Guidance on naming and renaming higher education institutions in Vietnam

1. Guidance on naming and renaming higher education institutions in Vietnam

According to Article 2 of Decree 99/2019/ND-CP, the guidance on naming, renaming higher education institutions in Vietnam are as follows:

- The Vietnamese name of a higher education institution includes:

+ A phrase identifying the type of higher education institution: university, college, academy;

+ A phrase identifying the field or profession of training (if necessary);

+ A proper name, which may include the name of a locality, a cultural or historical figure, an individual, an organization (if any), and other specific names.

- The international transaction name of a higher education institution is translated from Vietnamese into a foreign language, using foreign terms that align with international conventions. For a university that is a member of a larger university, the international transaction name in foreign languages is regulated by the larger university.

- In the case of a new establishment or renaming, the Vietnamese name of the higher education institution, along with the international transaction name and abbreviation, shall be determined in the establishment or renaming project; it must not duplicate or cause confusion with the name of another already established or registered higher education institution, ensuring linguistic purity, and not using terms or symbols that violate historical, cultural, ethical traditions, and national customs; it must not confuse about the status, ranking, or content of the training program.

Additionally, the name of a foreign-invested higher education institution must comply with the current legal regulations on foreign cooperation and investment in higher education.

- The renaming dossier includes:

+ A written proposal for renaming the higher education institution;

+ A resolution of the school board or university council;

+ A renaming scheme of the higher education institution: stating clearly the reasons and necessity for the name change; impact assessment reports on students, staff, faculty, and stakeholders; risk management solutions after renaming (if any);

+ A document of approval for the name change from the direct management authority of the public higher education institution, or agreement from investors representing at least 75% of the total capital contribution for private universities, non-profit private universities.

- The process for handling renaming dossiers is as follows:

+ The higher education institution submits 01 set of documents directly or via post along with a soft copy to the Ministry of Education and Training or through the online public service portal of the Ministry of Education and Training;

+ Within 30 working days from the date of receiving a complete dossier as stipulated in this Article, the Ministry of Education and Training organizes the appraisal of the dossier, and submits it to the Prime Minister of Vietnam for a decision;

+ If the dossier does not conform, within 10 working days from the date of receipt, the Ministry of Education and Training sends a notice to the higher education institution stating the reasons.

- In cases where renaming is associated with converting a private higher education institution to a non-profit private higher education institution or converting a university into a larger university or merging universities, it will be implemented according to the provisions in Clauses 1, 2, and 3 of Article 2 Decree 99/2019/ND-CP and Article 3 or Article 4 or Article 5 Decree 99/2019/ND-CP.

2. Regulations on recognition of research-oriented higher education institutions in Vietnam

The recognition of research-oriented higher education institutions in Vietnam follows Article 10 of Decree 99/2019/ND-CP as follows:

- A research-oriented higher education institution closely integrates training with scientific research activities, meeting the following criteria:

+ Has announced its development orientation as a research higher education institution in its mission, vision, and objectives; recognized as meeting education quality accreditation standards;

+ Possesses units under or affiliated with basic science research, source technology development; has a rate of master's and doctoral level training programs of 50% or more of the total programs; in the last 3 years, has an average enrollment size for master's and doctoral levels not lower than 20% of total enrollment and issues an average of 20 doctoral degrees or more per year;

+ Over the last 3 years, the average revenue from scientific, technological, innovative activities, research, and transfer is not less than 15% of the total revenue of the higher education institution;

+ Over the last 3 years, the institution has published an average of 100 articles or more each year and has an average rate of 0.3 articles per regular lecturer per year in reputable scientific journals worldwide. The Minister of Education and Training decides the list of reputable scientific journals as the basis for recognizing this criterion;

+ The student-to-lecturer ratio does not exceed 20; the ratio of regular lecturers with a doctoral degree is not less than 50% of the total regular lecturers at the higher education institution; the ratio of lecturers with the title of professor, associate professor is not less than 20% of the total regular lecturers with a doctoral degree at the higher education institution;

+ Regular lecturers, regular management staff of public universities are lecturers, staff recruited, utilized, and managed according to provisions on the number of employees and job positions in public service providers.

Regular lecturers, regular management staff of private universities, and non-profit private universities are employees contracted for a period of 3 years or an unspecified period according to the Labor Code 2019, not officials or public employees, not working under labor contracts of 3 months or longer with other employers; paid and provided other benefits by the university according to current policies and regulations for employees.

- Based on the criteria in Clause 1 Article 10 of Decree 99/2019/ND-CP and the goals, mission, and proposals from higher education institutions with accompanying evidence, the higher education quality accreditation organization inspects, and publishes the list of research-oriented higher education institutions on the organization’s website; annually reviews and removes institutions no longer meeting the standards; reports results to the Ministry of Education and Training.

- Research-oriented higher education institutions are prioritized in performing scientific and technological tasks.

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