Accompanying the robust development of the city over the years, the University of Danang (UD) has continuously strived to fulfill its mission of training high-quality human resources (HQHR) to meet the socio-economic development needs of the city, contributing to regional and national growth.

Strong development, affirmed brand

According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu, President of UD, the time when Danang became a centrally governed city (1997) also marked the formation and development journey of UD. Its location in a dynamic, youthful, and developing city has given UD an edge in attracting talents from across the country to study and conduct research. At every development milestone of UD, there has been care and support from the city’s leadership and people. In return, the city’s development has always been accompanied and positively contributed to by UD, especially in HQHR training.

From its affiliated members as a university, a college-level faculty, a college, and a technical vocational school, UD has now completed its organizational model and operations, comprising 6 member universities and 4 affiliated training units, along with several research and technology transfer centers. Initially, its staff consisted of only about 400 officials and lecturers, with many fields lacking PhDs. Through years of investment and development, UD now has nearly 2,600 staff and lecturers (a sixfold increase), including 127 Professors and Associate Professors (almost a tenfold increase), and 758 PhDs (over 16 times more). The percentage of lecturers with doctoral degrees has reached 48%, with over 70% at University of Science and Technology - compared to the national average of 32%.

Thanks to its high-quality teaching staff, UD has grown into a multi-disciplinary, multi-sector university with a top-tier training scale nationwide. Its reputation is well-established, with nearly 55,000 full-time students and international students (an 8.5-fold increase), offering 136 undergraduate programs, 48 master's programs, and 32 doctoral programs.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu emphasized that UD always prioritizes training quality. UD is the first regional university system in Vietnam to have all of its member institutions nationally accredited for quality. Among them, University of Science and Education was the first in Vietnam to be accredited and meet national quality standards in April 2016. University of Science and Technology was one of the first four universities in Vietnam to achieve international accreditation from HCERES in 2017.

Additionally, UD continuously updates and innovates its curriculum to meet regional development orientations, particularly in Danang. It has recently helped launch an alliance of leading universities to train HQHR for the semiconductor industry. Three member universities have opened admissions and provided training programmes in Integrated Circuit Design from 2024, along with new fields like Financial Technology (Fintech).

As Danang has developed, many UD alumni have advanced into important roles in government agencies, organizations, and businesses across the country. Generations of students deeply appreciate the decades of dedicated contribution and innovation by UD’s lecturers, which has helped UD become one of Vietnam’s top three centers for education and scientific research, on par with regional and global institutions. It has made meaningful contributions to the country's higher education reform and international integration.

Each year, returning alumni witness the remarkable transformation of UD - with improved infrastructure, modern lecture halls, and state-of-the-art laboratories. Education and research at UD continue to evolve, aligned with the goals of higher education reform, scientific advancement, and digital transformation in the age of globalization.

Focusing on high-quality human resource training

To pursue its overarching mission, UD’s member universities prioritize HQHR training. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Huu Hieu, Rector of University of Science and Technology - UD, stated that the university continues operating its existing programs while aligning new training programs with global scientific and technological trends and labor market demands. It focuses on key industries such as high-tech, core technologies, and service sectors with large labor needs.

The university actively designs new training programs aligned with technological trends to meet HQHR demands in emerging fields, such as high-quality and specialized IT programs developed in collaboration with businesses, Data Science and AI (launched in 2020), Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Aerospace (2020), Computer Engineering (2020), Automotive Engineering (2021), Biomedical Biotechnology (2022), and Microelectronics and IC Design under the Electronics and Telecommunications program (2024).

According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Van Huy, Rector of University of Economics - UD, Danang’s rise as a regional economic-financial hub and its growing role in shaping national digital economy policies highlight the urgent need for HQHR in the region. The university considers digital human resource development a core mission that is crucial to improving education quality and responding to labor market demands.

As a result, the university integrates digital technologies into its programs and adopts new teaching models that prepare students for contemporary challenges. It goes beyond equipping students with technical skills, also nurturing creative thinking, problem-solving, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Significant investments have been made in infrastructure, modern equipment, highly qualified faculty with practical experience, and partnerships with businesses and organizations.

Assessing Danang's role as a leading economic and tourism center in the Central region that attracts many international visitors and foreign investors, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Long, Rector of University of Foreign Language Studies - UD, highlighted the high demand for workers with strong language proficiency - especially in tourism, hospitality, and international trade.

The university continually updates and improves its teaching methods to enhance education quality. Programs are flexibly designed to combine theory with practice, enabling students to build essential skills and adapt to diverse work environments. Through close cooperation with businesses, the university gains insights into workforce requirements, allowing it to tailor programs and activities that help students quickly integrate and contribute to Danang’s and the region’s socio-economic development.

According to Mr. Tran Khac Tuan, Director of CPCIT (Central Power Information Technology Company), the UD is a center for education, scientific research, and technology transfer that fulfills national strategic missions and regional development goals. It produces highly skilled human resources with innovative thinking, adaptability, and effective international integration capabilities. UD’s orientation is grounded in STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), focusing on key industries, high-tech, core technologies, and service sectors with large labor demands in line with global trends.

To ensure the quality of HQHR, UD closely coordinates with businesses (to identify labor needs), the government (to forecast and plan major investment projects), and educational institutions (to determine fields of study, identify enrollment targets, and focused training for specific workforce needs).

As a result, most UD graduates meet the required technical qualifications, work skills, and adaptability for business environments. From the employers’ perspective, most job candidates from UD are well-trained, creatively inclined, capable of independent work, and quick to adapt to their assigned roles.

                                                                                                                                           UD Media

                                                                                                                                           Source: Danang Newspaper