The Vietnam National University-Hanoi (VNU) should take the lead in building Vietnam into a start-up nation, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told its managerial staff on October 16th.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaking at the meeting with VNU managerial staff

He said VNU needs to align its development direction with the country’s goal of building a start-up nation, and must be part of the national start-up ecosystem.

Education and training have continually been prioritised, he reaffirmed, saying the sectors must proactively provide high-quality human resources for the country to achieve industrialisation and modernisation, as well as national development targets.

The PM said VNU has proved to be a top facility in the national tertiary education system, which now comprises 412 universities and junior colleges, and applauded its education quality verification and scientific researches that won national and international awards.

He asked the university to adapt its research to the current situation, which can be seen through the establishment and successful operation of enterprises, noting that research findings must satisfy the demand of businesses and the economy and serve socio-economic development.

Tertiary education in Vietnam, including in VNU, has yet to meet the real demand, he said, pointing out that 225,000 graduates who are currently unemployed nationwide demonstrates that education must be improved.

VNU is a State-owned tertiary education establishment that groups different universities and institutes, including seven colleges and five faculties.