needs.

It is the largest higher
education establishment in the country with 36 institutions for training,
researching and transferring technologies, including seven member universities:
the University of Technology, University of Science, University of Social
Sciences and Humanities, International University, University of Information
Technology, University of Economics and Law, and An Giang University, and the
Institute for Environment and Resources.

In addition, in the 2016
– 2020 period, VNUHCM has trained more than 60,000 engineers, doctors,
graduates, postgraduates, and PhDs who are certain to contribute to the
development of the city and southern region.

As of now it has had 66
internationally accredited training programmes and was ranked in the top
701-750 in the 2020 QS World University Rankings. In this period, it presented
more than 20,000 scientific research papers at conferences and published them
in local and international journals.  VNUHCM signed more than 3,000 contracts
with provinces and enterprises for technology transfer worth nearly VNĐ 250
billion (US$10.8 million) a year in the 2016-2020 period. 

A household aquaponic
model that integrates vegetable and fish farming has, for instance, been
transferred to Tây Ninh and Đồng Tháp provinces.

Furthermore, cartilatist
stem medicine has been developed by the Stem Cell Institute at the University
of Science to treat osteoarthritis and degenerative spinal conditions.
Subsequently, it has been transferred to the Vạn Hạnh General Hospital Co. Ltd. An
automatic system to monitor and warn about saltwater intrusion has been transferred to the provinces of An
Giang and Vĩnh Long.

During COVID-19
outbreaks last year, VNUHCM researchers developed a number of products used for
the prevention and control of epidemics.

The number of papers VNUHCM published in
international journals doubled in the 2016-2020 period from the previous five years.

As of October 2020, it had filed 527
applications for patents and 566 technology
transfer contracts and scientific services that fetched revenues of VNĐ104.2
billion (US$4,5 million).         

In The World University Rankings 2021 of
1,527 universities, VNUHCM was in 658th spot in the category of income from
technology transfer and 838th in international potential.

One of VNUHCM’s strategies is to continue focusing on
scientific and technological development and innovation to help implement
national and southern region development strategies and to raise its
international profile.

In
2020-2030
period, it plans to offer
international-standard training programmes in ICT, AI and urban
management. AI applications for use in traffic regulation, healthcare,
finance, and commerce will be developed during this period.

VNUHCM is one of the
higher education establishments in the country offering students training programs in two majors simultaneously. It has
tied up with a number of member universities of the ASEAN University Network-the ASEAN Credit Transfer System for exchange
students and also has agreements with universities in the US, the UK, France,
Australia, and other countries.

In the last 25 years VNUHCM
has adopted modern methodologies and
integrated technologies for training. 

In November in last year
VNUHCM signed an agreement with
the Saigon Hi-Tech Park for technology transfer to enterprises in the park for commercialisation. 

They will join hands for
an action plan to establish the innovative eastern urban
area, a high-quality human resource training programme at hi-tech industries and an innovative start-up ecosystem. 

VNUHCM’s Innovative
Entrepreneurship Center has carried out many
programmes to assist start-ups and links these
start-ups with investors and service
providers.  

Assoc.
Prof. Dr. Vũ
Hải Quân, VNUHCM’s chancellor, said skilled human
resources, technology transfer, advanced IT, and
policies for development are key pillars for
setting up the innovative eastern urban area. The project is implemented in Thủ
Đức City and spreads over nearly 21,000 hectares.

Moreover, the innovative
eastern area has invested in traffic systems including the metro line 1,
Belt Road No.3 and the HCM City-Long Thành-Dầu Giây expressway, which helps
connect with neighbouring provinces.  

In January, the city
People’s Committee approved the master plan to develop the innovative eastern urban
area in the 2020-2035 period and it will be carried out in three specific stages. 

According to VNUHCM,
while carrying out the work, city authorities and relevant agencies should pay
close attention to developing traffic infrastructure in the innovative eastern urban area especially VNUHCM
and Saigon Hi-Tech Park to create the most favourable
conditions for interaction and
development. 

VNUHCM aims to become
the nucleus of the area by 2030.