[Research Contribution] Higher Education 5.0 – Correct Understanding to Choose the Right Major: 8 Points for Thorough Understanding – Part 2

20 June, 2025

Faced with fluctuations in the labor market and high demands for green thinking and skills, higher education is constantly innovating to help learners adapt. From multidisciplinary training, new forms of learning to the trend of “study abroad 5.0”, students have more opportunities for flexible development. In part 2 of the Live talk “Higher education 5.0 – Correct Understanding to Choose the Right Major: 8 Points for Thorough Understanding – Part 2”, experts will join parents and students to explore the picture of new human resources, modern training models and updated admission regulations.

Live Talk has the participation of speakers and leading experts in the field of career orientation and labor market: Assoc.Prof.Dr. Bui Quang Hung – Vice President of UEH; Senior HR expert Tieu Yen Trinh, Founder and General Director of Talentnet company, and MC Tuyen Tang.

A picture of a generation of human resources equipped with green thinking and skills

MC Tuyen Tang: From the perspective of an employer, can Ms. Tieu Yen Trinh share your views on the future human resource picture, especially the generation equipped with green thinking and skills, what outstanding characteristics will it have?

Expert Tieu Yen Trinh: Students today have access to many favorable conditions to acquire macro and strategic knowledge. This strategic thinking and multidimensional overview will help expand their cognition comprehensively.

However, in my opinion, learning must go hand in hand with practice. If the University has built a good foundation and learning environment, and updated new trends promptly, employers expect three important factors from students: (1) students need to be different; (2) have practical experience; (3) have specific results demonstrating their abilities.

Therefore, when studying at school, students need to proactively take advantage of every opportunity to develop themselves: take the initiative to participate in subject projects, volunteer activities, work in groups and share with friends. Studying is only 10, 20, 30%, the rest (about 70%) is learning through practice, doing projects, participating in business internship programs or volunteering in projects related to the knowledge learned.

Practical experience will help you turn knowledge into skills, creating specific results. The results can be either success or failure, but the most important thing is the process of experiencing and learning. From there, students will improve their personal capacity and develop themselves to a new level. I think this is a valuable lesson that students should apply right from the first year of study.

Understanding the types of undergraduate training to seize opportunities for personal development

MC Tuyen Tang: In addition to studying in an educational environment that is always updated with the trends of the times, students themselves must constantly innovate and proactively create opportunities for experience and accumulating results. Regardless of whether the results are successful or not, practical experience is the solid foundation that helps them build a sustainable career.

Since the beginning of the program, we have had many discussions about the labor market, recruitment and trends in higher education. However, in the context of the digital economy and the explosion of technology, the forms of university training are also undergoing many significant changes.

We would like to invite Assoc.Prof.Dr. Bui Quang Hung to provide a more comprehensive overview of current training trends, to support students, teachers and parents to better understand these changes.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Quang Hung: The current trend in higher education is to focus on multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and specialized training to develop comprehensive capacity for learners. Training is not just limited to a specialized program but also creates a diverse learning environment for students to access and to integrate knowledge from many different fields.

At the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH), we ensure that each specific training program has a harmonious integration of multidisciplinary and specialized knowledge. For example, accounting students not only learn in-depth accounting knowledge but are also equipped with fundamental knowledge of technology, sustainable development and artificial intelligence. Similarly, arts students also have the opportunity to access knowledge of technology and business.

In addition, the Universitydesigns a program to support students in pursuing dual majors right from the first or second year, helping them to receive a second degree after graduation.

The key point is that students need to develop the ability to receive and to apply multidisciplinary knowledge in a diverse learning environment, through participating in projects, practical activities and teamwork. This is an important path to forming a comprehensive knowledge and skills foundation, meeting the needs of future professional development.

Study Abroad 5.0 – When Universities are no longer limited by borders?

MC Tuyen Tang: It is known that University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City is one of the higher education institutions with positive improvements in training quality as well as development orientation according to the trend of the times. As Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Quang Hung mentioned, the current training trend is the synthesis of multidisciplinary, transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge. This is an important orientation to meet the needs of comprehensive human resource development.

In addition, Tuyen learned that UEH has implemented a dual major program since the second year of university, creating favorable conditions for students to pursue diverse fields of expertise.

In addition, Tuyen learned about the Asia Co-op program – a cooperation program between UEH and partner universities in the ASEAN region. This program opens up opportunities for students to actively participate in courses, seminars as well as practical international projects.

Another notable point is the full English training programs at UEH, which help to form global citizen capacity, and at the same time apply global knowledge to local practice – the “Glo-cal” model is very practical and suitable for the current globalization trend.

In addition, UEH builds close ties with professional associations like the Vietnam Marketing Association, the Vietnam Accounting Association, the CFA Institute, etc. to create conditions for students to approach leading experts, to participate in specialized training courses and to have the opportunity to receive international certificates, and to gain practical experience through real projects.

However, currently, a training trend that isbeing discussed a lot is the “Study Abroad 5.0” model. When mentioning Study Abroad 5.0, it can be stated that studying abroad is no longer a large geographical distance as before while minimizing concerns about difficulties when integrating into a new environment. In your opinion, what opportunities can Study Abroad 5.0 bring to learners in the future?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Quang Hung: In my personal opinion, university training needs to meet three important factors. First, training must build a global foundation of thinking for learners. Second, training must be closely linked to practice. Third, all knowledge and skills acquired need to be specifically applied in a certain job, locality or field.

