DSpace at VNU: A perspective on industrial development and industry - University cooperation in VietNam

VNU. JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. ECONOMICS-LAW. T.XXIII, NọỊ. 2007

A PERSPECTIVE ON INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AND
INDUSTRY - UNIVERSITY COOPERATION IN VIETNAM
P h u n g X u a n N h a '* '

1.

O verview
V ietnam

of

in d u s try

in

o u tp u t. T h e re h a s also been considerable
new in v e s tm e n t in th e in d u s tria l sector,
w ith m an y p ro jects u n d e rta k e n in heavy
in d u s try such a s p etro l, electricity, Steel,

1.1. T h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f i n d u s t r y in
V ie tn a m

p ulp, fertilizer, DAP fertilizer, m ining

In d u stry p lay s a n im p o rta n t role in

a n d m eta llu rg y . In v e s tm e n t in labour-

econom ic dev elo p m en t, especially in the

in te n siv e

process

rnodernization a n d in te g ra tio n in to the

in creased , in clu d in g in te x tiles, footw ear
a n d g a rm e n ts, a n d food an d d rin k

global economy. In V ietn am , th e volum e

P ro c e s s in g .

of

in d u stria liz a tio n ,

of in d u s tria l a c tiv ity as a proportion of

in

2003.

The

v alu e

G DP, a g ric u ltu re , fo restry a n d aq u atic

P r o c e s s in g h a s c o n tin u o u sly

decreased
from 23.2% in 2001 to 23% in 2002 an d

co n sisten tly over th e la s t decade. The
av erag e a n n u a l in c re a se in th e v alue of

22.3% in 2003. T h is su g g e sts th a t th e
ta r g e t of 20-21% for th e period 20012005 will be íu líìlled . O n th e contrary,

in d u s tria l
p ro d u ctio n
w as
13.9%
betw een 1996 a n d 2000. From 2001 to
2003, th e v alu e of in d u s tria l production
re g iste re d

an

av e rag e

also

th e V ietn am ese econom y. As a s h a re of

of

in d u s tria l p ro d u ctio n h a s also in creased

has

has

h a s led to m an y s tr u c tu r a l chang es in

2000 to 38.1% in 2001; 38.5% in 2002
39.9%

in d u s trie s

T he grow th of th e in d u s tr ia l sector

to ta l G D P h a s in c re a se d from 36.7% in
and

ex p o rt

th e

annual

p ro p o rtio n

of G D P

raade

up

of

in d u s try a n d b u ild in g h a s continuously

in crease of 14.9%, ex ceeding th e ta rg e t

in c re a se d from 38.1% in 2001 to 38.5%

of 13% se t fo rth for th e period b etw een

in 2002; risin g fu rth e r to 39.9% in 2003..

2001 an d 2005.

T he size of th e serv ices secto r m eanw hile

M ost in d u s tria l

P r o d u c ts

h a s a c tu a lly declined, from

t h a t are

38.6% of

p rin cip ally u sed for production (oil and

G D P in 2001 to 38.5% in 2002 an d th e n

g a s , e le c tr ic ity , c o a l, S teel a n d c h e m ic a ls )

ía lỉin g f u rth e r to 37.8% in 2003. T his

as

export

su g g e sts t h a t in th e n e x t tw o y ears, th e

shoes,

Service sector m ust rapidly develop if it

and

is to m e e t th e ta r g e t of 40-41% of G D P

w ell

as

(tex tiles
h a n d ic ra íts,

co n su m p tio n
an d

an d

g a rm e n ts,

a g ric u ltu ra l-ío re s try

for th e period 2001 to 2005..

a q u a tic Processing) h av e in c rea sed in

n Assoc. Prof., Dr., College of Economics. Vietnam National University, Hanoi

11


Phung Xuan Nha

12

R eg a rd in g th e a g e n ts of economic
activ ity in V ie tn a m , th e role of th e State*

1.2. S t r e n g t h s
V ie tn a m e s e

an d w eaknesses o f
in d u s try
in
th e

con sid erab ly o ver th e la s t decade. This

c o n te x t o f in te g r a tio n
in te rn a tio n a l eco n o m y

sector re p re s e n te d over 50% of economic

In d u s tria l d ev elo p m en t over th e p a s t

owned e n te rp ris e s sector h a s decreased

activ ity in

1995 an d h a s since been

reduced to 41.8% in 2000 an d 36.8% in
2003. O ver th e second h a lf of th e 1990s,
th e size of th e p riv a te sector in V ietnam

y e a rs

has

achieved

in to

fru itfu l

th e

re su lts,

signiíìcantly c o n trib u tin g to VietnarrTs
economic grow th.
In d u s tria l

p roduction

has

been

also fell, from 24.6% of G D P in 1995 to

g rad u ally stab ilized an d developed. T he

ju s t 22.4% in 2000. T h is d isap p o in tin g

s tru c tu re

p eríb rm an ce w as d u e to th e low grow th

considerably; th e q u a lity of p roduct h a s

ra te of p riv a te secto r in d u stry , which

visibly im proved a n d th e a d v a n ta g e s of
in d u stria l
p ro d u ctio n
have

been

in creased by only 11.6% in th is period,
com pared w ith th e grovvth ra te of th e
to tal in d u s tria l secto r of 13,9%. From
2000 to th e p re s e n t day how ever, th a n k s
to

th e

im p le m e n ta tio n

of

th e

Co-

o p erativ e L aw a n d th e E n te rp rise Law,
th e re la tiv e size of th e p riv a te sector in
V ietnam

has

25,5% of th e

in creased ,

to

m ake up

econom y in 2003. The

of p ro d u ctio n

has

changed

prom oted th ro u g h o u t th e com m unity. In
th e la s t y ear, th e grovvth ra te of in d u stry
v alue-added ju m p ed to 10.3%; a fa ste r
ra te of grovvth th a n h a d been achieved in
recen t years. T h is o u tsta n d in g re s u lt is
largely due to a n in c re a se in effĩciency in
in d u stria l production. T he s tru c tu re in
th e in d u stria l secto r itse lf h a s changed
to w a r d s

th e

P r o c e s s in g

in d u s tr y .

