Vietnam/Hanoi: external evaluation of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences - a strategic step towards the future
Against a backdrop of far-reaching reform of Vietnam's public research apparatus - marked in particular by the implementation of Decree No. 32/2025/NĐ-CP reorganizing administrative structures and Political Bureau Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW aimed at accelerating scientific, technological development and innovation - and as part of a long-standing bilateral cooperation with the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) has embarked, with AUF support, on a process of evaluation by external experts.
This initiative, launched by the Institut d'économie du Vietnam et du monde (IVAWE) - one of the Académie - reflects a clear commitment to openness, reflexivity and alignment with international standards of research governance. By agreeing to submit its structures, missions, methods and impacts to an independent outside eye, the ASSV and its pilot components are demonstrating their determination to modernize in depth. These included the following units:
- International Cooperation Department
- Human Resources Department
- Finance and Scientific Management Department
- Administrative Office
- Institute of Economics of Vietnam and the World
- Institute of Cultural Research
- Institute of Ethnology and Religious Sciences
- Institute of Human, Family and Gender Research
- Institute of Human Geography and Sustainable Development
- Asia-Pacific Research Institute
- South Vietnam Institute of Social Sciences
- Social Sciences Training Institute
- Institute of Ethnology and Religious Sciences
- Institute of History
- Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
This strategic analysis was conducted by a team of French social science experts: M. Jean-Émile Gombert, Honorary President of Rennes 2 University, and Patrick Saubost, Honorary Regional Delegate of the CNRS. Both are widely recognized for their expertise in university governance and laboratory management, as well as for their roles on international expert committees.
Over a five-day period, the evaluators held ten meetings and interviews with managers and staff in charge of the seven dimensions of institutional and scientific governance, as defined by IVAWE and AUF.
The aim of this approach is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the ASSV, in order to formulate strategic recommendations - in terms of human resources, investments, organization, mechanisms, etc. - for the future.in terms of human resources, investments, organization, mechanisms and policies - involving all stakeholders, and feeding into a joint reflection between the Academy and the AUF.
ASSV vice-president Dang Xuân Thanh stressed the crucial importance of the evaluation mission carried out by AUF experts within the Academy. He also praised the rigor and relevance of the fieldwork carried out by the AUF experts, expressing his full confidence in their conclusions. These evaluations, carried out by an internationally renowned institution, will be an invaluable asset for the long-term strengthening of the Academy's governance.
In 2024, the AUF - Asia-Pacific organized the " États généraux de la recherche francophone dans les établissements d'enseignement supérieur au Vietnam ", at the Hanoi Polytechnic Institute, in the presence of HE.E.M. NGUYEN Van Phuc, Vice-Minister of Education and Training of Vietnam. In a rapidly changing research environment, where English is increasingly becoming the common language of scientific production in many disciplines, to the detriment of French, this forum provided an opportunity to discuss the latest developments in the field.ais, this forum provided an opportunity to examine ways of making the French-speaking world a vector for promoting research, while taking into account the specific characteristics of Vietnamese establishments. The forum, structured around a number of round tables and thematic workshops, was an open forum for sharing experiences and highlighting best practices in the research strategies defined by Vietnamese institutions.The forum was an open forum for sharing experiences, highlighting best practices in research strategies defined by higher education institutions (HEIs), and networking among peers, with a view to providing input for the AUF's action plan.
The first external diagnosis marked a historic turning point for the ASSV: it was a lever for internal and external transformation, establishing a culture of evaluation, accountability and results-based management. It also enabled the Academy to project itself into the future, by highlighting its achievements and shedding light on possible areas for improvement.
Source: www.auf.org/