Whether studying in Vietnam or abroad, higher education institutions need to ensure this requirement to develop learners’ capacity comprehensively. The trend of studying abroad has been going on for many years, however, in the past 5 years, universities in Vietnam have made great strides, especially in the Asian region. Therefore, choosing to study locally – that is, at prestigious domestic universities with regional quality – is becoming an attractive option. Students can receive international knowledge while being equipped with a solid practical foundation right in Vietnam, making it easier to integrate into the domestic labor market.

In the current economic context, Vietnam is considered a bright star on the map of the future regional labor market. With this perspective, I believe Ms. Yen Trinh can analyze more deeply the potential and opportunities for the development of the Vietnamese labor market in the upcoming time.

Expert Tieu Yen Trinh: The training model combining international and local is an inevitable and necessary trend. UEH with their network of partners in the ASEAN region has created conditions for students to have a comprehensive perspective, to go beyond local limits and to become true global citizens.

According to economic forecasts, the ASEAN region will account for approximately 50% of global GDP in the near future, and Vietnam is currently one of the three fastest growing economies in the region, possibly even reaching the third position. The GDP growth rate of Vietnam’s provinces and cities is expected to reach 7-8%. In addition, private enterprises are considered an important lever in the national economic development strategy, as demonstrated by Resolution 68 of the Government to promote the development of private enterprises. Vietnam has been very successful in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) into key manufacturing and industrial sectors.

These factors open up many great opportunities for the Vietnamese labor market, creating favorable conditions for students and workers. However, to compete in an integrated environment, learners themselves must have clear differences and the ability to apply modern technology, especially skills related to MarTech, Artech and digital technology in general.

Technology today is not a threat but a tool to support people in their work. As English skills have become a mandatory requirement, the skills to use and to control technology, especially artificial intelligence (AI), are also becoming increasingly essential. Effective coordination between human resources and AI is the key to improving productivity and quality of work. Workers need to master technology to master and orient AI, not to be replaced by AI.

With the rapid changes in the labor market and work organization models, the trend of flexible working, project and part-time work is becoming more popular. Therefore, parents need to have a new, more open perspective on their children’s careers, no longer holding the traditional concept of long-term stable employment in a business but diversity, change and experience. This reflects the changing reality of today’s world where people also have to be flexible and adapt quickly to the new working environment.

Latest changes in admission regulations worth noting

MC Tuyen Tang: To further strengthen the support for middle and high school students and parents, I would like to invite Prof. Hung to share more about updating admission regulations in the current context, in which the admission process is undergoing many changes.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Quang Hung: Regarding the high school graduation exam and university entrance exam, this year there are significant changes in the general context, requiring candidates to regularly update official information from reliable sources to have thorough preparation for this important exam, which greatly affects their future career.

For University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, three key new points in this year’s admission can be summarized as follows:

Firstly, regarding the admission method, there is no fundamental change compared to last year. The University continues to consider admission based on academic scores from grades 10 to 12, high school graduation exam scores and admission for international programs.

Second, UEH has been ranked in the Top 150 universities in Asia and the Top 500 in the world, which demonstrates the international level of the University. Therefore, the number of applications to study at UEH has increased, creating higher competition and requiring candidates to build a smart and appropriate application strategy with priorities from high to low.

Third, with the trend of internationalization, English has become an important requirement in admission. Specifically, admission methods based on academic records, competence and high school graduation exam scores all have bonus points for English proficiency, directly affecting the opportunity to be admitted to UEH.

These three points are important updates that candidates and parents need to grasp in order to prepare thoroughly.

Expert Tieu Yen Trinh: Regarding the country’s development prospects in the next decade, I am very optimistic and believe in Vietnam’s great potential which also brings many job opportunities for the young generation. Therefore, I would like to emphasize the importance of building personal capacity when choosing a career, especially “self-PR” skills – that is, the ability to introduce, promote and proactively express yourself in all circumstances.

I would like to present the PR model through two letters P and R:

The letter P consists of three elements – Passion: Working with passion is the core factor for success; Positive: needs to have a positive attitude, aware of the wide open opportunities in a developed country like Vietnam; Problem Solving: This skill helps individuals respond effectively to all challenging situations.

The letter R also consists of three elements – Relationship: Building a positive network of relationships with alumni and experts to help understand the industry and expand opportunities; Resilience: The ability to overcome difficulties and maintain goals; Result: Although the initial results may not be as expected, failures are stepping stones for future development and progress.

I also hope that parents can become trusted companions, understand and deeply support their children, creating positive energy to help them overcome challenges and achieve success not only for themselves but also contribute to the sustainable development of society, with high-quality and ethical human resources.

The Live Talk ended with the last keyword in the three Understandings – “Understanding how universities train in majors and professions” being decoded. This is not only directional information, but also important luggage to help parents and students accompany each other on the journey of developing their future careers. In the context of continuous innovation in higher education – from multidisciplinary, flexible training types, to the trend of studying abroad 5.0 without borders – understanding how universities design training programs linked to the green skill requirements of the labor market is a key factor in choosing the right major and expanding long-term career opportunities.

This article is part of the series spreading research and applied knowledge from UEH with the message “Research Contribution For All – Research for the Community”. UEH cordially invites readers to the next UEH Research Insights newsletter.

___________________________

The Sustainable Career Orientation 5.0 Live Talk Series “Empowering Tomorrow” organized by University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City – UEH, broadcast on UEH and VnExpress is a project that accompanies parents and students through connecting 3 aspects in the career selection journey of the young generation, (1) Understanding personal career inclinations; (2) Understanding future trends in the 5.0 era; (3) Understanding educational trends of the 5.0 world. With the 3 “Understandings”, students will be able to choose the right major and be “satisfied with their choice”.

News and photos: UEH Department of Communications and Partnerships