The

grow th ra te of th e foreign capital*ow ned

Processing in d u stry re p re se n te d 82.5% of

sector h a s also stre n g th e n e d , averaging

in d u stry v alu e-ad d ed in 2003, up 2.5%

22.4% b etw ee n 1996 an d 2000. T his has
seen th e size o f th is secto r rise from

from 2000. In c o n tra st, d u rin g th is
period th e size of th e m ining sector fell

25.1% in 1995 to 35.9% in 2000. Largely

3.1% to 10.5% w hi)e th e size of the

reíle ctin g th e policy th a t lim its crude oil

electricity, w a te r a n d
decreased 0.3% to 7.0%.

exploitation, th e grow th ra te of íoreign-

fuel

sectors

ow ned in d u s try for th e period 2001 to

S tro n g

2003 w a s n 't as rap id a s th e previous

developm ent

years. As such, th e re la tiv e size of th is

in d u strie s (oil a n d gas, electricity, coal,

sector in c re a se d only m odestly to 36.2%

Steel, fertilizer, m echanics an d cem ent.)
a n d In d u s trie s w h e r e V ie tn a m h a s a

of G D P in 2003.

in v e stm e n t
of

in

V ietn am ’s

the
m ain

VNU, Journal o f Science, EconomicS'Law, TJ0ŨII, N J , 2(X)7


A pcrspective on industrial dcvelopmcnt and .

13

competitive
advantage
(such
agricultural-forestry-aquatic Processing,
tannery textiles, clothing and íootvvear,
rubber and plastics, food Processing,
milk and vegetable oil.) have created
shifts in the industry composition of the
Vietnamese economy. The relative size of
several key sectors in the economy
including Steel, cement, chemicals,
plastics, metallurgy, offìce equipments,
computers,
electric
and
electronic
equipments, telecommunication have all
increased gradually.
T he

in te rn a l

in d u s t r i a l

co n te n t

of

P r o d u c ts ,

some

in c lu d in g

autom obiles
and
m otorcycles
m a n u fa ctu rin g a n d assem bly, textiles
an d
g a rm é n ts
and
eq u ip m ent
m a n u í a c t u r i n g h a v e also co n sid erab ly
increased.
F u rth e rm o re , in
m any
in d u strie s, such a s cotton, cigarettes,
p a p e r a n d d a ir y cow b r e e d in g , d o m e stic

in d u stria l activ ity now encom passes all
th e diíTerent stag e s of production, from
p rim a ry to in te rm e d ia te to íìn a l goods
an d services. As such, in d u stry has
developed to m eet th e d em an d s for
production an d for people’s lives. The
positive ch an g es in th e in d u stria l
com position of th e V ietn am ese economy

h av e led to a d iv ersiíìcatio n in th e scale
of production an d th e u se an d adoption
of technology. T h e re is also now diversity
in th e q u ality of in d u s try o u tp u ts so as
to m eet th e d iffe ren t d em a n d s of all
classes of society.
W hile
V ietn am

th e
has

in d u s tria l
erýoyed

sector

m any

in

positive

YNU. Jourtiai o f Scieĩưe, Economics-Law, T.XXIII. N J , 2007

achievem ents, m any w eak n esses in this
sector rem ain. T he volum e of o u tp ư t by
th e in d u stria l an d construction sectors is
s till

low

by

I n te r n a tio n a l

s ta n d a r d s .

F u rth e rm o re , prices in th is sector are
grow ing m uch fa ste r th a n th e volum e of
o u tp u t. T h is largely reflects th e im pact
of th e risin g price of im p o rted m a teria ls
th a t are used in local production. To
c o un ter

this

inA ation ary

impact,

V ietnam should a tte m p t to reduce its
reliance on
production

im p o rts by
of
som e

step p in g up

basic
and

in te rm e d ia te
goods.
P roviđed
th e
production of th e se goods re q u ire s some
developm ent

of

skills

in

th e

local

w orkforce an d does n o t im pose too high a
cost on th e e n v iro n m e n t, th is ‘im portsu b stitu tio n ’ can prom ote a stro nger
q u ality of dom estic econom ic grow th in
th e fu tu re. Indeed, we a re on th e rig h t
tra ck .
T he
d ev elo p m en t
of local

industrial activity throughout the

diíTerent stages of production has raised
the ratio of domestic m aterials in íìnal
production and has also promoted
eữìciency in the industrial sector.
However, the proportion of domestic
inputs in final Products is still low. In
the textile industry, domestic inputs
make up only 10 to 15% of total inputs,
while the ratio is around 30% in
garm ents, 30 to 45% in the electronic
industry and about 8 to 13% in
automobile production.
Another weakness of Vietnam’8
industrial sector is the low level of
export sales from this sector. The export


Phung Xu an Nìia

14

of V ietn am ese in d u s tria l P ro d u c ts has
no t been ex ten d ed in to m an y large
po ten tial m a rk e ts in clu d in g A írica, th e

planned. T he a re a of lan d set aside for
th e se zones w as too sm all an d w hile
th e se sectors a ttra c te d a larg e am o u n t of

M iddle E a st an d L a tin A m erica. This

íoreign Capital, th e local im p lem en tatio n

shortcom ing is due to sev eral reasons,
principally th e vveakness of com m ercial

of projects u n d e r th is policy was not
effícient. As a re s u lt, th e se in d u stria l

prom otional activ ities, Ih e lack of a
sense of in itia tiv e in local en terp rises,
low levels of m a rk e t inform ation

zones have n o t been successful in
a ttra c tin g or developing ta le n te d labour,
an d exports from th e se sectors h as been

am o n g st
su p p o rt

low. T his policy th erefo re, despite th e

local íìrm s a n d a lack of
for in te rn a tio n a l
p ay m en t

procedures.

