Since 2007, Ton Duc Thang University (TDTU) has had a plan to become one of the world's elite research universities (at least in the Top 500 universities) within 30 years. So far, TDTU has experienced the halfway point of this plan and is still on the right track.

In the development process, the school considers research as the key to, in particular, improving the quality of education and in general, the level of development of the university. Science-technology is the activity of creating new knowledge, new awareness, new methods, and new technologies; therefore, it affects the society as a whole. A true university must be a place that continuously has new innovations as above in order to directly develop and ensure the quality of the university’s education; and indirectly contribute to change science, technology, and society; with the purpose of pushing human beings to move forward.

The science-technology field of TDTU is always focused. Below are the breakthroughs of the past 10 years.

1. Form the most modern and advanced scientific inspection method in the world: TDTU has researched and promulgated a ranking of the world’s best and most difficult international journals today as the rankings of this journal are more prestigious than the Scimago table of Spain and the US WoS whose two tables are currently being used by many countries around the world.
2. Appoint experts: TDTU has built criteria for appointing experts according to European-American regulations and equivalent to the standards of the Top 500 universities in the world.
3. Uplift the standard of recruiting lecturers and researchers: candidates must have doctoral degrees (except for some special fields) and have scientific works published in prestigious ISI/Scopus journals; in which candidates must be the main author.
4. Recruit non-boundary experts: TDTU has implemented policies of attracting talents from all over the world, especially overseas Vietnamese experts in accordance with the policy of attracting talents of the Vietnamese Government.
5. Uplift working standards: Doctors working in the faculties must have works published in the ISI/Scopus journals (as the main author) annually. This is a very high standard compared to many regional and international universities.
6. Expand the post-doctoral program: TDTU is the first university in Vietnam to implement this program in order to create a research environment for young post-doctoral researchers around the world.
7. Build world-class doctoral training program: all PhD theses at TDTU must include the work published in ISI / Scopus journal; in which, doctoral students must hold the role of main author in order to be eligible to defend before the dissertation committee.
8. Increase ISI / Scopus publication among graduate students: TDTU has a priority policy for master's theses with results published in ISI / Scopus journals to recognize and foster the young research personnel for the future.
9. Journal Club program: periodically, lecturers of faculties read and report the latest research results published in ISI / Scopus journals to both update their professional knowledge and learn about the standards of ISI / Scopus projects for research and publication, and practice to become a regular reviewer.
10. Establish the Science Prize of Ton Duc Thang University (TDTU Prize): every two years, all scientists in the world can submit their application for the TDTU Prize. This has not only helped improve the scientific reputation of TDTU and Vietnam in the international arena but also selected the best scientific achievements to create research inspiration for TDTU researchers. In 2019, particularly, the TDTU Prize received 90 candidates’ documents from many countries around the world and three scientists from Germany, Hong Kong, and Turkey were awarded.
11. Establish the Science and Technology Development Fund (FOSTECT): FOSTECT is a TDTU research fund which is established very early. It has funded many research programs of TDTU researchers or scientists around the world who engage in research cooperation with TDTU scientists.
12. Establish the Scientific Moral Committee: This committee has a function of advising research works related to ethical standards and dealing with ethical research violations.
13. Invest in infrastructure for research: facilities, equipment, and resources for research are always updated and modernized. TDTU is the first university among the Vietnamese university system to invest in “High performance computers” to serve data analysis and research support.
14. Ensure a good income for scientists: the income of scientists at TDTU is equivalent to those at many regional and international universities.

With the aforementioned innovative strategies and steps, TDTU has achieved some immensely proud achievements, typically including being accredited by Haut Conseil de l'évaluation de la recherche et de l'enseignement supérieur (HCÉRES) in 2018; and being ranked in the top 1000 and top 800 best universities in the world by ARWU (a prestigious and most objective university ranking organization in the world) in two consecutive years (2019 and 2020). (In 2020, TDTU has increased at least 200 ranks compared to 2019).

In order for TDTU to continue the development as in recent years, the university autonomy mechanism, the leadership vision, and university governance competence are the deciding factors.

Refer to more about TDTU’s scientific achievements, including TDTU Prize 2019, International Standard Doctoral Training, ARWU 2020 Ranking, HCÉRES 2018, Top 100,000 of the World’s Best Scientists, Ta Quang Buu 2020 Award, International Awards for Female Scientists, Top Asian Scientists, Top 10 ASEAN Research Institutions, and High School Students with ISI publication with TDTU.