Vietnamese universities soar up global sustainable development ranking

HCMC-based Ton Duc Thang University jumped 17 places from last year to 165th on the list of 780 most sustainable educational institutes in the world for 2019 while province rivals Tra Vinh University soared 35 spots to 221st.

The metric, launched in 2010, grades universities on their setting and infrastructure, energy efficiency and climate change, waste treatment management, water usage, transportation system, as well as education and research programs.

Ton Duc Thang University scored high in education and research while Tra Vinh University impressed with its transportation system and energy efficiency.

An initiative of the University of Indonesia, the ranking aims to draw the attention of university leaders and stakeholders to combating climate change and resource conservation by assessing current conditions and policies.

Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands topped the ranking, followed by the University of Oxford in the U.K. and the University of California in the U.S.

Established as a private school in 1997 by Ho Chi Minh City Federation of Labor, Ton Duc Thang became a public school in 2008 after acquisition by Vietnam General Confederation of Labor. It currently runs two campuses in HCMC.

The university has boosted its fame on the global academic map, consistently listed in world rankings.

Last month, Ton Duc Thang was named among eight Vietnamese institutes to break into Asia's 500 best universities this year, according to a listing by Britain's QS Quacquarelli Symonds, a global higher education enterprise.

Ton Duc Thang featured as the lone Vietnamese representative in the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings 2019 issued in April for achievements related to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.

Last December, it was named by UI GreenMetric World University Ranking among 300 most sustainable universities in the world. It ranked 182nd while Tra Vinh ranked 256th.