b est

of

in te n tio n s,

successíul

Im p o rts to V ietn am are cu rren tly
aro u n d 18% h ig h e r th a n ex p o rts from
V ietnam . B esides th e h igh volum e of
im p o rts of m achines an d m a te ria ls for

in

has

im pro v in g

not

been

national

com petitiveness
or
prom oting
s u sta in a b le econom ic developm ent.
In d u stry in V ietn am also needs to

im ported

striv e
for
f u rth e r
m odernization.
P resen tly , th e ra tio of in v estm en t in

m a te r ia ls , e s p e c ia lly , S teel P ro d u c ts , oil

ren o v atin g e q u ip m e n t an d technology in

an d gas, p lastic m a te ria ls, cotton, fibre,
an d cloth h a s rap id ly in creased . A t th e
sam e tim e, w ith th e exception of crude
oil, th e price of V ietn am ese exports has
in creased only slightly, an d in m any
cases h a s n ’t in creased a t all. The

so m e I n d u s tr ie s is le s s t h a n in v e s tm e n t

production,

th e

price

of

in ex ten d in g a n d im proving capacity.
T he speed of u p g ra d in g a n d replacing

old eq u ip m en t an d technology is slow,
p a rtic u la rly in state-ovvned enterp rises.
W hile th e technology level in production

com bination of high volum es an d rising

in m ajor in d u s tria l zones such as Ho Chi

prices of im p o rts an d low volum es and
stab le prices for exports h a s seen
V ietnam ru n a su sta in e d tra d e deíìcit in
rece n t y ears. By p ro m o tin g export
grow th an d local production of some

M inh

goods th a t a re c u rre n tly im ported,
V ietnam should be able to tu r n th is drag
on economic grow th aro u n d .

City, D ong N ai a n d

Hanoi is

im proving, it h a s been a g ra d u a l process,
an d th e tak e-u p of new technology and
th e m odern izatio n of th e agricultural
process in ru ra l a re a s re m a in s low. High
ra te s of ren o v atio n an d replacem ent of
C a p ita l

e q u ip m e n t

is

g e n e r a lly

only

of

achieved in secto rs th a t have high levels
of íoreign in v e stm e n t, largely due to the

V ietn am ese in d u s tria l sector is th a t th e

tra n sfe re n c e of technology from parent

governm ent/s

policy

com panies to th e local operations. As

m o tivational

econom ic

A n other

d isap p o in tin g

íe a tu re

of

c re atin g
or

such, th e d en sity of ad v an ced technology

in d u stria l zones, h a s not tu rn e d out as

in V ietnam 's in d u s tria l sector is low and

sectors,

VNU, Journal o f Science, Economics-Lnw, T.XXIII, AIJ, 2007


A perspcctive on induslrial dcvclopment and .

15

req u ire s co n sid erab le im p ro v em en t if the
n a tio n is to co n tin u e to im prove its
co m p arativ e a d v a n ta g e as a producer
a n d ex p o rter in th e global m ark et.
In n o v atio n is a n o th e r a re a th a t
w a rra n ts

fu rth e r
d evelopm ent
in
V ietn am .
pro d u cts

T he
is

cap acity

to

u n d erd ev elo p ed

design
in

m any

e n te rp rise s, th e m odel of production is
m onotonous,

no t

m u ltiíb rm ,

and

iníluence, som etim es even from diíTerent

segm ents of th e sam e C o rp o ra tio n . T his
m ean s th a t m any firm s can n o t learn
from th e activ ities of o th e r íìrm s,
cau sin g in v e stm e n t costs to in crease and
u ltim a te ly vvasting th e g en eral ability of
th e whole in d u stry .
A n o th er w eak n ess of in d u stria l
activity in V ietn am is th e unvvieldy
m an a g e m e n t tech n iq u es in place in th e

conform s w ith in each m a rk e t segm ent.

m a jo r ity

C o m p etitiv en ess in local m a rk e ts is also

Indeed, excess m a n a g e m e n t often m akes
up betw een
6 to
10% of to tal
em ploym ent in e n te rp rise s. A num ber of
oíTicials have not u n d e rta k e n tra in in g to
advance or even keep th e ir skills up to
date. As a re su lt, th e re are m any
oíTícials th a t a re not skilled in m odern
b u sin ess m a n a g e m e n t an d th ereíb re lack
th e p re p a ra tio n to d eal w ith th e

not strong.
T h e tra n sío rm a tio n to a m odern and

dynam ic lab o r force h a s also been slow.
The

q u ality

of local

labor

generally

rc m a in s in su fficien t, w ith th e m ajority
of em ployees u n sk illed vvorkers in the
g a rm e n t, footw ear, b u ild ih g m aterials,
a g ric u ltu re -íb re stry
and
aq u icu ltu re
scctors. As a re su lt, th e value-added of
m ost em ployees is n o t high. W hile a
n u m b e r of em ployees h av e been train ed
by colleges an d u n iv e rsitie s, th e re are
still

few o p p o rtu n itie s

to fìnd a job

suit-able for th e ir profession in V ietnam ,
such th a t m an y vvorkers a re y et to have
an o p p o rtu n ity to prom ote th e ir full

ability .
The
level
of asso ciatio n
and
cooperation betvveen e n te rp ris e s w ithin
and b etw een I n d u s tr ie s , as well as
b etw een I n d u s tr ie s a n d u n iv e r s itie s and
o th e r re se arc h in s titu tio n s also rem ains
in su ữ ìc ie n t
in
V ietn am .
M any
e n te rp ris e s

o p e ra te

in

a

closed

e n v iro n m e n t, p ro tected from an y outside

Vh'U. Journal o f Science, Economìcs-Law, TJ0QII. N J , 2007

of

S ta te

ovvned

by

th e

e n te r p r is e s .

