Vietnam has record 33 universities in 2027 QS Asian rankings, despite widespread declines

Vietnam has a record 33 institutions in the 2027 QS University Rankings for Asia, up eight from last year, although most of the previously ranked universities have fallen in the standings. According to the rankings released on Nov. 3, the eight new Vietnamese entrants are the National Economics University, Thai Nguyen University, Dong Nai Technology University, Lac Hong University, Nam Can Tho University, the University of Finance - Marketing, Thang Long University and Vinh Long University of Technology and Engineering. Vietnam National University, Hanoi campus. Photo courtesy of the school Vietnam National University, Hanoi, remains the country's highest-ranked institution, despite dropping one place to 159th. Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, and Duy Tan University rank second and third among Vietnamese institutions, but fell seven and 45 places, respectively.Of the 25 Vietnamese institutions ranked last year, only eight improved their positions. Phenikaa University recorded one of the biggest gains, rising from the 951–1,000 band to 697th place. Thuyloi University, a leading technical institution for water resources, climbed from the 1,001–1,100 band to the 731–740 range.Several universities recorded steep declines. Hue University fell 111 places, while Nguyen Tat Thanh University dropped 132. Other institutions lost between one and 45 places.33 Vietnamese universities in the QS World University Rankings: Asia Region 2027:No. School 2026 rank 2027 rank 1 Vietnam National University, Hanoi 158 159 2 Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City 175 182 3 Duy Tan University 165 210 4 Ton Duc Thang University 231 265 5 Hanoi University of Science and Technology 315 276 6 Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH) 287 289 7 Van Lang University 251 293 8 University of Economics HCMC 318 329 9 Industrial University of HCMC 355 380 10 Da Nang University 439 457 11 Can Tho University 493 534 12 Hue University 450 561 13 Foreign Trade University 580 562 14 Nguyen Tat Thanh University 437 569 15 HCMC Open University 721-730 667 16 Phenikaa University 951-1000 697 17 Thuyloi University 1001-1100 731-740 18 Hanoi National University of Education 801-850 771-780 19 HCMC University Technology and Engineering 901-950 801-850 20 National Economics University not ranked 801-850 21 Thai Nguyen University not ranked 901-950 22 Nong Lam University - HCMC 951-1000 1001-1100 23 Vietnam National University of Agriculture 781-790 1001-1100 24 Banking Academy of Vietnam 1201-1300 1101-1200 25 Dong Nai Technology University not ranked 1101-1200 26 University of Transport HCMC 607 1101-1200 27 Lac Hong University not ranked 1201-1300 28 Thuongmai (Commerce) University 1101-1200 1201-1300 29 Nam Can Tho University not ranked 1401-1500 30 University of Finance - Marketing not ranked 1401-1500 31 Vinh University 1201-1300 1401-1500 32 Thang Long University not ranked 1501+ 33 Vinh Long University of Technology and Engineering not ranked 1501+ QS evaluates universities using 11 criteria. Academic reputation carries the highest weighting, at 30%, followed by employer reputation at 20%.The remaining criteria, weighted between 2.5% and 10%, include the faculty-to-student ratio, the proportion of faculty members with PhDs, research papers per faculty member, citations per paper, international research networks, the shares of international faculty and students, and student exchange rates.More than 1,700 institutions are included in the 2027 rankings. Eight of the top 10 are in China, with the University of Hong Kong (HKU) taking first place.