An inevitable trend
The social sciences and humanities are a distinctive field, closely linked to theoretical and ideological foundations and serving socio-economic development policy-making. As a foundational pillar for sustainable development, the social sciences cannot remain inward-looking; they must expand to absorb theoretical knowledge from other countries, apply it effectively to domestic contexts, and form a theoretical system with sufficient depth and strength to guide society, while exerting a positive influence on other countries.
Over recent decades of integration, Viet Nam’s social sciences and humanities have achieved a number of important outcomes in international cooperation. Moving beyond traditional theoretical frameworks, researchers have been increasingly accessing and applying modern theories and research methods from around the world. Cooperation with foreign universities and research institutes has expanded, enabling the implementation of numerous bilateral and multilateral research topics and projects. Many research groups approaching international standards have been formed and are operating effectively.
Professor, Doctor Le Van Loi, President of the Viet Nam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS), stated that VASS currently maintains 39 international agreements with reputable research institutions, policy advisory bodies, and universities worldwide, and operates mechanisms for annual bilateral and multilateral conferences with partners from Laos, China, Cambodia, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Japan, and India.
VASS also actively participates in and carries out external affairs activities of the Party and state leadership, providing reports and fulfilling assigned tasks during state-level visits by Party and state leaders. The academy is effectively performing its role in charge of the Social Sciences Subcommittee under the Viet Nam National Commission for UNESCO, coordinating with the UNESCO Office in Viet Nam to organise numerous international conferences and mobilise international resources in support of objectives.
In 2025 alone, VASS sent out 236 delegations, approved the reception of 56 incoming delegations, completed entry procedures for more than 300 international visitors working at the academy, organised 51 international conferences and seminars, signed two new international agreements, and approved in principle 16 additional international agreements signed by its affiliated units with partners from Australia, China, the Slovak Republic, Italy, India, Russia, and others.
In the field of training, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH), the core training institution for the social sciences and humanities, has continuously promoted international cooperation. In 2025, USSH established training cooperation with Renmin University of China in the fields of cultural, historical, political, and economic studies; signed cooperation agreements with the Russian State University for the Humanities to develop exchange programmes for students and lecturers; and cooperated with Kyoto Sangyo University (Japan) in Japanese Studies and Oriental Studies; among others.
Barriers and solutions
In international cooperation, the social sciences and humanities currently face certain limitations. There are many research works that remain at the level of illustrating or interpreting international theories, while lacking verification, adjustment, and creative development based on domestic realities. Academic language and international dialogue remain a concerning bottleneck, as most in-depth theoretical studies on Viet Nam’s foundational issues are published mainly in Vietnamese, limiting the dissemination of knowledge to the region and the world. There are still few strong national-level theoretical research centres capable of leading major theoretical programmes with long-term domestic and international influence.
These barriers require a comprehensive and overarching strategy for developing theoretical research to serve sustainable national development, based on exogenous knowledge through extensive international cooperation, while carefully selecting values that are truly useful for domestic issues and thereby better serving policy-making.
The 2025 review report of VASS clearly identifies shortcomings in international cooperation in the social sciences and humanities, highlighting issues such as management mechanisms and policies that have not kept pace with rapidly changing international contexts; limited funding for international cooperation activities; and expenditure norms that are slow to be updated in line with market fluctuations, restricting the full utilisation of cooperation agreements, proactive network expansion, and mobilisation of international expert resources. In particular, the quality of scientific human resources serving international cooperation remains limited.
The strategic mission of Viet Nam’s social sciences and humanities cannot stop at merely “keeping up” with the world but must advance to a fundamental transition: from reception to creative localisation of knowledge, and further to the formation and contribution of Vietnamese theories with scientific value and international reference value.
Doctor Dao Ngoc Bau, Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics
At the conference “The role and position of basic research in the social sciences and humanities upon entering a new era of the nation,” Doctor Dao Ngoc Bau of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics stated that the strategic mission of Viet Nam’s social sciences and humanities cannot stop at merely “keeping up” with the world but must advance to a fundamental transition: from reception to creative localisation of knowledge, and further to the formation and contribution of Vietnamese theories with scientific value and international reference value. This is both an internal requirement of the discipline and an issue closely linked to safeguarding ideological independence and autonomy, enhancing policy-making capacity, and affirming national standing in global knowledge competition.
To achieve this, three strategic breakthroughs are needed: a fundamental reform of investment and scientific evaluation mechanisms with priority given to long-term foundational theory; strong reform of human resource training towards developing theoretical creativity, framework thinking, and international dialogue capacity; and accelerated internationalisation of research and publication, enabling Viet Nam’s social sciences and humanities to participate in the global academic flow.
Only when Viet Nam’s social sciences and humanities master the capacity to explain, generalise, and guide thought based on their own realities, while possessing an internationally recognised voice, can the country integrate confidently, preserve its identity, and proactively shape its development path in the new era, while at the same time contributing to the successful implementation of the objectives set out in Government Resolution 57 on breakthroughs in the development of science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation.
