The top 10 universities in Vietnam for 2026 have been revealed - and once again, the list is dominated by public institutions. Of the ten highest-ranked universities, nine are publicly funded, with only one private university making it into the elite group.

The Vietnam University Rankings 2026 (VNUR-2026), just released, evaluated 237 higher education institutions nationwide. Among them, 193 universities with sufficient data were included in the official ranking.

VNUR-2026 uses a comprehensive framework of 6 standards and 18 criteria, covering the core missions of higher education: teaching, research, and community engagement.

Leading the rankings for the fourth consecutive year are Hanoi National University and Ho Chi Minh City National University. They are followed by Hanoi University of Science and Technology, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, and Ton Duc Thang University, rounding out the top five - identical to the 2025 lineup.

Notably, the University of Commerce re-entered the top 10 this year, climbing eight spots. Meanwhile, Lac Hong University made its debut in the top 100 at rank 55 - a leap of 72 positions, the largest improvement in this year’s rankings. The school is being dubbed the “rising star” of VNUR-2026.

Significant shifts in the Top 100

Compared to the 2025 edition, the 2026 Top 100 list saw a dynamic reshuffling, reflecting changes in training quality, research performance, and how well universities met the VNUR criteria.

Only seven universities maintained their previous year’s position. The top five - Hanoi National University, HCMC National University, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, University of Economics HCMC, and Ton Duc Thang University - remained unchanged. University of Danang also held steady at ninth place, and Nha Trang University kept its rank at 46.

Forty-six universities climbed the rankings, with gains ranging from 1 to 72 spots.

On the other hand, 47 universities dropped in rank, by as much as 54 places in some cases. This sharp drop for some reflects the increasing competitiveness of Vietnam’s higher education sector.

Fourteen institutions fell out of the top 100 entirely, despite having ranked between 28 and 98 last year. Meanwhile, 14 new universities entered the top 100 in 2026, debuting between positions 44 and 100 - indicating meaningful progress in academic and research quality among lesser-known schools.

Regional trends: Shifts and consolidations

Geographically, the top-ranked universities still cluster in the Red River Delta and Southeast regions. However, their representation in the Top 100 has slightly decreased.

Compared to 2025, the Red River Delta lost five universities from the Top 100, including one reassigned to the Northern Midlands and Mountainous Region. The Southeast Region also saw a decrease, from 29 to 27 universities.

In contrast, the North Central, South Central Coast, and Central Highlands regions collectively added three more universities to the Top 100, increasing their count from 11 to 14. The Mekong Delta and the Northern Midlands and Mountainous Region each added one new entrant.

By discipline: Multidisciplinary schools still dominate

In terms of academic focus, multidisciplinary universities continue to lead, with 51 schools in the Top 100, up from 46 last year.

Some specific fields, however, saw slight declines. Engineering and Technology dropped from 11 to 10 schools; Health Sciences from 12 to 11; Economics and Finance from 9 to 7; Public Administration from 5 to 4; and Agriculture and Forestry from 3 to just 2.

Meanwhile, fields such as Law, Education, Culture & Arts, and Architecture remained stable. Sports was the only field to see a slight increase - from 1 to 2 universities in the Top 100.

By ownership: Public institutions maintain their edge

Public universities still dominate the ranking, accounting for 83 of the top 100 - equivalent to 83%, a slight drop from 84% in 2025.

Private universities have edged forward slightly, now making up 17% of the Top 100, compared to 16% last year.

The complete Top 50 list according to VNUR-2026 has been released, although individual rankings are not detailed here.

Le Huyen