University arrangement, merger, internationalization: What do foreign experts advise?

Higher education in Vietnam is facing a moment of innovation to make a breakthrough in development; and foreign experts give some advice for this special process.

Vietnam is aiming to complete its higher education system by 2035, including arranging and restructuring units and merging and dissolving substandard schools, according to the draft Framework for Vietnam's Higher Education Development Strategy of the Ministry of Education and Training.

Speaking at an international conference recently organized by the SEAMEO Regional Training Center in Vietnam (SEAMEO RETRAC), Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Van Phuc said that Vietnam is implementing many extensive innovations in university education to meet the country's development requirements, in which the core foundation is considered to be promoting university autonomy at the highest level.

At the same time, the Ministry of Education and Training will restructure the university education system, overcome fragmentation, improve operational efficiency and promote the strengths of training institutions...

Ms. Karen Dalkie at an international conference on internationalization of university education held recently in Ho Chi Minh City

PHOTO: NGOC LONG

RESPECT THE LINK BETWEEN THE SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY

Sharing with Thanh Nien , Mr. Randall Martin, Executive Director of the British Columbia Council for International Education (BCCIE), Canada, said that in the past, the province of British Columbia also carried out a number of mergers between colleges and universities to respond to changes in demographics, employment structure, technological advances... "In general, the arrangements have brought positive effects to the university education system," Mr. Martin said.

One piece of advice Mr. Martin gave was "culture eats strategy for breakfast," meaning you can introduce the best strategy in the world to a university, but if the school's culture doesn't accept it, it will surely fail. "So you have to understand the culture of each educational institution and the community before you do a merger," the director commented. "There will be no one-size-fits-all model," Mr. Martin added.

For example, Mr. Martin stated that people in developed localities, such as Da Nang or Can Tho , would be very proud to have a school named after their hometown. Therefore, if the school is only merged mechanically and rebranded after another locality, students will likely feel disappointed. "Whether merging or cooperating, respect the close connection between the school and the local community," he noted.

Besides Canada, mergers have also been taking place in many places around the world. For example, in Australia, from the beginning of 2026, the University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide will merge to form Adelaide University, becoming the largest university in Australia in terms of enrollment. Or in China, the national university arrangement has created conditions for many schools to enter the world's top 100, with the leading name being Peking University (merged with Yenching University in 1952 and Beijing Medical University in 2000).

Vietnam always considers the internationalization of university education an inevitable trend.

Photo: NGUYEN NGOC

M EXPANDING INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS

Along with internal issues, Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc also emphasized that in recent years, Vietnam has always considered the internationalization of university education an inevitable trend. "We focus on promoting comprehensive international cooperation in training, scientific research, and quality assurance; expanding cooperation with prestigious educational institutions; attracting investment and developing cross-border educational models," Mr. Phuc informed.

In order to make Vietnam an international education destination in the region and the world, Ms. Karen Dalkie, Deputy Director of the Canadian Association for International Education (CBIE), shared that it is necessary to pay attention to many factors, and should not consider attracting international students as the only goal. It could be creating opportunities for domestic students to go abroad, as well as creating online learning and research opportunities between students and scholars in other countries.

According to Ms. Dalkie, Vietnam can consider establishing an association specializing in international education to support this internationalization process. For example, CBIE - a non-profit and non-governmental organization in Canada - not only supports member schools to promote internationalization but also builds professional learning communities, connecting relevant personnel to train the spirit of internationalization. At the same time, this organization also trains the capacity of international education experts and participates in giving opinions and suggestions to the government.

"If we want to promote the internationalization of education and enhance the international status of training institutions, the most important thing is to train and professionalize the staff to take on these jobs," Ms. Dalkie emphasized.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/sap-xep-sap-nhap-quoc-te-hoa-truong-dh-chuyen-gia-nuoc-ngoai-khuyen-gi-18525101520260629.htm