Distinguished attendees included Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Tuan Anh (Party Committee Secretary and Chairman of the University Council), Dr. Doan Ngoc Xuan (Rector), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ngo Hong Diep (Vice Rector), Dr. Bui Thanh Khiet (Vice Rector), and Dr. Nguyen Quoc Cuong (Former Chairman of the University Council). External experts included Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Anh Thi (Senior Expert), Dr. Nguyen Duc Nghia (Former Deputy Director of Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City), Dr. Mai Huu Tin (Chairman of U&I Investment Corporation and University Council Member), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chau Dinh Thanh (Vice Rector of HCM University of Technology and Engineering), Mr. Nguyen Tran Anh Vu (Representative of HCM City Department of Construction), and Dr. Doan Duy Khuong (Former Vice President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry). 
In his opening remarks, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Tuan Anh emphasized the strategic document's significance, stating it would guide the university through a transformative period from an applied-oriented institution to a smart, autonomous, and innovative university. The strategy builds upon the Party's and State's resolutions, leverages achievements from 2021-2025, and aligns with national priorities in education, science, technology, digital transformation, and sustainable development. Prof. Le Tuan Anh articulated the university's ambition to become the knowledge, research, and innovation hub for northern Ho Chi Minh City, while training high-quality human resources to support the knowledge economy. Looking ahead to 2050, the university aims to establish itself as Vietnam's leading applied-innovative university with regional prestige and international standards in training, research, and administration. “In recent years, Thu Dau Mot University has organized many forums and seminars to receive comments from experts, scientists, officials and lecturers to the development strategy. This seminar is an opportunity to continue listening, consolidating and perfecting important points, ensuring that the Strategic Document is developed in a scientific, comprehensive way and in accordance with the development requirements in the new period” – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Tuan Anh expressed.
During discussions, experts addressed key pillars of the strategy, particularly emphasizing the need to clearly define the university's new development model as it transitions into the Ho Chi Minh City system. Dr. Nguyen Duc Nghia commended the document's thorough preparation while recommending further clarification on fundamental elements. He suggested the strategy should explicitly define which model the university aspires to-applied, research, or innovative-and establish a realistic roadmap aligned with internal capabilities and the development context of northern Ho Chi Minh City. Additionally, he advised analyzing competitive advantages to identify unique value propositions compared to other regional institutions, as well as determining flagship disciplines that could establish the university's reputation in the next 10-20 years. Regarding faculty development, Dr. Nghia stressed the importance of standardizing lecturer qualifications, expanding collaborations with renowned experts, and creating effective mechanisms to attract and retain top talents. He also advocated for comprehensive digital transformation across management, training, and research functions as a foundation for operational excellence and international integration. As a Ho Chi Minh City institution, he noted the strategy should clearly articulate the university's role in supporting the city's evolution into a global megacity.
Dr. Doan Duy Khuong, former VCCI Vice President, emphasized that realizing the vision of becoming an applied-innovative university would require synchronized development of core resources. He highlighted human capital as the primary focus-including faculty, researchers, administrators, consultants, and students-recommending mechanisms to attract, retain, and develop talent while fostering innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and entrepreneurship. Regarding infrastructure and finances, he advised balancing state funding with private partnerships and business collaborations while developing smart, green, sustainable facilities to support training, research, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Furthermore, he stressed the importance of building relationships with businesses, communities, and international partners to expand research opportunities, implement innovation initiatives, and enhance the university's reputation nationally and internationally.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Anh Thi suggested that as the university adapts to meet the development needs of Ho Chi Minh City and the Southeast region, it should establish an ambitious vision to become one of Vietnam's pioneering institutions for innovation. He advocated for a strategy based on open collaboration, interdisciplinary connectivity, expanded business partnerships, and a culture of creativity and knowledge sharing. The professor recommended prioritizing advanced production clusters, green manufacturing, and high-tech industries-sectors that align with science-based growth models, generate significant added value, and support the city's sustainable development goals.
