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| Graduation Ceremony of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology - Hue University |
Knowledge city
Under the master plan, the “Hue University City” is identified as a strategic project, expected to create a “once-in-a-century turning point” for Vietnamese education. Across the 120-hectare site, modern schools, research institutes, digital libraries, advanced laboratories, startup hubs, dormitories, cultural and sports facilities, and community spaces will rise.
More than just a place for learning, the project will take shape as a youthful and dynamic knowledge city where students, lecturers, and experts live, work, conduct research, and innovate. For the people of Hue, it is not only about educational development but also a symbol of transformation - a “city within a city” where knowledge stands at the center of life.
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| State-of-the-art machinery for hands-on sessions |
For years, Hue has been known as a land of learning, the cradle of many distinguished figures in science, culture, and the arts. Yet most students, after graduation, leave Hue for larger cities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, or Hanoi to seek job opportunities. The “university city” is expected to retain young talent and develop an academic-research-innovation ecosystem attractive enough to draw both domestic and international students.
Dr. Le Van Tuong Lan, an educator with many years of service at Hue University, shared: “Hue has academic depth and an enviable living environment. What it currently lacks, however, is a dynamic and modern space where students can learn, live, and create simultaneously. The ‘university city’ will fill this gap while reshaping how young people engage with knowledge.”
Under the master plan, the “university city” area is designed as a green, smart, and sustainable urban area. Tree-lined roads connect the functional areas, including academic buildings, research zones, startup areas, dormitories, community spaces, and sports and cultural facilities. Its open structure allows people, knowledge, and nature to blend naturally and seamlessly.
A modern digital library with millions of e-books and open-access databases will serve as the knowledge hub of the entire area. Advanced laboratories, connected to international research networks, will provide a space for students and lecturers to conduct highly application-oriented scientific projects.
Notably, the Innovation Hub - the “heart” of the “university city” - will bring together technology start-ups, interdisciplinary research groups, business incubators, co-working spaces, and centers nurturing young ideas. It is where ideas are transformed into products and knowledge into value.
Student living spaces are also designed as open areas, including green dormitories, multi-purpose sports facilities, student cultural centers, food courts, music parks, and community spaces. This holistic living-learning-experience model lets students perceive Hue in a renewed beat-more youthful, more energetic, yet still distinctly Hue.
Destination of knowledge
Once in operation, the “university city” is projected to draw tens of thousands of domestic and international students, becoming the “education hub” of Central Vietnam. Beyond professional training, it also aims to nurture a generation of global citizens equipped for integration, open-minded thinking, and creative readiness.
Under the plan, the member universities of Hue University will be brought together at the site, alongside international research institutes, innovation centers, and high-tech enterprises. The model is viewed as a “talent incubator,” fostering close linkages between education, research, and production.
Dr. Bui Van Loi, Deputy Director in charge of Hue University, emphasized: “We seek to build a modern university city where people are at the center of knowledge. There, students can learn, innovate, and launch start-ups; lecturers can conduct research, collaborate, and develop; and the community benefits from knowledge.”
Beyond modern infrastructure, this is also a new university model founded on digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and green technologies. From management and teaching to student life, everything is digitized, with virtual classrooms, open learning resources, smart governance systems, and integrated workspaces. All of this serves a single goal: turning Hue into a leading education-research-innovation center in Central Vietnam.
A push to go global
Unlike the “closed university” model of the last century, the “university city” is not only a place for education but also an open urban area connected with the surrounding community. Research institutes collaborate with local enterprises on technology transfer; startup zones open to young people in Hue; and students can participate in cultural activities, heritage conservation, smart tourism, or green start-ups. Every new idea, invention, and community project can emerge right here.
Dr. Le Ho Son, Rector of the Hue University of Education under Hue University, noted that Hue will no longer be a city of nostalgia, but a city of creativity and knowledge. The “university city” serves as a catalyst for Hue to step onto the global stage and become a center linking cultural, scientific, and human values.
What sets the “university city” project apart is its delicate fusion of modernity and identity. Cultural and artistic spaces, traditional music, student festivals, and creative exhibitions are regularly organized, ensuring that learners grow not only in knowledge but also in spirit, while preserving and carrying forward their cultural identity.
Beyond a mere construction project, the “university city” is Hue’s long-term dream of an urban center where knowledge lies at the heart and people are developed holistically. The project is now entering the infrastructure investment phase, attracting both domestic and international resources, alongside the involvement of numerous international partner universities.