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The top 10 universities in Vietnam for 2026 have been revealed - and once again, the list is dominated by Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) and some public institutions. Of the ten highest-ranked universities, nine are publicly funded, with only one private university making it into the elite group.
The Vietnam University Rankings 2026 (VNUR-2026), just released, evaluated 237 higher education institutions nationwide. Among them, 193 universities with sufficient data were included in the official ranking.
VNUR-2026 uses a comprehensive framework of 6 standards and 18 criteria, covering the core missions of higher education: teaching, research, and community engagement.
Leading the rankings for the fourth consecutive year are VNU Hanoi and VNU Ho Chi Minh. They are followed by Hanoi University of Science and Technology, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, and Ton Duc Thang University, rounding out the top five - identical to the 2025 line up.
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Notably, the University of Commerce re-entered the top 10 this year, climbing eight spots. Meanwhile, Lac Hong University made its debut in the top 100 at rank 55 - a leap of 72 positions, the largest improvement in this year’s rankings. The school is being dubbed the “rising star” of VNUR-2026.
Compared to the 2025 edition, the 2026 Top 100 list saw a dynamic reshuffling, reflecting changes in training quality, research performance, and how well universities met the VNUR criteria.
Only seven universities maintained their previous year’s position. The top five - VNU Hanoi, VNU HCMC, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, University of Economics HCMC, and Ton Duc Thang University - remained unchanged. University of Danang also held steady at ninth place, and Nha Trang University kept its rank at 46.
Forty-six universities climbed the rankings, with gains ranging from 1 to 72 spots.
On the other hand, 47 universities dropped in rank, by as much as 54 places in some cases. This sharp drop for some reflects the increasing competitiveness of Vietnam’s higher education sector.
Fourteen institutions fell out of the top 100 entirely, despite having ranked between 28 and 98 last year. Meanwhile, 14 new universities entered the top 100 in 2026, debuting between positions 44 and 100 - indicating meaningful progress in academic and research quality among lesser-known schools.
