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| The Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, on behalf of the Party and State leaders, awarded the First-Class Labour Order to VNU in recognition of its outstanding contributions to high-quality human resource training, talent development, scientific research, knowledge transfer, innovation, and national service |
The Party General Secretary and State President To Lam attended and addressed the Ceremony.
At the Ceremony, the Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, on behalf of the Party and State leaders, awarded the First-Class Labour Order to VNU in recognition of its outstanding contributions to high-quality human resource training, talent development, scientific research, knowledge transfer, innovation, and national service. Previously, on the occasion of its 100th anniversary in 2006, VNU was awarded the Gold Star Order - the highest award of the Party and the State - affirming its prestige, glorious tradition, and especially significant contributions to Vietnam’s higher education, science and technology, as well as the cause of national construction and defense.
In his commemorative address, Assoc.Prof.Dr Bui The Duy, Alternate Member of the Party Central Committee and President of VNU, emphasized that the 120th anniversary celebration was an opportunity for VNU to reflect on a cross-century flow of knowledge and a journey affirming the intellectual stature of Vietnam amid the convergence of global civilizations. According to the VNU President, if 120 years corresponds to two sexagenary cycles, today’s milestone is not only a moment to look back on a glorious past, but also the beginning of a new stage of development with the aspiration to rise higher in a new era.
In response to the country’s new development requirements, VNU has identified the need to continue taking the lead in effectively implementing the Party’s and State’s strategic policies, particularly Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation; Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in education and training development; and Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW on the development of Vietnamese culture. VNU aims to become an elite university, striving to rank among the top 100 universities in Asia by 2030 and the top 300 universities worldwide by 2035.
To realize these goals, VNU is focusing on strengthening its core role in training high-quality human resources, advancing basic sciences, mastering strategic technologies, promoting innovation, and building an internationally advanced academic environment. At the same time, VNU is vigorously reforming its university governance model toward modern management with a shift from administrative control to output- and performance-based governance. VNU is also developing a platform for creation and sharing, where its member institutions both enhance their autonomy and creativity, and operate in alignment with a unified mission, strategy, planning framework, and standards.
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| VNU President Bui The Duy |
One major strategic direction highlighted by the VNU President is the developing of VNU Hoa Lac Campus into a modern university and technology town, gradually forming a new growth pole and a leading innovation hub for the Capital city. VNU Hoa Lac Campus is envisioned as an open innovation ecosystem and a green, modern university town with synchronized technical infrastructure, digital infrastructure, and advanced services. It will be a place where enterprises, technology corporations, and other stakeholders jointly engage in research, experimentation, and technology demonstration, while strengthening the “triple helix” model linking universities with enterprises, research with application, and education with technological practice.
From this practical perspective, VNU proposed that the Party Central Committee, the Government, and the Hanoi authorities give special attention to and priority in allocating resources and adopting distinctive investment mechanisms to accelerate the construction of the VNU Hoa Lac Campus in line with the relocation plan for more than 80,000 students. VNU also called on the central authorities and the Government to direct the development and implementation of special mechanisms that would enable VNU to become a leading elite university in Asia and a national center for talent training, scientific research, technological development, and strategic innovation.
Addressing the Ceremony, the Party General Secretary and State President To Lam emphasized that VNU has become a symbol of Vietnamese intellect, a place where academic aspirations converge, talents are nurtured, and significant contributions are made to the cause of national construction and development.
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| Party General Secretary and State President To Lam |
Acknowledging VNU’s tremendous efforts and important achievements, the Party General Secretary and State President stated that in an era when the destiny of nations is increasingly determined by knowledge, science, technology, innovation, and the quality of human resources, VNU must always reflect upon its national responsibility and the nation’s aspiration for advancement. He stressed that VNU must rise even higher to become a leading academic pillar, a major center of innovation, and a pioneering force in Vietnamese higher education, while also serving as a prestigious international representative of Vietnamese intellect.
Expressing his agreement with the goals set by VNU, the Party General Secretary and State President proposed that several spearhead disciplines should strive to rank among the world’s Top 100. To realize these ambitions, he emphasized that the university must operate under an innovation-driven university model with the capacity to lead the national development; embrace a modern educational philosophy, advanced governance, and an open academic environment; and promptly complete the VNU Hoa Lac Campus as a green, smart, and modern university town closely connected with the Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park, thereby forming one of the country’s leading ecosystems for education, research, technology, and innovation.
He further noted that the university should establish a concrete roadmap, assign specific goals and responsibilities to each member institution, unit, and research group, and adopt a result-oriented management approach. Investment in VNU, he stressed, must be regarded as a strategic investment in the nation’s future, supported by distinctive financial mechanisms, sufficiently strong resources, and breakthrough policies to build modern scientific infrastructure and attract as well as nurture talented scholars from both Vietnam and abroad.
The Party General Secretary and State President emphasized that VNU must be a place that dares to go ahead, dares to experiment and pave the way for new models in education, science, technology, innovation and digital transformation. VNU must be a pioneer in implementing the Party's strategic resolutions; focus on solving major national problems, especially strategic technology, core technology, source technology and technology products bearing Vietnamese brands.
Through these efforts, VNU will provide practical foundations for the Party and the State to further refine development policies for the new era. The university should become a hub for the nation’s intellectual resources, bringing together leading scientists, top technology experts, technology entrepreneurs, and outstanding students to research, master, and develop foundational technologies such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotechnology, new materials, new energy, big data, and green and sustainable technologies.
VNU must also become a center for connecting knowledge with development, further strengthening ties between the university and the State, enterprises, local authorities, and society. It should proactively establish research programs, policy advisory initiatives, and innovation projects aligned with major national demands, while enhancing cooperation with ministries, sectors, the capital city of Hanoi, localities, technology enterprises, research institutes, and international expert networks.
With its long-standing tradition and position as one of the country’s leading universities, VNU must also become a distinguished symbol of Vietnamese academic diplomacy. Every staff member, lecturer, and student should be deeply aware that they are representing Vietnamese intellect, culture, and dignity in all academic, diplomatic, and international exchange activities.
To successfully fulfill these missions, the Party General Secretary and State President called on VNU to effectively strengthen political and ideological education among all staff and students about the university’s prideworthy tradition, as well as the role, responsibility, and mission of intellectuals in the country’s new era of development. The university should also proactively coordinate with relevant agencies to study and propose breakthrough development mechanisms and policies to the Politburo and the Government for both VNU in particular and the Vietnamese higher education in general.
In particular, the Party General Secretary and State President stressed the importance of removing institutional bottlenecks related to governance, finance, human resources, university autonomy, academic freedom, and investment in basic sciences and strategic technologies. These measures, he noted, would enable VNU to develop in line with its stature while also creating a powerful driving force for innovation across Vietnam’s higher education system.
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