c h a lle n g e s

posed

I n te r n a tio n a l

in te g ra tio n
im p o rtan ce
q u estio n of
succeeding

process. F u rth e rm o re little
h a s been a tta c h e d to the
a rra n g in g an d tra in in g for
g en eratio n s. If V ietnam ’8

economic developm ent is to continue, it
is v ital th a t such education an d tra in in g
is u n d e rta k e n .
1.3. O r i e n t a t io n s a n d s o lu tio n s fo r
d e v e lo p m e n t

V ietnam

m u st aim to build up a

m odern in d u stry th a t can w ith sta n d an d
indeed lead th e process of in te rn a tio n a l
economic in te g ra tio n , a n d su stain ab le
developm ent.
P ro m o tin g

in v e stm e n t

in to

key

In d u strie s, in clu d in g n a tu ra l resources,


Phung Xu an Nha

16

tim b er, p etro ch em istry , electric an d
electronic eq u ip m en t, in fo rm atio n an d
com m unication technologies, Steel an d

su ííìc ie n t
pow er
consum ption

for
economic sectors. T h is developm ent
should occur in lin e w ith th e principle of

eq u ip m e n t

"electricity in advance", w hich should

m a n u fa c tu rin g

m u st

place. T hese Industries h av e

tak e

a high

c o n te n t of technology, involve a large
am o u n t of v alu e-ad d ed by local in d u stry
an d
w orkers
and
h av e
a
large
in te rn a tio n a l an d p o ten tially dom estic
m a rk e t size.
P rio rity should also be given to th e
fu rth e r developm ent of ag ric u ltu ra l,

forestry
and
fishery
Industries.
R eílectin g

Processing

see

policy

prom otion

d ire cted
of

tovvards

in v e stm e n t

th e

in

th e

d ev e lo p m e rt of electricity an d o th er
pow er sources a n d d istrib u tio n grids.

Policy should also encourage local
in d u stry to ad o p t new technologies an d
effícient m a n a g e m e n t in o rd e r to e n su re
th a t lim ited pow er su p p lies are used
eííìciently an d n o t vvasted.

V ietn am ’s

A t th e b ro a d e r level, th e governm ent

co m p arativ e a d v a n tag e, th e se Processing

sector m u st conduct ongoing m onitoring
an d re search so t h a t policy schem es an d

Industries have an ability to attract
investm ent Capital from economic agents

p lan s for local in d u s try can be quickly

ou tsid e th e S tate-o w n ed sector, such as

ad ju sted in lin e w ith ch an g es in dem and

local

from th e dom estic an d foreign m arkets,

and

in te rn a tio n a l

p riv ate

e n terp rise.

as well a s ch an g es in th e s tru c tu re of th e
sector,

local a n d in te rn a tio n a l economy. Policy

in cluding m etallu rg y , chem icals, oil an d
gas an d tim b er, h a s m a in ta in e d its
grovvth ra te to m eet th e basic needs of
economy. T he grow th in th is sector h a s
so far been conducted in a su sta in a b le
way, w ith a focus on th e ra tio n a l
exploitation a n d p re se rv a tio n of n a tu ra l

should p a rtic u la rly focus on encouraging

The

n a tu ra l

reso u rces

resources. Policies h av e also lim ited th e
exploitation
of n a tio n a l

n a tu ra l
reso u rces
for
export.
To
e n su re
V ie tn am ’8 p a th
tovvards
economic
developm ent re m a in s su sta in a b le , these
policies m u st continue.
The

d evelopm ent

m an u fac tu rin g

and

a fu rth e r ex p an sio n of th e p riv a te sector
an d in prov id in g a route-m ap to
im proving th e co m p etitiv en ess of each
product in each region an d local area. To
e n su re th a t th e V ietn am ese economy
does n o t face ‘b o ttle n e c k s’ in its
in d u stria liz a tio n process, policy should
encourage th e ongoing developir.ent of
th e

electricity

and

sectors.
P rio rity sh o u ld also be given to the
developm ent of sm all a n d m ediun-sized

th e

in d u strie s.

In

d istrib u tio n

Industries

m ust

of

povver generation

p a rtic u la r,

be

in v e stm e n t

these

encouraged
in

new

to

Industries of electricity, fuel and vvater

increase

and

m u st re m a in a focus in o rd e r to en su re

advanced technology, an d to diversiíy

VNU, Journaì o f Science, EconomicS’Law, TJOƠII, SỈJ, 2007


A perspcclive on industrial dcvclopmcnt and .

17

in to a b ro a d e r ra n g e of m a n u fac tu rin g
products.
In c re a se d
in v e stm e n t
in

technology a n d d iv ersiíìcatio n of th e
m a n u ía c tu rin g b a se will n o t only b etter
m eet

local

d em an d ,

but

will

also

fac ilita te an ex p a n sio n in ex p o rts. This

m a ste rs

Products

m ore

en v iro n m en tally

s u sta in a b le m a n u fa c tu rin g practices.
T h e re is also
V ietn am

to

industry,

an

c re a te

university

lin k

betw een

and

scientiílc

research . Science n eed s a bigger role in
in d u stry . T o g e th e r, th e se

sectors can

PhD ),

(inventions,

o th e r

research

technological

Products

S erv ice

(short-term

tra in in g
courses,
consultancy).
E n te rp rise s

conferences,

have

com plem entary

also

íin an cial

u n iv e rsitie s

u rg e n t need in
a

an d

solutions, ty p es of m an ag em en t,), and

could also play a n im p o rta n t role in
pro m o tin g

degree

provided

resources

th ro u g h

to

building

lab o rato ries an d high q u ality research
cen ters.

