- Format: Admission
- Contact: (+84) 28 7306 1976 (ext. 3010)
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
OBJECTIVES
The PhD program at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) aims to develop highly skilled scholars and researchers in economics, business, management, law, and the public sector.
The PhD program is in English. Selected international students will receive a PhD fellowship, which means they will receive a tuition waiver during their standard study period.
In addition, UEH offers a Full-time doctoral program for candidates who aspire to pursue an intensive academic career. This program enables PhD students to dedicate themselves entirely to study, thereby enhancing the quality of their dissertations and strengthening their scientific publications. Participants benefit from opportunities to join research groups, attend academic conferences, and engage in international collaboration. With our modern academic ecosystem, experienced faculty, and specialized research environment, UEH provides an ideal setting for doctoral students to comprehensively develop their research and teaching skills.
PhD students who do not participate in the Full-time doctoral program but demonstrate strong research capacity are encouraged to join the International Research Lab (IRL) as members at UEH. This is an International Project-based PhD training approach that is tightly linked to substantive research projects and focuses on research, international publications, and academic career growth.
(Please refer to the information here, and learn more about UEH’s international academic ecosystem here).
PROGRAM DURATION
The standard duration of the PhD program is four years (48 months).
The program is delivered through a structured curriculum, and PhD students are expected to devote sufficient time to coursework and research in accordance with the study plan. During the first year, newly admitted PhD students are required to attend in-person classes on weekends at UEH, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS
Applicants as foreign citizens meet the 05 following requirements:
(i) Applicants must hold a master’s degree in an appropriate field, such as economics, business, or management.
(ii) Being an author of at least one peer-reviewed article published in an international scientific journal within 24 months of the registration date. For publications with co-authors, please provide a Letter of Consent permitting the use of the article for PhD admission application at UEH (signed by all co-authors).
(iii) Ability to conduct and complete research, as demonstrated by a research proposal in compliance with compulsory form (3000-3500 words) following the required format.
(iv) A letter of recommendation from a qualified academic (professor, associate professor, or PhD holder) who has worked professionally with the applicant and is knowledgeable about the proposed research topic.
(v) English language proficiency (one of the following):
- Being a citizen of a country with English as its official language.
- Possessing a foreign undergraduate or master’s certificate awarded by foreign higher education institutions for full-time learners abroad, with English as the medium.
- Achieving undergraduate diplomas in the English Linguistics Major from Vietnamese educational organizations.
- Holding a valid English certificate: TOEFL iBT with a score of 65 or higher (issued by IIG, IIE, or ETS-authorized centers), or IELTS Academic with a score of 6.0 or higher (issued by the British Council, IDP Australia, or University of Cambridge), within two years (24 months) until registration date.
SELECTION PROCESS
PhD candidates are evaluated on a 100-point scale, with assessments of the application documents (40 points), the research proposal (20 points), and the interview (40 points). Candidates are classified as "pass" and considered for admission if they score at least of 20 points on their application documents, 10 points on their research proposal, and 20 points on their interview.
4.1. Evaluation of application documents, including the following contents:
a) Diplomas and training results: Diplomas are evaluated based on the reputation of the training institution and the academic performance of the applicant at the undergraduate and master's levels.
b) Scientific articles or reports: Evaluation is based on the prestige of the journal or scientific conference/seminar, the relevance of the article to the research direction and field of study of the applicant, the quality of the writing, etc.
The quality of the applicant's research-oriented master's thesis (already completed). The applicant's research and teaching experience, and the reputation of the educational institution/scientific organization where they are currently working.
c) Foreign language proficiency
4.2. Evaluating the research proposal:
Quality of research proposal: Evaluation is based on the persuasiveness of the applicant's research problem statement; the depth and comprehensiveness of the literature review; the scientific rigor of the research objectives and questions (clarity), proposed research methods (appropriateness), and research plan (feasibility); and the coherent, logical, and persuasive presentation of other content…
4.3. Interviews:
Applicants present their research proposal, research plan, and dissertation plan to the specialized doctoral student selection subcommittee. Members of the specialized subcommittee will ask interview questions to evaluate the applicants on the following aspects:
- Knowledge: the level of mastery of knowledge in the field of study for which the applicant is applying; the level of understanding of the research plan, the level of comprehension of the nature of the intended research problem; the understanding of the requirements of research activities, research knowledge and skills, research methods, and research tools in the field.
- Research implementation capabilities: study plan and research implementation plan if accepted, explanation of strengths, weaknesses, and overall preparation of the applicant.
- Essential qualities for a doctoral student include: scientific research capabilities (analytical and synthesis skills, concise and logical expression, etc.); attitude (motivation, maturity, confidence, determination to pursue a doctoral program); critical thinking; and other qualities (curiosity, creativity, discipline, honesty, organizational skills, ability to conduct independent research and organize research groups, perseverance).
