The Ho Chi Minh CityUniversity of Social Sciences and Humanities boasts a 60-year history of establishment and growth. After the 1954 Geneva Accords, the university was founded in Saigon, but its origins go back to the Hanoi University of Letters. Its predecessor, the French Preparatory College of Letters, an affiliate member of the Vietnam National University, was founded in November 1955. On March 1, 1957, the Faculty of Letters, part of the University of Saigon, was officially established. From 1976 till 1996, the Faculty of Letters matured into one of the two component members of the Ho Chi Minh City University, covering social sciences and humanities. Pursuant to Decision No. 1233/QD-BGD&DT signed by the Minister of the Ministry of Education and Training Tran Hong Quan, the university officially bore the name of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City on March 30, 1996.
Current status
The University of Social Sciences and Humanities has more than 890 faculty members and non-teaching staff. The percentage of the academic staff holding professorial titles or postgraduate degrees is 98.4%. There are more than 22,000 students enrolled in 28 undergraduate programs, 38 postgraduate programs and over 10 joint programs in collaboration with international partners. The programs offer students access to a very diverse selection of academic options and enhance students’ capabilities to embrace the challenge of the country's modernization and industrialization, translating what they learn into professional achievements. The university is one of the two biggest institutions in the field of social sciences and humanities in Vietnam. The school is the pioneering institution in offering new academic programs to meet societal demands such as Vietnamese Studies, Oriental Studies, Anthropology, International Relations, Urban Studies, Spanish Linguistics and Literature, Italian Linguistics and Literature, and so on. In addition, the university is the leading institution nationwide in having over 300 registered international students — from Japan, South Korea, Laos, Cambodia, the United States, Singapore, Austria, Turkey, Thailand, and Australia — in degree programs and over 2,000 students enrolled in short-term courses. The university has about 22,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students in 28 undergraduate programs, 38 postgraduate programs and over 10 joint programs in collaboration with international partners.
The university has two main campuses: The main campus is at 10-12 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1 with an area of 1.2 hectares. It is home to the president's and vice president's office, administrative offices, faculties, departments, and international centers. It also houses postgraduate students, foreign students and students in high-quality training programs. The second campus with an area of 23 hectares in Linh Trung Ward, Thu Duc District houses first-, second-, third- and final-year students. The university is accelerating the construction of facilities such as administrative building, lecture halls, library, museum, sports complex, and service centers to turn Linh Trung campus into a modern academic campus. The campus is part of the 700-hectare college town of the Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City.
International cooperation
The University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU-HCMC collaborates with more than 150 universities and research institutes all over the world in
Lecturer and student exchanges in accordance with short-term and long-term programs.
Overseas training programs.
Joint programs and reciprocal acceptance of credits in transfer at undergraduate and graduate levels.
Joint research projects.
International conferences and symposiums; collaboration in publications on contemporary issues in the field of social sciences and humanities.