F u rth e rm o re ,

e n te rp rise s

provide íìn an cial su p p o rt via research
co n tracts,
su p p o rt
scholarship, p ay m en t

for
for

stu d en t's
sho rt-term

build a n u rse ry g a rd e n of technology and

tra in in g

com bine re se a rc h a n d tra in in g vvith th e

u n iv e rsitie s to tra in h u m a n resources for

đev elo p m en t of in d u stry .

en te rp rise s.

also

be

c re a te d

L in k s m u st

betvveen

courses

by

co n tractin g

research
B eside

in stitu tio n s a n d th e m a n a g e m e n t and
dep lo y m en t secto rs w ith in e n te rp ris e s in
o rd e r to ap p ly th e re s u lts of research

th e

above

in tere sts,

e n te rp rise s also ac t as critics to verify
th e activ ities of u n iv ersities in term s of

production

th e q u ality an d app licab ility of tra in in g

process. U ltim a te ly , this will see Science

an d scientific re se a rc h an d services. By
p a rtic ip a tin g in tra in in g a n d scientiíic

an d

technology

in to

th e

an d technology becom e a d ire ct em ployee
of in d u stry .

2.

In d u s try
Academy
C o o p eratio n in V ietnam

2.1.

The

b e n e íĩts

of

In d u s try

-

A c a d e m y C o o p e ra tio n

re search activ ities, e n te rp ris e s also play
an im p o rta n t role, by b rin g in g a severe

en v iro n m e n t

for

s tu d e n ts

to

m ake

co n tact w ith

reality , an d by gưiding

s tu d e n t’s essay an d rep o rt vvriting skilỉs
as well a s th e ir an d scientiíìc research

T h e p rom otion o f In d u s try - Academy

in te re sts a n d m ethods. E n te rp rise s can

C ooperation (U n iv ersitie s - E n terp rises)

also provide

h as

experience w here s tu d e n ts can develop

d elivered

m an y b e n e íìts

to both

a v ital

space

for work

th e ir p ractical skills.

p a rtie s:
e n te rp ris e s

are

T he prom otion of In d u stry - Academy

clien ts who u se a bro ad ra n g e of

the

C ooperation also provides m an y benefits

For

U n iv e rsitie s',

university*s
tra in in g

P r o d u c ts .

P r o d u c ts

T h is

(bachelor

includes
dcgree,

VNU. Joum aỉ o f Science, Economics-LưH\ T.XXIIÌ, AI J , 2007

to
an d

e n te rp rise s.
supply

U n iv ersities
high

q u ality

“produce”
hum an

Phung Xuan Nha

18

reso u rces, in v e n tio n s, technology and
m a n a g e m e n t processes. By u sin g th ese

As th e above discussion dem onstrates,
university - en terp rise cooperation is a

‘p ro d u c ts1, e n te rp ris e s c a n th e re ío re
in cre ase lab o r p ro d u c tiv ity , u se o th e r

m utually beneíìcial relationship (Chart 1).

resources m ore effectively a n d efficiently,

will promote th e strong developm ent of
both university and industry.

a n d s tre n g th e n th e ir co m p etitiv en ess.

E nhancem ent of this cooperation thereíore

Chart 1: Universities - Enterprises cooperation
Enterprises

Universities

Technology, íinance,
human resources,
innovations,
Skills

Proíessional training
Employment
Regular training

Bachelors,
Engineers
Masters
Doctors

2.2.
The
c u rre n t
s itu a tio n
of
I n d u s t r y - A c a d e m ic C o o p e r a t i o n
in V i e t n a m

are 5,476 doctors (14.2%), 10,598 m asters
graduates (27.4%), and 21,239 university

In 2003, excluding th e defense sector,

th ere are 324 professors (0.84%) and
l,330associate professors (3.4%). Almost

Vietnam

had

(N ational

2

n atio n al

U niversity

in

universities
Hanoi

and

N ational U niversity in Ho Chi M inh City),
3 zone

univ ersities

(w ith

20

m em ber

universities), 76 u n iv ersities and in stitu tes
and 119 colleges. W ithin this, th e re are 2
semipublic

un iv ersities,

universities,

4

sem ipublic

private

Every year, these tra in in g campuses
supply a great q u an tity of students for the
labor m arket. The num ber of university
and college stu d en ts increased 4.53 times

In sum th en th ere are
colleges'

in the 10 years from 1993 to - 2003, from
225,274 stu d en ts in 1993 to 1,020 667

In th e above tra in in g cam puses, there

stu d en ts in 2003 (Table 1). These students
m et a t least the basic dem and for labor by

tra in in g

un iv ersities

colleges,

universities and scientiíìc staff are
concentrated in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh
City.

3

private colleges.
220

16

and colleges g rad u ates (55%). VVithin th at,

and

including m em ber universities.

are over 38,608 lectu rers, in vvhich there

en terp rises in V ietnam .

VNU, Journal o f Science, Ecoìư)mics-Law, TJ0QỊỊ, N J . 2007

A perspecỉive on industhal dcvclopmcnt and ...________________________________________ __________ ________ 19

Table 1: Number of university and college students in Vietnam (1993-2003)
Number of students

