Branding in Higher Education of Vietnam in the Globalization: Training Quality and Social Needs Satisfaction

1. Branding in Higher Education of Vietnam in the Globalization: Training Quality and Social Needs Satisfaction Asso. Prof. Dr. Võ Xuân Đàn Ho Chi Minh City University of Foreign Language and Information Technology

2. Higher education in the early 21st century has faced some challenges: • Its relevance to the society’s expectations and its current practice; • Quality of higher education • International cooperation – a key factor relating to quality issue • Financial allocation and management

3. Higher education in the globalization-market is identified as public service whereas competitive factors and brand building are significantly important.

4. To compare with many other countries in the world, Vietnam higher education has been developed quite early, since 1070. During its historical development, Vietnam higher education has accessed to and selected a variety of unique values of worldwide higher education; integrating into different areas of regional and international higher education.

5. In the globalizing context, brand of Vietnam higher education includes high quality training and the graduate outcomes can meet the society’s needs. Each era has its own changes in the issue of high quality training. Basically, the key factor for such development and changes is the development of technological science.

6. Quality in higher education is a multi-aspect concept that covers all its functions and activities. We do need to pay more attention to the knowledge improvement through research

7. High education has to focus on improving skills and creativity, especially on social contribution and service.

8. Meeting the society’s needs include: • Relevance of higher education evaluated through its relevance to the society’s expectations and its current practice. To have such relevance, institution, besides its close relationship with labor market, should have its long term direction and goals, including issues on culture and environmental protection.

9. Especially activities relating to poverty reduction, tolerance shortage, violence, illiteracy, famine, environmental destruction, illness, and other internal and external activities aim at world peace reservation.

10. Definition of relevance in higher education: • Factually, it is to meet the society’s increasing needs of higher education which has been noted in Vietnam renovation guidelines since 1986. This is continuously studied and implemented in Vietnam education, especially higher education.

11. In the globalizing context, Vietnam higher education is in the process of renovation to search for a brand of training quality and to meet the society’s needs. This brand is not only a name but a strategically vital issue of educational renovation of Vietnam higher education as well as it covers all issues of developmental goals, missions, and solutions for renovating Vietnam higher education to 2020

12. In some respects, training to meet the society’s needs will, step by step, help Vietnam participate in a high quality and qualification labor market of the world. This trend has been developing in the world; and Vietnam is capable of as well as has enough resources to develop with this trend to build up a stable brand for Vietnam higher education in the globalizing context.

13. In the globalizing context, Vietnam higher education has had cautious steps in building its brand, which are suitable to the reality and current circumstances of the country’s and the world’s education, helping achieve some successes and experience. Such experiences can be acknowledged as follows:

14. First, training principles, objectives, content, and training resources are always closely connected to the historical development of the country and related to the international higher education.

15. Second, university categories and training levels are updated in terms of quality and quantity to assure the sustainable development of Vietnam higher education.

16. Third, Vietnam higher education has promptly accessed to and applied the world’s scientific achievement such as technological science, information technology into the university management to shorten time for training, scientific research and modernization of equipment, enabling Vietnam higher education to develop sustainably.

17. Fourth, to build up and maintain Vietnam higher education’s brand, Vietnam higher education needs integrate into the regional and international education with a strong, specific, practical, open reform; “the ivory tower” which has been existing too long in higher education should be destroyed..

18. Fifth, branding in higher education of Vietnam is a process which helps realizing weaknesses and their causes.

19. Sixth, in order to promote and enhance the strength of Vietnam higher education’s brand – “high quality training and meeting the society’s needs – it is necessary to prepare for resources and enhance Vietnam higher education’s notable strength which is a complete renovation in Vietnam.

20. Seventh, in order to maintain and promote Vietnam higher education’s brand in the meantime with the development of cultural brand, heritage of values and achievement of education of people and the world is an essential issue. It helps develop a university model which is “humanly perfect, scientific and modern”; and above all, closely integrating to the world’s education. maintaining and promoting the Vietnamese educational brand in this period of developing the nation’s traditions brand, inherited issues, acquiring quintessence, achievements of local and global education are very essential and important in creating a university model called “perfecting humanity, science, and modern” to approach with the world university.

21. Building up the brand of Vietnam higher education of “high quality training and meeting the society’s needs” is a reflection of development and values of Vietnam higher education to the region and the world.

22. In the reality of developing brand, Vietnam higher education has obtained practical experience, as above mentioned, but not a conclusion for all. It is, however, realizable experience for reference and addition to the educational value system – experience in branding higher education of Vietnam in the globalizing context which no country in the world can ignore unless they want to be left behind or undeveloped in education.

23. Building up brand for Vietnam higher education – “ high quality training and meeting the society’s needs” – is vitally essential. It is valuable not only in the theory but also in practice, contributing into the affirmation of values of Vietnam higher education in the market economy and the globalizing context.