In the field of higher education, the city aims to reduce the concentration of students in the central urban area by expanding university development toward outer districts. This will involve building second campuses for institutions whose main campuses have already been fully developed, and relocating universities with small land areas, incomplete infrastructure and limited historical value to designated university urban zones.

Within the central urban area, Hanoi plans to stop building new higher education facilities. Campuses that already have well-developed infrastructure will remain but may be transformed into advanced training centers, research and technology transfer hubs, or startup and innovation centers.

New training facilities will instead be located at second campuses where universities can organize academic activities, practical training and student accommodation. Universities and colleges with limited land areas and insufficient facilities will be relocated outside the central urban area.

Hanoi also plans to move higher education and vocational training institutions from the inner city to satellite urban areas, forming university clusters with modern, shared infrastructure in designated zones across the capital.

For institutions whose land area and infrastructure do not meet required standards, the entire campus will be relocated. The city will support the development of infrastructure at the new locations while repurposing the old campuses in the inner city for general education and other public purposes.

For institutions that are not required to relocate completely, the city will still support infrastructure development at their new campuses. Their existing inner-city sites may be used for research activities, technology transfer, innovation initiatives, postgraduate training, high-quality vocational education, general education or public spaces.

Once training activities are gradually moved outside the central urban area, Hanoi plans to develop research and education zones on the former sites. Newly built universities are expected to follow the model of large university clusters combined with concentrated research centers.

Several major university complexes are expected to be developed with modern, integrated infrastructure in areas such as Hoa Lac - Xuan Mai, Thach That, Son Tay and Soc Son.

Hanoi also aims to strengthen the development of nationally significant universities, upgrade several major institutions into high-quality training centers with regional and global reputations, and encourage investment in internationally recognized universities.

Institutions expected to receive focused development investment include Vietnam National University, Hanoi; Hanoi University of Science and Technology; Vietnam National University of Agriculture; National Economics University; Hanoi Medical University; Hanoi National University of Education; and the Military Technical Academy (Le Quy Don University).

Thanh Hung