From a strategic management perspective, Dr. Mai Huu Tin advised that the development strategy should clearly identify the university's distinctive qualities, particularly in relation to other regional and national institutions. He emphasized that the strategy should be future-oriented with specific milestones, indicators, and implementation conditions, while positioning the university as a key provider of human capital and knowledge for Ho Chi Minh City's northern expansion. Dr. Tin highlighted the importance of defining Thu Dau Mot University's cultural identity and unique value proposition. For long-term orientation, he suggested benchmarking against world-class university models to develop internationally competitive graduates, especially in fields experiencing shortages of skilled professionals. "For effective strategy implementation, every individual within the system must understand, agree with, and uniformly act according to the general direction, ensuring innovation and digital transformation achieve synchronized efficiency," Dr. Tin emphasized.
Regarding research and innovation, experts agreed the strategy should focus on developing interdisciplinary research teams, strengthening business partnerships to commercialize research outcomes, and establishing a digital university model with shared data infrastructure and automated management processes. They also recommended diversifying funding sources, investing in smart and sustainable facilities, creating interdisciplinary research and innovation centers, and developing an environmentally friendly campus aligned with international trends. To achieve the goal of becoming the region's leading innovative university, experts advised translating the vision into concrete short and long-term action plans, establishing a foundation for significant transformation between 2025-2035 and beyond to 2050.
In his concluding remarks, Dr. Doan Ngoc Xuan noted that this represented the third revision of Thu Dau Mot University's development strategy, following previous versions from 2013 and 2018. The current strategy reflects the university's merger with Ho Chi Minh City and aims to accurately define the institution's role, position, and mission within the city's higher education system. Based on expert discussions, Dr. Xuan outlined seven key elements that would form the strategy's foundation:

1. A pragmatic implementation timeframe of 2025-2030 for measurable medium-term goals, with a vision extending to 2050 to guide sustainable development aligned with becoming a leading regional applied-innovative university and supporting Ho Chi Minh City's growth trajectory.
2. A clear articulation of vision, mission, and core values positioning Thu Dau Mot as a major public university with socio-political responsibilities and as a knowledge center for Ho Chi Minh City. The university will leverage comparative advantages to develop science and technology, foster innovation, and focus on strategic disciplines to meet high-quality human resource demands while supporting national industrialization, modernization, and international integration. Core values-Aspiration, Creativity, Responsibility, and Community Service-will guide all university activities.
3. A distinctive institutional culture built on 50 years of tradition and shaped by the core values, serving both as heritage reflecting the university's reputation and as guiding principles for training, research, administration, and community engagement. These values nurture innovation, initiative, professional responsibility, and community cohesion, ensuring all university activities promote sustainable development and enhance knowledge value regionally and internationally.
4. A science and technology strategy that builds on existing strengths while investing in emerging fields such as digital technology, life sciences, and other advanced domains. This approach aims to enhance competitiveness, support international integration, and connect sustainable development with the socioeconomic needs of Ho Chi Minh City and the Southeast region, creating high-value knowledge products for community benefit and the labor market.
5. A hybrid resource management model applying "business-like administration" principles to improve efficiency while fulfilling the state-directed mission of human resource development. This system emphasizes transparency, financial efficiency, and staff development while creating a sustainable foundation for training, research, and innovation.
6. A comprehensive approach to strategic and risk management focused on long-term planning while actively identifying, evaluating, and addressing potential challenges across all university activities. This system enables flexible implementation, adaptation to changing contexts, and sustainable development while maintaining quality and efficiency in administrative decisions.
7. A commitment to technical excellence and legal compliance as foundational elements, ensuring all university initiatives adhere to relevant legislation, management criteria, and professional standards. This approach supports feasible, transparent, and synchronized implementation while enhancing the university's reputation and legal standing throughout its operations and development.

Dr. Doan Ngoc Xuan concluded that based on these seven elements, the drafting committee would refine the strategic document and organize sessions on priority areas while incorporating leadership feedback. The ultimate goal is to establish Thu Dau Mot University as a center of knowledge, research, and innovation for Ho Chi Minh City that contributes meaningfully to regional and national development through effective and coordinated strategic initiatives.