UEH development strategy for 2025–2030, vision 2045 "UEH acting together for our shared future"

25 Feb, 2026

The year 2026 – marking the 50th anniversary of establishment and development – signifies the moment when the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) officially enters a new phase of growth, characterized by a long-term vision and greater aspirations. Building upon the legacy of internal strengths cultivated over half a century, UEH establishes an overarching strategic direction: Acting together for our shared future.

UEH sets the goal of becoming a multidisciplinary, multi-field university committed to sustainable development by 2030, ranking among the Top 250 leading universities in Asia, and advancing toward the Top 100 by 2045. This is not merely a target for rankings, but a commitment to quality, social responsibility, and long-term impact that UEH pursues.

From a Multidisciplinary and Sustainable University to the Nucleus of an Urban-Regional Innovation Ecosystem

During the 2021–2025 period, UEH focused on building internal capacity and shaping its identity as a multidisciplinary, sustainable university. The priorities included refining the autonomous governance model, enhancing training and research quality to international standards, and integrating sustainable development initiatives into campus operations. A development mindset centered on people, social responsibility, and long-term impact has been progressively established, laying the foundation for more profound transformations.

Entering the 2026–2030 period, UEH continues to refine its multidisciplinary and sustainable university strategy, expanding the training and research space from classrooms and laboratories into a dynamic learning ecosystem where knowledge, people, technology, and community interact within real-world environments. Multi-stakeholder collaboration becomes the nucleus of innovation, with learners, faculty, administrators, businesses, and communities working together to pilot solutions for urban and societal sustainable development challenges.

In the 2030–2045 vision, UEH evolves from a pioneering university in sustainable development into the nucleus of an urban-regional innovation ecosystem, embodied in the University-City Innovation Hub model. Within this model, academic knowledge, institutions and policies, technology, economic activities, communities, and the natural environment are integrated into a unified, continuous, and cumulative operational structure. UEH assumes the role of coordinator, fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration and transforming knowledge into policies, applied solutions, and scalable development models, contributing to systemic transformations at regional and international levels.

The UEH Multidisciplinary & Sustainable Strategy Model 2026–2045 aiming to become the nucleus of an urban-regional innovation ecosystem

Training at the Center – Five Pillars Creating Impact Together

Positioning Training at the center of the strategic model, UEH implements integrated solutions across five strategic pillars, where Research, Governance, Operations, and Community Connection collectively create added value for training quality.

*Training: Educating Global Citizens Who Act for Sustainable Development

UEH comprehensively upgrades training quality toward internationalization, aligned with the Glo-cal philosophy – combining global knowledge with local practice. Training programs are innovated in content, teaching methods, and assessment; English-medium instruction is expanded; entry and exit standards are benchmarked against leading regional universities; and international accreditation and credit recognition are strengthened. Concurrently, UEH vigorously develops multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary programs that integrate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), encouraging experiential learning, project-based learning, and learning in authentic contexts.

*Research for Community Benefit

Research at UEH is oriented to become a solid knowledge foundation for training and a tool for creating social impact. UEH promotes high-quality international publications, develops strong research groups, expands the global scholar network, and builds a co-creative research ecosystem. Research outcomes are encouraged to be transformed into applied solutions, policies, and scientific-technological products serving the community.

*Governance Oriented Toward Action and Sustainable Development

UEH modernizes its governance model according to next-generation university standards, integrated with digital transformation, enhanced capacity for participation in international university rankings, standardized branding communications for training and research, and diversified sustainable financial resources from training, research, knowledge transfer, entrepreneurship, and the alumni community.

*Operations: From Green Campus to Carbon Neutrality and a Happy University

UEH sustainably operates its training facilities through the Living Lab UEH Green Campus project, moving toward the Circular Campus model and the Net Zero roadmap. In parallel, UEH builds a university culture based on Diversity – Equity – Inclusion (DEI) values and the Happy University concept, emphasizing gender equality, diversity, and inclusion in policies, spaces, and university life.

*A Community of Change Leaders for Sustainable Development and Artistic Inspiration

UEH becomes a hub connecting knowledge and sustainable action through co-creative partnerships with businesses and professional organizations; leveraging the City University Hub role in Ho Chi Minh City, Vinh Long, and Nha Trang; promoting knowledge transfer from institutes and centers; and developing an innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem integrated with the university environment.

10 Key Strategic Projects for 2025–2030

To realize the strategy, UEH implements 10 key strategic projects for the 2025–2030 period:

Elevating the quality of UEH's workforce;
Building an international academic ecosystem at UEH;
Strengthening scientific research capacity, international publications, science and technology transfer, and product commercialization;
Training high-quality human resources with internationalization, practical orientation, multidisciplinary integration, digital transformation, and sustainability;
Developing the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem at UEH, becoming a nucleus for innovative entrepreneurship connecting the Vietnamese and Asian startup communities;
Effectively developing the UEH alumni network with impactful and sustainable engagement programs;
Implementing the City University model with the university playing a central role in connecting with government, businesses, and communities on a foundation of co-creation and sustainable collective action;
Modernizing technical infrastructure and facilities, effective governance, and sustainable finance;
Upgrading UEH's comprehensive digital transformation level according to European standards;
Implementing the Happy University model.

ONE UEH – Acting Together for Our Shared Future

The implementation of the UEH Development Strategy for 2025–2030 is the shared responsibility of all UEHers. Built upon core values and the ONE UEH spirit, every faculty member, staff member, and employee acts together, guided by core values: dedication in work; innovation in thinking; connection for collaboration and co-creation; inspiring through knowledge, culture, and art; and steadfast commitment to sustainable development goals.

On the foundation of internal strengths cultivated over 50 years, UEH embarks on a new journey with a confident stance and an increasingly profound sense of social responsibility. "Our Shared Future – Acting together for our shared future" is not only the strategic direction for the coming period but also UEH's long-term commitment to accompanying society, contributing meaningfully to the nation's sustainable development, and progressively affirming its position within the regional and international higher education ecosystem.

News, photos: Department of Communications and Partnerships