Hanoi plans to support 100 PhD candidates tackling 30 major city problems

Hanoi plans to support 100 doctoral candidates in 2026, directing their research toward 30 major problems identified by the capital.

The city’s Department of Science and Technology issued preliminary guidance to universities, academic supervisors and candidates before the formal application process begins. The policy follows Resolution 57, adopted by the Hanoi People’s Council on June 15, 2026, on developing high-quality human resources. The resolution took effect on July 1.

Applicants must meet the conditions set out in the resolution and the city’s regulations on doctoral research support. They must be Vietnamese citizens who satisfy the required standards on political qualities, ethics and other conditions, and must have been recognized as doctoral candidates from July 1, 2026 onward.

Candidates must pursue a full-time doctoral or equivalent program at a domestic training institution. Their field of study and dissertation topic must directly contribute, or have the potential to contribute practically, to solving Hanoi’s major challenges.

The department asked universities with doctoral programs to publicize the policy and identify candidates who may qualify. It also urged institutions to guide research topics toward the city’s list of major problems and other priorities announced by competent authorities.

The guidance encourages candidates and supervisors to choose research based on Hanoi’s practical needs while ensuring scientific quality, novelty and feasibility. Proposed outcomes should include products or solutions that can be applied or transferred, or that can support policymaking, governance and the city’s development.

Research proposals must explain the city problem they address, the practical issue or scientific and technological gap involved, and the project’s objectives, methods, novelty and feasibility. They must also identify measurable expected results and the agencies, organizations or businesses that could cooperate in testing, receiving or using them.