1. General information
University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH) – Vietnam France University is an advanced-model international public university established under Decision No. 2067/QĐ-TTg dated December 9th, 2009 of the Prime Minister based on the Intergovernmental Agreement between Vietnam and France signed on November 12th, 2009.
USTH was granted institutional accreditation by The High Council for Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (HCERES) complying with French and European standards for educational institutions on October 26, 2023.
In 2024, USTH launched a joint doctoral training program with French partners (Co-Tutelles Programs – CTP). PhD candidates under this program will undergo training at both USTH and partner universities in France, with a research stay in France lasting 24 months maximum, depending on the specific research project. The PhD topic is co-designed and supervised by 02 high-qualified mentors representing both Vietnamese and French sides. After graduation, students will be awarded 2 doctoral degrees (1 from USTH and 1 from a higher education institution in France).
2. Training duration
The PhD training program is conducted in 3 in the form of fulltime education. As part of the program requirements, PhD candidates must be physically present and conduct their research at USTH for at least 12 months throughout their study period.
3. Requirements for application
Applicants to PhD training programs of USTH should have the following qualifications and capabilities:
– Applicants must hold a full-time Master’s degree in the field of application or a field relevant to the field of application;
– Applicants must have a Bachelor’s degree or higher obtained through full-time study with English as the language of instruction or have a Bachelor’s degree in English Linguistics and Literature issued by a Vietnamese educational institution or must hold one of the following valid certificates of English language:
+ TOEFL iBT 46 or higher;
+ IELTS 5.5 or higher;
+ TOEIC (Listening: 400; Reading: 385; Speaking: 160; Writing: 150 or higher);
+ Cambridge Assessment English: B2 First/ Linguaskill 160 or higher;
+ Other foreign language certificates equivalent to level 4 of the 6-level Foreign Language Proficiency Framework for Viet Nam approved by the Ministry of Education and Training.
– Applicants must submit a pre-proposal on one of the topics provided below, which is approved by their expected supervisors (see templates).
4. The PhD programs
| No. | Training programs | Code |
| 1 | Pharmacological, Medical and Agronomical Biotechnology | 9420201 |
| 2 | Advanced Material Science and Nanotechnology | 9440122 |
| 3 | Water – Environment – Oceanography | 9440301 |
| 4 | Information and Communication Technology | 9480201 |
| 5 | Energy | 9520201 |
| 6 | Space and Applications | 9440101 |
| 7 | Chemistry | 9440112 |
For detailed information regarding the available research directions, please refer to: https://bitly.li/Og6W
5. Scholarship and fellowship
For CTP, Co-Funding is an obvious requirement on both French and Vietnamese sides. On the Vietnamese side, USTH is innovating with this investment into Co-Tutelles. On the Vietnamese side, USTH offers financial support to PhD candidates who participate in teaching activities at the university during their research period in Vietnam. On the French side, the level of financial support is determined by the Doctoral school where the PhD will be registered.
Additionnally, USTH offers various scholarships to PhD students who are enrolled at the university. Scholarships are as follows:
a. For Vietnamese PhD student
- Pathway to Success Scholarship (DS-PS): for PhD students who graduated from USTH’s Master/Bachelor programs and further their study in USTH’s doctoral programs. Scholarship value is up to 100% of tuition fee (the scholarship grants for the first training year);
- Capacity Building Scholarship (DS-CS): for PhD students who are employees of VAST’s institutes and centers, have a valid employment contract of at least one year and are officially nominated to pursue studies at USTH. The scholarship covers 50% of the tuition fees;
- Academic Encouragement Scholarship: for PhD students with excellent academic achievements who have entered the school, scholarship value is up to 100% of tuition fee;
- Access Scholarship: for PhD students who are employees of the institutions that have signed cooperation agreements with USTH: The scholarship is granted pursuant to the agreement.
b. For PhD international candidates
USTH offers a variety of scholarship programs for international students. Further information on scholarship application can be found HERE .
6. Application dossier
Applicants have to submit an application dossier including the following documents:
- Application form in English.
- Notarized copies of degrees, certificates, transcripts of Bachelor or graduation at an equivalent Level 7 qualification according to the Vietnamese Qualifications Framework and Master levels*;
If the degrees, certificates and transcripts are neither in English, notarized copies must be translated into English. In case these documents are issued by a foreign university, the applicants should include an explanation of the grading system of that university.
- Valid English certificates;
- Motivation Letter in English of the candidate;
- Updated and detailed resume (CV) including awards and prizes (if any);
- At least 01 Recommendation Letter (by scientists or professors and head of current employers)
- Pre-proposal in English (A4 size, 02 pages maximum)
- Copies of invoice, documents of payments of application fees
- Other related documents (if any).
Templates can be downloaded at the link: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1lWiKP-ckbhjG7JsTNBe-D0AYrzbr4oNp
*Applicants having completed their Master programs but not yet received their diploma or official academic transcripts can submit a provisional letter of graduation confirmation or academic transcript (notarized copies and translations in English). Successful candidates will be required to submit all those documents to be officially accepted.
7. Application submission time: From July 01, 2025 to August 31, 2025
8. Application fee
Application fee: 1,000,000 VND/ dossier (non-refundable in all cases).
9. Application dossier submission
The applicant submits the application dossier at the following address:
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Department of Admissions and Communications University of Science and Technology (USTH) Room 102, A21 Building Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Str., Nghia Do Ward, Hanoi Tel: +84 247 772 7748, +84 247 774 7748 |
All the documents of the application dossier must be put in a suitable bag/envelope. The following information should be clearly written on the cover of the bag/envelope:
- Full name of applicant
- Mobile phone numbers, and email address
- Application for CTP – No.
In addition to submitting the hard copy, applicants need to scan the application dossiers into a PDF file (maximum size 6MB, zip acceptable), and send via email the following address admission@usth.edu.vn with the email title: Admission.PhD-CTP-Full name.
Applicants can contact the Department of Admissions and Communications for consultation and support during the application preparation and submission process via the following phone: +84 247 772 7748, +84 247 774 7748 (Ms. Le Thi Cuc).
Detailed information about the PhD programs, scholarship policies, and living allowance support is available on the university’s official website: www.usth.edu.vn