70-year-old Vietnamese university urged to rank among world's top 150 in selected fields by 2030

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung asked the National Economics University (NEU) on Wednesday to strive for a place among the world's top 150 universities in selected fields by 2030 and the top 100 by 2035.

Speaking at a ceremony in Hanoi marking the university's 70th anniversary, Hung also asked NEU to become an internationally renowned university by 2045, the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

He said that since its founding, NEU has become one of Vietnam's leading institutions for education and research in economics, management and business administration. It has an extensive alumni network, with graduates in key positions at organizations and businesses across various sectors, and 88 of its programs meet international accreditation standards.

He said Vietnam's new stage of development requires reforms to its development model and growth drivers, higher labor productivity and stronger national competitiveness. He called on NEU to move quickly and decisively from traditional training models to a modern university model that combines education, research, innovation and policy advice.

He asked the university to prioritize training talented people and high-quality human resources, to shape its training around what the country needs rather than what the university already offers, and to build artificial intelligence and digital skills into its curricula.

Students at the National Economics University in Hanoi. Photo courtesy of NEU

NEU should also become a leading center for policy consultancy, set up innovation incubators and funds, build strong interdisciplinary research teams, reform its governance and expand international cooperation, he said.

At the ceremony, Hung presented NEU with the First-Class Labor Order for its achievements in research, technology transfer and training high-quality human resources.

He also gave it the government's emulation flag for its leading performance in the Ministry of Education and Training's 2025 emulation movement.

Over seven decades, NEU has trained around 300,000 students and researchers. It admits nearly 9,000 students annually across almost 90 faculties and programs.