Hanoi National University of Education 2 has dismissed the head of a department in its English faculty for using a fake PhD degree. An official from the university confirmed on the morning of 29/1 that this was the highest disciplinary action, decided by the disciplinary council yesterday. The lecturer, who headed the Department of Language and Culture, English Faculty, admitted to using the fraudulent degree.

The university had previously removed the lecturer's name from its PhD honor roll within the campus and suspended him from teaching. Hanoi National University of Education 2 is currently cooperating with the police to further verify the information and reach a full conclusion regarding the case.

A corner of Hanoi National University of Education 2 campus. *Photo: HPU2*

At the 2025 new PhD recognition ceremony on 27/1, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Quang Huy, Rector of the university, underscored the severity of the act, calling it a violation of law and academic integrity. He emphasized that a PhD title represents not merely a designation but honor. "Honor cannot be borrowed, replaced, or traded", Dr. Huy stated. "Academic integrity is the ultimate ethical boundary for researchers; once that boundary is crossed, all other achievements become meaningless."

The incident came to light last week following a post on an academic integrity forum. The post raised suspicions that a lecturer from Hanoi National University of Education 2 was using a fake PhD from the University of Queensland, Australia, which is ranked 42nd globally in the 2026 QS World University Rankings. Investigations by an individual contacting the University of Queensland and searching its library for the lecturer's PhD thesis found no relevant information. Subsequently, the university removed the lecturer's details from its official communication channels.