Improving policies to promote the social sciences

The outcomes and impact of the social sciences are often abstract and harder to quantify than those of the natural sciences and technology. Yet their role in laying the foundations for the nation and enabling sustainable development is undeniable.

The Party and the State have consistently upheld the view that the social sciences must be rooted in practice, serving the formulation of guidelines and policies, raising public knowledge, and promoting Vietnamese cultural and human values. In the era of big data and artificial intelligence, as science and technology continuously reshape life, the social sciences must delve deeper into emerging issues, offering forecasts and timely responses.

However, according to Dr Phan Chi Hieu, President of the Viet Nam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS), while natural sciences and technology have advanced rapidly, the social sciences and humanities lag behind, lacking groundbreaking works of significant scale and broad societal influence. A key reason lies in institutional shortcomings: policies supporting and investments in the social sciences remain inadequate, fragmented, shallow, and not truly practical.

The Politburo’s Resolution 57 on the development of science and technology, innovation, and national digital transformation has set out a strategic direction for all scientific fields, including the social sciences. Science is determined as a top national priority and a cornerstone of socio-economic development in the new era. One of the resolution’s key elements is the urgent completion of institutions, dismantling all barriers to turn institutions into a competitive advantage in science and technology, innovation and digital transformation.

The Law on Science, Technology and Innovation, passed by the National Assembly on June 27, 2025, has concretised Resolution 57, setting out specific policies for the development of the social sciences. The State places emphasis on political theory, the social sciences, and the humanities to provide scientific grounds for the formulation of guidelines and policies, while at the same time preserving and promoting Vietnamese cultural and human values.

The law stresses the need to link the social sciences and humanities with other fields, prioritising funding for interdisciplinary tasks, particularly in new technologies. The State encourages research into the social, ethical, cultural, and psychological impacts of new technologies; expands applied research and pilot testing to verify the effectiveness, feasibility and impact of models, solutions and policies before their widespread implementation. Applied research projects that address social issues are prioritised in funding and technical support.

This provides an important legal basis for organisations in the social sciences and humanities to strengthen their research and social criticism capacity, while addressing institutional bottlenecks and enabling the social sciences to fulfil their role and make practical contributions to national development.

The VASS – the country’s leading research institution in this field – is actively implementing major Party guidelines on science and technology, innovation and digital transformation. Based on the 2025 Law on Science, Technology and Innovation and Resolution 193 of the National Assembly on piloting special mechanisms and policies, from the third quarter of 2025 the VASS’s operation will undergo a comprehensive revision, moving away from rigid, procedural, norm-based management towards results- and product-oriented management.

The VASS will grant greater autonomy to organisations and individuals leading research tasks; enhance the use of digital platforms in management to ensure transparency and efficiency; accept research risks; and encourage projects that involve technology transfer, international publication, and interdisciplinary approaches. At the same time, the VASS will tighten quality monitoring and introduce sanctions against breaches of research integrity.

Research funding will no longer be allocated evenly but based on the actual contribution of scientists and research organisations. Evaluation criteria for outputs will also be broadened to include applied models, handbooks, manuals, and digital products such as data maps, in addition to publications, monographs and policy reports.

The VASS is also developing a legal framework for the establishment of social science-based enterprises within certain affiliated institutes, with a view to linking basic research to practical application and increasing autonomy for research units. From 2026, new regulations on scientific research and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in research are expected to take effect.

Associate Professor Dr Nguyen Huy Hoang from the Graduate Academy of Social Sciences believes that these institutional reforms will enhance the training of human resources for the social sciences, especially in terms of international collaboration, expert and lecturer exchanges, and shared learning resources – areas that were previously difficult. Speaking at the Party Congress of the VASS, Dr Pham Thi Thuy Nga from the Institute of State and Law stressed that social science and humanities scholars must master and effectively apply the law to improve research quality.

As the national centre for strategic research and policy advice, the VASS must also renew its approach and methods of providing legal and theoretical input, in line with the Politburo’s Resolution 66 dated April 30, 2025 on reforming law-making and law enforcement.

Breakthroughs in institutional improvement and governance will unlock resources and create a favourable environment for scientists, research units, and enterprises, thereby strengthening the foundational role of the social sciences in national development in the new era.