Year

Total

Regular and gathered tralnlng

Other*

1993-1994

225,274

118,589

106,685

1994-1995

367,486

136,940

230,546

1995-1996

414,183

173,080

241,103

1996-1997

568,621

277,731

290,890

1997-1998

671,120

369,596

301,524

1998-1999

798.857

469.869

328,988

1999-2000

893,754

509,637

384,117

2000-2001

918,228

552,461

365,767

2001-2002

974,119

579,197

394,922

2002-2003

1,020,667

604,396

416,271

Note: (*) Including in-service training, crash course, second university degree training,
u n altered training, p a rt tim e, rem ote, associative train in g , selective tra in in g
Source: Education statistical data o f universities and colleges, M inistry of Education
and Training, V ietnam , 2004.
B esides su p p ly in g lab o r reso u rc es for
e n te rp ris e s, u n iv e rsitie s also took p a rt
in ap p lied re se a rc h ac tiv itie s to aid th e
d ev elo p m en t of e n te rp ris e s. In th e period
of 1996-2002, u n iv e rsitie s c a rrie d out
re se a rc h

on over 3,800 su b jec ts

and

con d u cted 90 tria l p ro d u ctio n projects.
In

re c e n t

y e a rs,

th e

Science

and

research centers and Consulting íĩrms.
W ith m an y a c h ie v e m e n ts of Science and
technology re se a rc h a p p lied a n d carried
o u t in e n te rp ris e s , th e u n iv e rsitie s have
b een able to c o n trib u te sig n iíĩcan tly to
th e

a c h ie v e m e n ts

of

V ietn am ese’s

e n te rp ris e s.
W hile

th e re

h av e

b een

technology
re se a rc h
a c tiv itie s
of
u n iv e rsitie s h av e b een co n d u cted not

a c h iev em en ts,

only in la b o ra to rie s b u t h av e also been

still

applied fully in e n te rp ris e s. By 2002,

C ooperation is still n o t th e norm a n d is

u n iv e rsitie s

th e re is little policy, on b e h a lí of e ith e r

cam p u ses

had
for

e sta b lish e d

u n d e rta k in g

167

scientific

coop eratio n

m any
betw een

u n iv e rsitie s a n d e n te rp ris e s in V ietnam
su ffers

u n iv e rsitie s

from

or

som e

w eaknesses.

e n te rp ris e s,

th a t

re se a rc h in asso ciatio n w ith in d u stry .

a tte m p ts to s e t o u t lo n g -term objectives

W ith in

or fram ew o rk s. In s te a d each cooperative

th is,

th e re

are

re se a rc h in s titu te s a n d

20

applied

147 executive

VNU. Journal oỊScience. Ecoiiomics-Law, T.XXIII, N J . 2007

pro ject te n d s

to

be

a

s e p a ra te

and


Phung Xuan Nha

20

sp o n tan eo u s affair, b ased m ain ly on the

relatio n sh ip of th e people involved.
C ooperation is also n o t y e t a t a scale

m a rk e t in w hich th ey can tra d e th e ir
goods an d services. T he developm ent of

vvhere the full ad vantages, to universities

such a m a rk e t can help re p a ir th e
g en eral situ a tio n we face now, w hereby

and e n te rp rise s, can be realized .

e n te rp ris e s need tra in in g , research or

M oreover, th e re la tio n sh ip betvveen
e n te rp rise s an d u n iv e rsitie s is no t yet
close enough for th e se o rg an izatio n s to
fully developm ent a n d d eliv er the
re q u ire m e n ts th a t each side req u ires to
e n su re m u tu a l b e n e íìts a re realised.
T he tra in in g an d Service P roducts of
u n iv ersitie s often don’t m eet th e labor
q u ality re q u ire m e n ts of en terp rises.
Also, m any scientiíìc re se arch resu lts
an d
technological
developm ents
form u lated in u n iv e rsitie s h av e y et to be
applied to th e re a lity of V ie tn a m s

developing e n te rp rise s. F u rth erm o re,
V ietn am ese e n te rp ris e s h av e no t had a
custom of su p p o rtin g th e tra in in g and
research activ ities of u n iv e rsitie s and
th e s ta tu s of d irect asso ciatio n betvveen
u n iv ersitie s a n d e n te rp ris e s is often not
recognized.

S erv ice

3.

P roposals
to
stim ulate
In d u stry
U niversity
C ooperation in V ietnam

3.1. C r e a te a m a r k e t f o r r e s e a r c h ,
S c ie n c e a n d t e c h n o l o g y

U n iv ersities a n d e n te rp ris e s a re each
o th e r’s cu sto m ers, so th e y m u s t have a

Products

a c c o r d in g

to

th e ir

developm ent re q u ire m e n ts b u t do not
know

w here

to

find

th em ,

vvhile

u n iv e rsitie s m ainly still conduct tra in in g
an d re search in a coníìned academ ic
e n v iro n m e n t,
re q u ire m e n ts

not

close

of e n te rp ris e s.

to

th e

T hrough

tra d in g on a science-technology m ark et,
b oth sides will b e tte r know each o th e r’s
re q u ire m e n ts a n d

ab ility to pay an d

provide. T he creatio n of such a m a rk e t
th ere fo re can directly lin k th e in p u ts
and

o u tp u ts

of

u n iv e rsitie s

an d

e n te rp rise s.
C h a rt 2 shovvs th a t th e

tra in in g

p ro g ram s (B achelor, M a ste rs degrees) of
u n iv e rsitie s m u s t be e sta b lish e d based
on t h e r e q u ir e m e n ts of e n te r p ris o s , so
th a t

g ra d u a tin g

s tu d e n ts

can

im m ed iately m eet th e labor quality
re q u ire m e n ts of e n te rp ris e s. Likewise,
re se a rc h u n d e rta k e n in p o st-g rad u ate
doctoral tra in in g p ro g ram s m ust be
o rie n te d

to w ard s

an

application

for

e n te rp rise s. C h a rt 2 also shovvs the role
th a t e n te rp ris e s can play in directly
d eíìn in g th e p rio ritie s of u n iv ersities.

VNU, Journưl oỊScience, Economìcs-Law, T.XXIIỊ, Aụ t 2007


A pcrspective on industrial dcvclopmcnt and .

