Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) released their QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025, with DTU in the 251–300 range globally for Pharmacy & Pharmacology.
This is the result of years of international collaboration and continuous training improvement. DTU has built long-standing relationships with major American colleges specialized in medicine & pharmacy and with organizations in Vietnam and abroad to develop high-standard training programs:
? University of Pittsburgh (UPitt): ranked seventh of the US for research in medicine by the National Institutes of Health (NIH),
? University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC): largest medicine & pharmacy training program in the US in terms of student numbers and fields of study,
? Duke–NUS Medical School (Singapore),
? Ben-Gurion University (Israel),
? Burapha University, Khon Kaen University and Mahidol University (Thailand),
? Dong-A University (South Korea),
? Hue University,
? FPT Long Chau Pharma JSC.
Based on these partnerships, DTU students in Pharmacy (minor in Pharmacology) and Biotechnology have access to cutting-edge knowledge and the modern laboratories and practice facilities which DTU developed over many years for these programs. Alongside the advanced curriculum, students visit research institutes, companies, and production facilities, which provides them with a strong knowledge base and boosts their competitiveness in the job market.
For instance, Thai Hoa Hop, when still in his second year, joined a rare dragonfly biodiversity survey in Vietnam under the guidance of DTU Center for Entomology & Parasitology Research Director Dr Phan Quoc Toan. This was a wonderful opportunity for him to learn about ecosystems, hone fieldwork skills, and develop species conservation techniques. Several other students - Nguyen Tran Kim Long, Truong Anh Tai, and Ho Minh Thu Ngan - were involved in a biodiversity conservation project for medicinal plants and livelihood development for ethnic communities in the buffer zone of Kon Ka Kinh National Park when they were still in their first year.
Thanks to this environment, DTU students have won numerous major awards. A notable example is Vo Van Hoa, who won second prize at the 2023 ministry-level Student Scientific Research awards with his project “Research on encapsulating Baeckea frutescens L. essential oil using Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells for controlling dengue fever mosquito larvae”. The Baeckea frutescens L. essential oil yeast microcapsules that he developed help control a variety of mosquito larvae in small field conditions and in natural breeding grounds for mosquitoes: wastewater systems and water containers.
Through dedication and clear goals, DTU students have achieved recognition through many international publications in ISI-indexed journals:
Le Nguyen Gia Thi and her biotechnology research team published a paper in Scientific Reports (Q1 rank, IF of 4.6, in Nature Portfolio) on Cordyceps militaris pathogens with title First report of emerging fungal pathogens of Cordyceps militaris in Vietnam. The project also won the Most Outstanding Poster award at the 5th National Conference on Mycology in Hanoi on November 26, 2023.
Le Thi Thanh My (third year) co-authored the paper Rapid in vitro propagation and bioactive compounds evaluation in Polygonum multiflorum Thunb, published in Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (Q1, IF of 2.3) in 2024. The study identified the optimal environment for rapid propagation of Chinese knotweed (Polygonum multiflorum (Thunb.)) through in vitro culture and evaluated the bioactive compounds of this valuable traditional medicinal plant, highlighting its potential for the Vietnamese pharmaceutical industry.
Nguyen Tran Kim Long (second year) co-authored another paper in Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture in 2025 with title Rhizome induction and proliferation in Anoectochilus lylei for biomass and bioactive compounds accumulation. This research focused on optimizing the conditions for root biomass culture of Anoectochilus lylei, a rare medicinal orchid, and made important contributions to conservation and medicinal resource development.
Committed to providing the best learning and research environment for Pharmacy and Biotechnology students, DTU lecturers have also achieved significant recognition with awards and a lot of meaningful research.
Director of Biotechnology Dr Ho Thanh Tam won the Golden Globe Award in 2020. He is currently conducting extensive research on valuable local plant species and has a research project on mass-propagation of Vietnamese ginseng through tissue and root biomass cultures aimed at industrial-scale extraction of rare active compounds, which is yielding many good results. The extracts could be used in cosmetics, functional foods, and confectionery at different price levels, addressing the shortage in natural ginseng supply.
Dr Nguyen Thanh Trung of the DTU Institute of Research & Development (IRD) mentored a student, Le Nguyen Gia Thi, author of a Q1 paper, who also created a “household-scale Cordyceps militaris cultivation cabinet” - first-prize winner at the Start-up Innovation Competition in Danang (SURF) in 2022.
DTU’s spacious building C with its modern equipment is at the service of DTU lecturers and students of Pharmacy & Biotechnology for their teaching and research.
Pharmacy students benefit from hands-on experience in ten advanced laboratories using mostly imported equipment for which only Pharmacy students have the requisite knowledge: a rotary tablet press, a capsule-filling machine, a multi-function preparation kit (for preparing tablets and ointments and the like), a film coating machine, a solubility tester, a UV-Vis spectrophotometer, essential oil distillation equipment, vacuum rotary evaporators, etc.
DTU students of Pharmacy also train in simulated pharmacies under the guidance of the university’s pharmacists. They receive dedicate guidance on how to advise on and guide use of medicines, learn the different drug groups, which compartments prescription and over-the-counter drugs should be stored in, analyze case studies, manage pharmacy operations, and stay up to date with pharmaceutical knowledge.
DTU students of Biotechnology regularly use the even more advanced equipment used by the university’s specialized research centers and institutes:
- Center for Molecular Biology,
- Center for Entomology & Parasitology Research,
- Center for Advanced Chemistry,
- Center of Pharmaceutical Engineering,
- Cell Technology Laboratory.
This environment provides students with solid theoretical and practical specialized knowledge, hones their professional skills, and gives them real-world experience through internships in laboratories, fieldwork, and internships in production facilities and at DTU’s partner universities and research institutes, giving them a solid knowledge foundation to confidently enter the workforce.
(Media Center)