Attendees included Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Hiep, former Rector and former Chairman of the University Council; Dr. Doan Ngoc Xuan, former Rector; representatives from educational institutions, research agencies, the scientific community, and businesses. Thu Dau Mot University was represented by Associate Professor Dr. Le Tuan Anh, Secretary of the University’s Party Committee; Dr. Tran Van Nam, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee; Associate Professor Dr. Ngo Hong Diep, Vice Rector; Mr. Vuong The Hung, Vice Rector; Dr. Bui Thanh Khiet, Vice Rector; leaders of affiliated units; and more than 300 students representing over 23,000 learners.
 
Improving Training Quality, Research, and Business Engagement
The 2026–2027 academic year begins as Vietnamese higher education faces strong demands for innovation. Politburo Resolution No. 71 on breakthrough development in education and training continues to affirm education’s role in developing human resources, science, technology, innovation, and national competitiveness. In this context, Thu Dau Mot University continues to renew its governance, improve training and research quality, strengthen cooperation with businesses, and align its activities with socio-economic development needs.
In 2026–2027, the university is admitting and training students in 52 undergraduate programs with a total of 6,362 students, meeting 100% of its enrollment goal. At the master’s level, it offers 17 programs with a total target of 472 students; first-round admission reached nearly 60% of that target. It also offers one doctoral program. In the 2026 admissions cohort, about 30% of students chose STEM fields - disciplines that are important for developing human resources in science, technology, and engineering. The university currently serves more than 23,000 learners from 34 provinces and cities nationwide.
Quality assurance continues to be implemented comprehensively. The university has achieved institutional accreditation for two consecutive cycles; 28 training programs meet Ministry of Education and Training accreditation standards; eight programs meet AUN-QA standards; and the university is rated four stars under the UPM system. In the Vietnam University Rankings (VNUR), it is among Vietnam’s top 15 universities. SCImago also ranked it 28th out of 53 research institutions in Vietnam in 2025. In 2025, its Mathematics discipline was ranked among Vietnam’s top five universities in that field for the first time. The university is currently a member of international education networks such as CDIO, AUN, and Times Higher Education (THE), and maintains partnerships with 265 domestic and international enterprises. Cooperation covers curriculum development, practical training and internships, scientific research, technology transfer, innovation, entrepreneurship, and graduate recruitment.
 
Renewing Thinkings, Upholding Disciplines, Delivering Tangible Results
Speaking at the ceremony, Associate Professor Dr. Le Tuan Anh, Secretary of the University’s Party Committee, welcomed the new students. He encouraged them to integrate actively into university life, study hard, gain experience, build resilience, and set goals from their first days. He noted that the education sector’s theme for 2026–2027 is “Renewing Thinkings - Strong Transformations - Substantive Results.” On that basis, Thu Dau Mot University has adopted the action slogan “Renewing Thinkings - Upholding Disciplines - Strong Transformations - Substantive Results.” The slogan calls for new ways of thinking and working tied to responsibility and discipline. Transformation must be shown through concrete actions, progress, and products. Results must be judged by practical effectiveness, measurability, and the value created in training, research, innovation, and service to learners. Specifically:
1. In university governance, the university will continue to improve regulations and rules, promote administrative reform and simplification, and aim to cut at least 30% of compliance time. It will also focus resources on tasks that directly affect training quality, research, and service to learners.
2. For staff, expectations are defined as clear ownership, clear tasks, clear responsibilities, clear timelines, clear outputs, and clear results. Along with increasing staff numbers and academic qualifications, the university emphasizes professionalism, responsibility, and effectiveness in the work of staff and faculty.
3. In training, programs will continue to be improved in an open, flexible, interdisciplinary direction and linked to practical demands. The university is shifting from teaching only what it already offers toward better meeting the needs of learners and society. Quality will be judged by graduates’ competencies, their ability to apply knowledge and professional skills, and their ability to create value after graduation.
4. In science, technology, and innovation, the university will gradually shift its focus from quantity to quality, develop strong and interdisciplinary research groups, and prioritize practical issues facing the locality and the country. Research value will be tied to the quality of works, transferability, application, and real-world impact.
5. In business cooperation, the university aims to improve the quality and value of each partnership. Businesses will be increasingly involved in training, practical training, internships, research, and recruitment. The effectiveness of cooperation will be assessed by practical training and internship results and by students’ actual work performance.
 
Strengthening the Role of Faculty and the Responsibility of Learners
In 2026–2027, Thu Dau Mot University will continue to concentrate resources on factors that directly determine higher education quality - from faculty development, curriculum renewal, and research capacity building to promoting innovation, strengthening business cooperation, and improving service quality for learners. The stated goal is to build an environment where every student can study, gain experience, conduct research, and develop their abilities throughout their time at the university.
For faculty, Associate Professor Le Tuan Anh called for continued responsibility, passion for the profession, and a spirit of innovation. He urged lecturers to update their knowledge proactively, innovate teaching methods, strengthen scientific research and digital skills, and connect knowledge with practice. Teachers should not stop at delivering course content and that they should help students develop ways of learning and thinking, the ability to ask questions, search for and verify information, and gradually build capacities for self-study and independent research. Each class session, therefore, should generate active participation, awaken curiosity, and help students apply knowledge to real-world problems.
Beyond the role of lecturers, learners are seen as the central actors in their own learning and development. In a message to new students, the Secretary of the University’s Party Committee emphasized five requirements: study hard; maintain scientific integrity; be proactive and creative; and be responsible to oneself, the university, and the community. These are not only study requirements but also principles that help students develop professional conduct, capabilities, and social responsibility in the university environment. Associate Professor Le Tuan Anh also stressed that discipline and order at a university are not meant to limit creativity but to create a foundation for each person to make the most of their abilities. When students are responsible, comply with academic standards, and learn proactively, they can develop independent thinking, creativity, and a spirit of engagement in research, professional experience, and community service.
Reflecting on these expectations, Associate Professor Le Tuan Anh emphasized that the spirit of the academic year does not lie in goals written on paper. It must be shown through changes in ways of thinking, working, and results in each specific task. Every staff member and lecturer must innovate proactively and work with responsibility and discipline. Every student must study, research, train, and take responsibility for their own development. Together, these expectations point to a unified spirit across the university: “Renewing Thinkings - Upholding Disciplines - Strong Transformation - Substantive Results.” According to Associate Professor Le Tuan Anh, this is not only the orientation for the academic year but must be made concrete in the work of each department, administrator, lecturer, employee, worker, and student. Each goal must be converted into specific tasks, each task must have clear outputs, and each output must be evaluated by substantive results. “When the spirit of innovation is linked with responsibility, discipline is linked with action, and results become the measure, the orientations of the new academic year will be demonstrated through specific changes in training quality, research capacity, innovation activities, and service quality for learners,” he emphasized.