THE has just released its list of the best universities in Asia for 2026. This year, Vietnam has 11 institutions included, two more than in the previous year.

Nguyen Tat Thanh University and the University of Da Nang have made their debut in the rankings, placed in the 501-600 and 801+ bands, respectively.

The University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City remains the highest-ranked Vietnamese institution, although it dropped from 136th to 184th place. Most other universities also declined compared to last year, including Ton Duc Thang University, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Ho Chi Minh City Open University, Vietnam National University Hanoi, and Hue University.

Three institutions maintained their positions: Duy Tan University, Hanoi Medical University, and Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City.

Across Asia, China continues to dominate the rankings, with Tsinghua University and Peking University maintaining the top two positions. China is also the only country with seven universities in the top 10.

Other institutions in the top group include the National University of Singapore (third), Nanyang Technological University (fourth), and the University of Tokyo (fourth).

In 2026, THE ranked 929 universities from more than 36 countries and territories. Malaysia recorded a notable milestone, with its first institution entering the top 40 and a doubling of its representation in the top 100 compared to last year.

Universities are evaluated based on 18 indicators grouped into five areas: research quality (30 percent), research environment (28 percent), teaching (24.5 percent), knowledge transfer income (10 percent), and international outlook (7.5 percent).

The rankings of Vietnamese universities in the 2026 Asia list are as follows:

The University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City ranked 184th, down from 136th in 2025.

Ton Duc Thang University was placed in the 251-300 band, compared to 201-250 last year, while Duy Tan University remained in the same 251-300 group.

Hanoi Medical University continued to hold its position in the 401-500 range.

Nguyen Tat Thanh University entered the rankings for the first time, placed in the 501-600 band.

Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Ho Chi Minh City Open University, and Vietnam National University Hanoi were all ranked in the 601-800 group, each declining from the 501-600 band in 2025.

Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City remained in the 601-800 group, unchanged from last year.

Hue University dropped to the 801+ group from 601+ previously.

The University of Da Nang also made its debut, placed in the 801+ band.

Thuy Nga