Many Vietnamese universities leap in sustainable development rankings

Five of Vietnam's 12 universities have advanced in the QS sustainability rankings, with Hue University making a remarkable leap of over 700 places.

QS released its 2026 World University Rankings: Sustainability on 18/11, evaluating nearly 2,000 institutions from over 100 countries and territories.

The ranking assesses how universities fulfill their commitments and create an impact on sustainable development through research, teaching, and community service. It uses three main evaluation criteria: Environmental Impact, Social Impact, and Governance.

This year, 12 Vietnamese institutions were evaluated. Vietnam National University, Hanoi, remained at the top among Vietnamese schools but dropped about 50 places globally from last year. Duy Tan University climbed nearly 40 places, securing the second position among Vietnamese universities. Ton Duc Thang University entered the top 3 after advancing nearly 400 places, and Hue University also made a significant jump of over 700 places, reaching the top 6.

Van Lang University and Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology are two new entrants this year. Van Lang University debuted at 781st place, ranking higher than institutions like Can Tho University and Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City.

No.	University	Score (out of 100)	2025 Rank	2026 Rank
1	Vietnam National University, Hanoi	74,1	325	374
2	Duy Tan University	69,2	538	490
3	Ton Duc Thang University	66,8	921-930	553
4	University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City	63,1	653	658
5	Hanoi University of Science and Technology	61,4	702	709
6	Hue University	59,5	1.501+	768
7	Van Lang University	59,1	-	781
8	Can Tho University	55,2	1.061-1.080	910
9	Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City	52,4	880	999
10	Nguyen Tat Thanh University	-	1.451-1.500	1501+
11	University of Da Nang	-	1.501+	1501+
12	Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology	-	-	1501+

QS is recognized as one of the three largest university ranking organizations globally, alongside Times Higher Education (THE) and Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

The sustainable development ranking uses three main categories, encompassing nine criteria, each contributing 1-10% to the overall score. These categories are: Environmental Impact (environmental education, environmental research, environmental sustainability), Social Impact (employment and outcomes, equality, health and well-being, educational influence, knowledge exchange), and Governance (good governance).

This year, Lund University (Sweden) climbed two places to claim the top spot globally, becoming the only institution to achieve a perfect score of 100/100. The University of Toronto (Canada) moved to second place. The remaining three universities in the top 5 are UCL (UK), the University of Edinburgh (UK), and the University of British Columbia (Canada).