- Academic English proficiency.
APPLICATION DOCUMENTS
(1) A scanned copy of the academic resume with a personal photograph attached (Template 1), certified and stamped by the employing unit or competent authority.
(2) Translated notarized copies of the following documents: University degree and transcript; master’s degree and transcript; University degree in linguistics/Foreign language certificate/Proof of foreign language proficiency.
(3) Scanned proofs of research experience: One peer-reviewed article published in an international scientific journal within 24 months of the registration date. For publications with co-authors, please provide a Letter of Consent permitting the use of the article for PhD admission application at UEH (signed by all co-authors) (Template 3).
(4) Research proposal and study/research plan file (Template 2).
(5) Photo file in the style of a citizen's identity card, not more than 01 (one) year old from the date of application.
(6) Scanned passport.
STUDY LOCATION
- At UEH, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Timeline for submitting application documents:
Applicants must submit their scanned documents according to the instructions above from June 29th, 2026, to July 19th, 2026, via email: daotaotiensi@ueh.edu.vn
Notes regarding documents verification:
- Step 1: After the applicant completes sending their profile, if any errors are found that need correction, please notify the Department of Training via email for update.
- Step 2: The Department of Training will review the application. If additional information or supporting documents are needed, an email notification will be sent to the applicant.
After the UEH Doctoral Admissions Council approves the admission results, UEH will notify applicants to complete their applications, verify their diplomas, and submit any other required documents to confirm their official admission.
Expected date for announcement of admission results: end of August 2026.
Expected start date and date for sending admission notices: early September 2026.
The admission results are sent to applicants' email addresses.
After the results of the doctoral program selection are available, the Department of Training will forward the information of applicants who have applied for the Full-time doctoral program or IRL to the Organizational and Human Resources Development Department for further selection.
REQUIREMENTS FOR FULL-TIME DOCTORAL STUDENTS AND NON-FULL-TIME DOCTORAL STUDENTS JOINING IRL
7.1 Full-time doctoral students
International students selected and granted tuition waiver are eligible to apply to UEH’s full-time PhD program (Quota: 07 students). This implies that foreign students receive a fixed monthly stipend, a 100% tuition fee waiver, and additional incentives. Detailed requirements are available below.
To be eligible to apply for a Full-time PhD program, candidates must:
- Have graduated with a master's degree and been admitted to the doctoral program at UEH with a research proposal quality assessment score of at least 16/20 points.
- Not being older than 40 at the time of application.
- Commitment to working full-time at UEH.
- Bachelor’s degree or master’s degree granted by a foreign institution to full-time students studied abroad in a program where the language of instruction was English, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, or German (and recognized by the Quality Management Department, Ministry of Education and Training), or possess a TOEFL iBT score of 65 or higher (Home Edition not accepted), or an IELTS Academic score of 6.0 or higher, still valid within 02 years from the application submission date, issued by authorized testing organizations;
- Candidates must be the primary author of at least one scientific paper related to their field of study in the doctoral program at UEH, published in a peer-reviewed international journal within 36 months of application (predatory journals or journals on Beall’s list are not recognized). Preference will be given to candidates with publications in ISI or Scopus-indexed scientific journals.
7.2. Non Full-time doctoral students joining IRL
PhD students participating in IRL are eligible for a 100% tuition fee waiver, provided that they meet the prescribed admission standards and satisfy all of the following requirements:
- The applicant has completed a master’s degree, has been admitted to UEH’s PhD program, and has achieved a research proposal evaluation score of at least 16/20;
- The applicant is not older than 50 years of age at the time of application;
- The applicant has been approved for admission to the research group by the leader of the relevant IRL;
- The foreign language and research experience requirements are the same as those applicable to applicants for the Full-time doctoral program.
Benefits: PhD students will receive training under a clearly research-oriented framework, with their dissertation aligned with the research direction of the international research group. They will be directly supervised by a foreign professor and by a UEH professor/associate professor. They will also participate directly in the group’s substantive topics/projects, thereby developing independent research capacity, internationally standardized academic skills, and professional experience in a research environment. (Detailed information is available here)
CONTACT INFORMATION
Department of Training (59C Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, Xuan Hoa Ward, Ho Chi Minh City; Phone: (028) 7306.1976 ext. 3010 - Email: daotaotiensi@ueh.edu.vn)
For Full-time Doctoral Program and IRL: Human Resources and Organisation Development Department (59C Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, Xuan Hoa Ward, Ho Chi Minh City; Phone: (028) 38292411 ext. 15 - Email: hod@ueh.edu.vn)