Founded in late 1994, DTU was the first private university in the Central Vietnam and Highlands region. The university developed quickly and steadily to provide a high-quality education to the local workforce and it is now the biggest private university in the region.
DTU employs 992 people, of whom 739 are lecturers and 253 staff. DTU consists of a Board of Trustees, a Party Committee, Unions, an Advisory Board, a Board of Provosts, a Planning and Investment Board, 3 research institutes, 18 Faculties, 17 applied research centers and 12 offices.
The main Duy Tan University campus on Nguyen Van Linh street in Danang
DTU offers two PhD courses, four Master’s courses, twenty Bachelor’s and eleven associate degree programs, with ten studied in collaboration with three leading American universities (Carnegie Mellon University (CMU); Pennsylvania State University (PSU) and the State University of California at (CSU).There are eleven linking programs, with sixteen majors from the Vocational School, including an Associate degree program, from Vocational to Bachelor or Associate to Bachelor.
There are seven majors for second degree studies, six majors in remote learning and three vocational degrees, with a total of 16,954 students. The school has so far enrolled students in three PhD programs, with a total of 27 students, thirteen Master’s programs, with 1,411 students, twenty-one pregraduate, with 68,613 students, five at the Vocational college, with 1,320 students, and twelve Vocational high school classes, with 12,400 students. Until now, the university has graduated 341 Masters, 37,102 Engineers, Architects and Bachelors, 264 Vocational College graduates and 7,000 secondary students.
Since 2009, research activity at the university has increased considerably. DTU has actively participated in four ministerial projects, eight provincial and urban ones, eighteen Nafosted projects and two sponsored by international financial organizations. 183 papers have been published internationally in well-known ISI-indexed magazines. In addition, DTU has participated in 570 social, school-level research projects and won 19 international prizes, such as the CDIO World Cup at Harvard University, a cup for Design of Earthquake Resistant Structures in Taiwan and 205 national prizes, including first prize in the Loa Thanh competition in architecture and construction, a first at the Mathematics and IT Olympiads and a third prize in the Vietnamese Robocon contest.
With the motto “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants”, DTU has advocated a policy of education focused on local social and business requirements, by collaborating with developed universities worldwide. These programs encompass education technology transfer, research collaboration and student and lecturer exchanges, by linking academic programs with universities in the USA, the UK, Australia, India, Singapore, Thailand and others. These foreign universities are strong in such majors as business administration, accounting, finance, banking, hospitality, software engineering, information systems, computer networks, construction and architecture. DTU is also the first university in Vietnam to take part in the Passage to ASEAN network of universities, allowing students to broaden their education and exchange ideas.
DTU’s success is the result of the contributions of its entire staff, lecturers and students, but above all, it stems from the ideas, passion, and selfless efforts of Distinguished Teacher Le Cong Co. Born into a revolutionary family in the hamlet of Ai My, in the Dien Tho commune, in the Dien Ban district of Quang Nam province, he joined the war effort at the age of 13. His job was to conduct reconnaissance behind enemy lines. After that, the Dien Ban District Party branch sent him to Saigon. “To make revolution, one must study well,” was the advice of comrade Nguyen Vinh Nghiep, his direct commander there, who would later become People’s Committee Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City. They would know each other for the rest of their lives.
During the war with the French and then the USA, Distinguished Teacher Le Cong Co was active in the student movement of Southern Vietnam, from Saigon and Long An to Hue and Danang. For three years, from 1960 to 1963, he worked on the creation of a revolutionary platform, helped found the Student Union for the Libration of Mid-Central Vietnam (from Quang Tri to Phu Yen), and was elected Chairman. He was in charge of the publication of the Huong Song journal, propagating information on the Revolution in southern Vietnam, which influenced the student movements in Danang, Hue, and the other provinces of Central Vietnam. Subsequently, he took part in the founding of the People’s Liberation Front of Mid-Central Vietnam, became a commissioner for the Front and a founding member in the creation of the revolutionary movement for students and progressive intellectuals in Hue, right up to the day of the liberation.
During the first years of liberation, he held various government positions in the Quang Nam-Danang province, He discovered that education still motivated him and wanted to establish a private university to give young people more access to a university education, inspired by Party and State policy to reform and socialize education in Vietnam. In 1992, with some enthusiastic colleagues, he built the foundation of the first private university in central Vietnam. To raise the necessary capital for the initial construction and facilities, he mortgaged his home, during the challenging economic and political environment of the early 1990s.
Step-by-step, DTU started enrolling and educating local students, of ever-increasing quality and meeting the local social and working requirements. Lecturers were sent for training to developed countries overseas to gain access to the latest training methods, research and education technology, so that DTU students would be better prepared for their future careers.
Distinguished Teacher Le Cong Co has been a long-time Party member since the war. He has always focused on strengthening the Party as a vital part of the development of DTU. Initially, the university branch had only three members, but now has 150. As local Party Secretary, he has built a strong union presence at DTU. The Student and Youth unions have both long been recognized as outstandingly disciplined and influential branches for many years.
Because of these achievements, DTU has been honored with awards from the President of Vietnam, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Education and Training and the Chairman of the Danang People’s Committee. To commemorate the 41st Danang Liberation Day and the 22nd year of its foundation, DTU was awarded an Excellent Emulation Banner by the Prime Minister and Distinguished Teacher Le Cong Co received the title of Hero of Labor for his role in the rebuilding of Vietnam.
These awards turn a new page in DTU’s history, proving the success in its increasing strength, willpower and confidence in cultivating both staff and students to be proud of and promote DTU in the enhancement of workforce quality in Vietnam. Student now have access to the latest education from developed countries at every step, contributing to the steady development and globalization of our country.
(Media Center)