21

C hart2: Associaỉe model between the universities and enterprises

3.2. C r e a t e a c o o r d i n a t i n g b o d y
To best p ro m o te m u tu a lly beneíicial
re la tio n sh ip s,
u n iv e rsitie s
an d
e n te rp ris e s m u st ad o p t a form al m odel of
lon g -term cooperation. In doing so, it 1 8
m o re t h a n lik e ly t h a t u n iv e r s i tie s a n d

e n te rp ris e s m ay need to a p p o in t a n
in d iv id u al or in d eed a n e n tire u n it to
a d d re ss a n d co -o rd in ate th e re la tio n sh ip
directly. T h is in d iv id u a l or u n it can
íb rm u la te lo n g -term policies a n d goals
a n d c o - o r d in a te r e s e a r c h a n d p r a c tic a l

a ctiv ities. It is also im p o rta n t th a t a
forum
for co m m u n icatio n
b etw een
u n iv e rsitie s
and
e n te rp ris e s
is
developed. T h ro u g h such a forum ,
u n iv e rsitie s

and
e n te rp ris e s
can
ex ch an g e
id e a s,
on
b u sin ess,
m a n a g e m e n t a n d in n o v atio n s, a s w ell as
on th e d irectio n of th e p eríb rm an ce a n d
s tr u c tu r e of th e econom y. T his w ill allovv
u n iv e r s i tie s to im p r o v e t h e i r P r o d u c ts

and
services,
in clu d in g
hum an
reso u rces, to b e tte r m eet th e n eed s of
e n te rp ris e s. I t will also provide a n

VNU' Journaì o f Science, Economics-Law, TXQ ìỉ, N J , 2007

av en u e w here u n iv e rsitie s can m ake
d em an d s from e n te rp rise s, in term s of
fu n d in g or b u sin ess a n d m anagem ent
su p p o rt. E ven tu ally , th e relatio n sh ip can
be stre n g th e n e d íu rth e r th ro u g h th e
b u ild in g of jo in t re search an d business
íacilities, as well as th ro u g h th e
prom otion of u n iv e rsity scholarships and
b u sin ess in te rn sh ip s.

3.3.
S tre n g th e n
u n iv e rs itie s

th e

a b ility

of

To begin, u n iv e rsitie s need to adopt a
m ore inn o v ativ e m ean s of th in k in g an d
m a n a g e m e n t an d also need to bolster
th e ir coníĩdence w hen asso ciatin g w ith
e n te rp rise s. F or a long tim e, V ietnam ese
u n iv e rsitie s hav e ac t in a closed
en v iro n m en t, vvhere th ey have ta u g h t
s tu d e n ts a n d conducted research on
subjects according only to th e ir 0WĨ1
in te re s ts ,
in ste a d
of
ad d ressin g
e n te rp ris e s ’ needs. Indeed, th e reality is
th a t m any u n iv e rsitie s don’f. tru s t
cooperation w ith e n te rp rise s. A gainst
th is background, it is no su rp rise th e n


Phung Xuan Nha

22

th a t e n te rp ris e s in V ie tn a m dorTt w an t
to co o p erate w ith th e u n iv e rsitie s. In
o rd er to m ak e e n te rp ris e s c a re about
cooperation
w ith
u n iv e rsities,
u n iv e rsitie s m u st ex ch an g e th o u g h ts
an d p lan s, a n d m u s t c o n sid e r en terp rises
as th e ir im p o rta n t custom ers.

in v e n to r

As u n iv e rsitie s
w ork
to
build
re la tio n sh ip s w ith e n te rp ris e s , th e y also

a re

w hen

th e y

exploit

new

technologies. T h is n o t only reduces th e
confidence
re la tio n sh ip

of

re se a rc h e rs
w ith

in

th e ir

e n te rp rise s,

but

u ltim a te ly disco u rag es re se a rc h e rs and
u n iv e rsitie s from in v e stin g tim e an d
m oney in new in n o v atio n s. H ence, if we
to

g u a ra n te e

th e

in te re sts

of

need to b u ild s tro n g re se a rc h groups,

u n iv e rsity re se a rc h e rs, w e need detailed
re g u latio n ,
im p le m e n ta tio n
and

m odernize re se a rc h tools a n d practices

eníbrcem ent of intellectual property rights.

by a p p ly in g new tech n o lo g ies, develop

4. C onclusion

c o n s u lta n t c e n te rs a n d deploy new ideas
an d technologies to th e production
process.

T h ro u g h

th is,

technological

Science can in itia te a n d develop th o u g h ts
an d in v e n tio n s a n d th e n h a n d th e m over
to th e e n te rp ris e s.
3.4.

B u ild

an

e n v iro n m e n t

e n ío rc e a b le
fo r

le g a l

in te lle c tu a l

p r o p e rty rig h ts
P ro te c tin g
in te lle c tu a l
p ro p erty
rig h ts is o ne of t h e t e n s i o n s betvveen
u n iv e rstie s a n d e n te rp ris e s in V ietnam
a t p re se n t. M an y sc ie n tiíìc v a lu e s and
technological
u n iv e rstitie s

in v e n tio n s
of
a r e n ’t
p ro te cted

the

by

In d u s tria l d ev elo p m en t h a s come a
long w ay in V ietn am in th e la s t decade
an d h a s played a n im p o rta n t role in the
re c e n t rap id econom ic developm ent of
th e n atio n . H ow ever, if th e economic
developm ent

of

V ietn am

s u s ta in e d

in to

th e

re la tio n sh ip

b etw een

e n te rp ris e s

m u st

is

to

fu tu re,

be
the

u n iv e rsitie s and

be

ío stered

an d

stre n g th e n e d . T h e se sectors both possess
u n iq u e c o m p a r a tiv e a d v a n t a g e s th a t, if
exploited ap p ro p ria te ly , w ill deliver not
only b en eíìts to b o th u n iv ersities and
e n te rp rise s, b u t will also ultim ately
deliv er

positive

re su lts,

in

term s

of

eníorceable in te lle c tu a l p ro p e rty rig h ts.

stro n g e r econom ic grow th an d higher

E n te rp rise s don’t pay c o rp y rig h t to the

living s ta n d a rd s , to th e e n tire nation.

T À I L IÊ U T H A M K H Ả O
1.

A.Ooterlinck, 2005, u n iv e rsity and Industrỵ, 14th Ju ly 2005, Bangkok Thailand.

2.

Chen Hongbo, 2002, B uilding up the Platform for Partnership vuỉthin Industry,
Uniuersity and Research by Tsinghua Science Park, Fifth APEC SME Business
Netvvork Prom otion Forum , 19lh November 2002, Jap an .

3.

Knack Kea Ad, 2002, Business Creation Through Academỉa - Industry Cooperation in
Korea , Fifth APEC SM E B usiness N etw ork Promotion Forum , 19th November 2002f

Japan.

VNU, Journaỉ o f Science, Ecofwmics-Law, T.XXỈIỊ, N J , 2007

23

A pcrspectivc on induxtrial dcvclopmcnt and .

Lee Luke Chon, 2002, Sims's Business Creation Through Academia - Industry
Cooperation, Fifth APEC SME Business Netvvork Prom otion Forum , 19lh November
2002, Jap an .
5.
Mai Trong N huan, 2005, Trends of ưniversity Education Innovation in the World,
Vietnam N ational U niversity, Hanoi.
6.
Mayumi Kaneko, Azure K im ura and Ryoichi Y am agishi, 2002, Higher Education
Deuelopment in Asia - Inter-University Collaboration and Ưniversity-Industry
Cooperatioĩĩy JB IC , Jap an .
7.
Truong Gia Binh, 2005, Report of Experìences in Training and Science Research Activities
Management, Association oỊTraining • Science Research to Serve Reality o f the Institute ),
Faculty of Business Adm inistration, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
8. Tan Sin Lang and Jeffrey Pham , Lee Luke Chon, 2002, S im s s business Creation
Through Academia-Industry Cooperation, Current State o f Academic-Industry
CQoperation in the Malaysian Economy, Fifth APEC SM E B usiness Network
Promotion Forum , 19lh November 2002, Jap an .
9.
Shinto E nem ata, 2002, Business Creation Through Academia - Industry Cooperation
in Ja p a n , Fifth APEC SME Business Network Prom otion Forum , 19lh November 2002,
Jap an .
10. Report o f Academia-Industry Cooperation in Vietnam , M inistry of Education and
train n in g ofV ietn am , 2004.

4.

TẠP CHỈ KHOAHỌC DHQGHN. KINHTẾ- LUẬT, T.XXIII, số 1, 2007
V IỄ N C Ả N H P H Á T T R I Ể N C Ô N G N G H I Ệ P V À s ự H Ơ P
•

t

•

t á c g i ữ a đ ạ• i

HỌC - CÔNG NGHIỆP VIỆT NAM
•

•

•

PG S. TS. P h ù n g X u â n N h ạ

Trường Đại học Kinh tế, Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội
N g àn h công n g h iệp giữ vai trò q u a n trọ n g tro n g việc p h á t triể n n ền k in h t ế địa
phương và hội n h ậ p k in h t ế to àn cầu của các quốc gia đ a n g p h á t triể n . Hơn m ột th ậ p
kỷ q u a, V iệt N am đ ã có n h ữ n g tiế n bộ đ án g kể tro n g việc th ú c đẩy vai trò của n g àn h
công nghiệp. Các h o ạ t động của n g àn h công nghiệp tro n g k h u vực tư n h â n đ an g p h á t
triể n trở th à n h m ột bộ p h ậ n q u an trọ n g của n ền k in h tế. s ả n x u â t địa phư ơng được đa
d ạn g hóa với các loại sản p h ẩm và dịch vụ trê n quy mô rộng hdn. T uy n h iên , cùng với
sự p h á t triể n của n g à n h công nghiệp tại V iệt N am là n h ữ n g th á c h th ứ c k h ô n g nhỏ. Đặc
biệt, các d o an h n g h iệp p h ải chứ ng tỏ n ă n g động hơn, h iệ u q u ả hơ n n ếu th ự c sự m uôn
cạnh tr a n h th à n h công trê n th ị trư ờ ng nội địa và quốc tế. Đ iều q u a n trọ n g n ày có th ể

đ ạ t được thô n g q u a việc th ú c đẩy sự hợp tá c c h ặ t chẽ giữa các trư ờ n g đ ại học và các
doanh nghiệp tạ i V iệt N am . H iện tạ i mối q u a n h ệ n ày còn r ấ t lỏng lẻo và có xu hư ống
không tư dng xứ ng giữa sả n p h ẩm đ ầ u ra củ a các trư ờ n g đại học bav, gồm cả nguồn n h â n
lực và công nghệ với yêu cầu của các d o an h nghiệp. C h ín h điều n à y đã h ạ n ch ế h iệu
quả, n ă n g s u ấ t và cuôì cùng là tă n g trư ở ng k in h tế. M ột mối q u a n h ệ c h ặ t chẽ hơn giữa
các trư ờ n g đại học và các d o an h nghiệp có th ể được tạo d ự ng th ô n g q u a các h o ạt động
như tạ o th ị trư ờ n g tro n g nước cho các n g h iên cứu kh o a học và công nghệ; th à n h lập
tru n g tâ m điều phôi các h o ạ t động và cung cấp diễn đ à n tra o đổi giữ a các trư ờ ng đại
học và các d o an h nghiệp; tă n g cường n ă n g lực n g h iê n cứu của các trư ờ n g đại học và
đảm bảo quyền bảo hộ tr í tu ệ tạ i V iệt N am được th ự c thi.

ĩạ p chi Khoa hoc ĐHQGHN. Kinh tế - Luật. T.XXII/. sỏ7 .2007