University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City

About University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City

The university’s modern institutional history begins on October 27, 1976, when a prime-ministerial decision combined the Saigon schools of medicine, pharmacy, and dentistry. Its earlier constituent traditions extend further back, but 1976 is the documented establishment year for the present institution. It operates under Vietnam’s Ministry of Health and concentrates on education, research, technology transfer, and healthcare service rather than offering the breadth of a comprehensive university. The principal university address is 217 Hong Bang in Ho Chi Minh City. Its academic organization includes three schools and four faculties, with teaching spanning clinical, pharmaceutical, dental, nursing, allied-health, traditional-medicine, public-health, and foundational-science fields. The official undergraduate overview reports a current training scale of approximately 13,000 students. It also says the university has hosted regular students from Laos and Cambodia and shorter practical-training participants from several other countries; this should not be interpreted as evidence that every standard degree is routinely available in English. Institutional accreditation provides an external operating-status check. The VNU-HCM Center for Education Accreditation lists the university in its second accreditation cycle, with certification valid through January 12, 2029. Prospective students should nevertheless examine accreditation and licensing at the program level where these affect entry into regulated health professions. The institution remains active in August 2026, with current undergraduate and postgraduate admissions, enrollment, tuition, and residence notices published on its official sites.

For regular undergraduate entry in 2026, the university used one standard selection method: results from the 2026 Vietnamese upper-secondary graduation examination. It explicitly did not accept preserved scores from earlier graduation or national examinations for this route. Depending on the program, the published subject combinations were A00, B00, B08, D01, and D07, drawing from mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, Vietnamese literature, and English. Candidates using a combination that includes English had to sit the English component of the 2026 graduation examination. Applications and preference changes were submitted online through the Ministry of Education and Training admissions portal or the national public-service portal according to the national schedule. Separate direct-admission and university-preparatory routes appeared in the university’s 2026 notices, so candidates eligible for those categories should follow their dedicated rules rather than the standard examination route. Successful candidates were subsequently required to confirm enrollment through the ministry system and complete the university’s registration process; the 2026 intake was instructed to pay tuition before August 24, 2026. Graduate admission is level- and field-specific. The university ran 2026 recruitment for master’s and doctoral study as well as professional postgraduate programs. Published master’s materials referenced appropriate prior degrees, examinations or research materials, work-experience confirmation where required, and evidence of foreign-language ability. International or foreign-qualified candidates should request a program-specific assessment of degree recognition, language requirements, eligibility, and clinical licensing. No general English-taught international admissions pathway was verified.

The university’s undergraduate portfolio is centered on health and human services. Its 2026 admissions document lists Medicine, Preventive Medicine, Traditional Medicine, Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry, Nursing, Midwifery, Nutrition, Dentistry, Dental Prosthetics Technology, Medical Laboratory Technology, Medical Imaging Technology, Rehabilitation Technology, Public Health, Social Work, Pharmaceutical Technology, and Psychology. Nursing also includes an anesthesiology and resuscitation specialization. Applicants should consult the curriculum for the exact award, duration, clinical requirements, and professional scope of each option because these differ substantially across fields. The official undergraduate overview describes an integrated, competency-oriented approach. It emphasizes patient care, communication and collaboration, medical law and policy, problem solving, practical skills, and patient-centered conduct. Foundational subjects are taught alongside progressive professional preparation. Clinical and work-integrated learning is supported through the university’s hospital and cooperating healthcare facilities across Ho Chi Minh City; the published nursing specification, for example, identifies simulation, real-world practice, and multiple clinical-learning sites. Postgraduate provision includes research degrees and Vietnam-specific professional qualifications. The university reports 25 master’s and 22 doctoral specializations, alongside residency and Specialist Level I and II pathways. The listed master’s fields include biomedical science, nursing, public health, pharmacy-related disciplines, medical laboratory technology, rehabilitation, and numerous clinical specialties. Doctoral and master’s admissions were active in 2026. These academic and professional routes have different entry conditions, so holders of an undergraduate qualification should use the notice for their precise level rather than assuming one common graduate-admissions process. Teaching is primarily in the local language according to the supplied record. International candidates should obtain written confirmation of instructional language and clinical communication expectations for their intended program.

Key Highlights

• Public health-sciences university operating under Vietnam’s Ministry of Health
• Established in 1976 through the consolidation of medicine, pharmacy, and dentistry schools
• Institutional accreditation is listed as valid through January 12, 2029
• Official undergraduate information reports a training scale of approximately 13,000 students

Student Life & Environment

Student life is shaped by a demanding health-sciences environment and by study that may move between classrooms, laboratories, simulation settings, and clinical sites. The official university structure includes student organizations and support units, while recent activities show programming beyond coursework. In April 2026, for example, the Youth Union organized a mental-health and yoga activity for both residential and non-residential students. Students should consult the current activity calendar because clubs and events vary by year and organizing unit. University-managed accommodation is available but is allocated rather than guaranteed. For 2026–2027, newly admitted students and learners received first priority, followed by continuing students seeking a new place. Registration opened online on August 18, 2026 and was to remain available only until vacancies were filled. Approved residents collected rooms at 540 Ngo Gia Tu in central Ho Chi Minh City. The published 2026–2027 options were four-person rooms, six-person rooms, and air-conditioned six-person rooms. Residence fees were charged for ten months. Because space is finite and the registration window is tied to the academic cycle, students who need housing should monitor official email and residence announcements immediately after admission. Those living outside the residence should consider travel between the Hong Bang teaching address and assigned clinical locations when selecting accommodation.

Location & Surroundings

The university’s main address is 217 Hong Bang in the Cho Lon area of Ho Chi Minh City. This is a dense urban setting rather than an isolated residential campus. Students can expect daily life within Vietnam’s largest metropolitan area, with access to hospitals, pharmacies, public-health organizations, and other healthcare facilities relevant to professional education. The location is particularly consequential for clinical programs. Teaching and practical experience can take place at the University Medical Center and at cooperating hospitals and community facilities elsewhere in the city. Applicants should therefore evaluate commuting needs, not only distance from the main academic address. The university residence used for 2026–2027 check-in is at 540 Ngo Gia Tu, also in the central urban area. International students should plan for Ho Chi Minh City’s tropical climate, traffic, and the practical importance of Vietnamese in everyday and clinical settings. The university’s English name appears on official pages, but that does not establish English as the teaching language for a particular degree. Confirm program language and placement locations before arranging housing or travel.

Costs & Career Outcomes

The university’s 2026 undergraduate admissions document published expected annual tuition by program. Amounts ranged from VND 30,000,000 for Social Work and Psychology to VND 90,000,000 for Dentistry. Medicine was listed at VND 88,000,000; Pharmacy at VND 63,500,000; Preventive Medicine and Traditional Medicine at VND 55,000,000; and several nursing and allied-health programs at VND 48,000,000. These were expected 2026 figures, and the document stated a projected maximum annual increase of 10%, so students should rely on their formal fee notice for the amount payable. For 2026–2027, university residence charges were VND 13,000,000 for ten months in either a four-person or standard six-person room and VND 18,000,000 for an air-conditioned six-person room. These figures cover residence charges, not a complete cost of attendance. Food, transportation, learning materials, insurance, clinical clothing or equipment, immigration expenses, and personal costs were not established as one official budget. A 2026 freshman-scholarship notice confirms that scholarship and statutory tuition-exemption policies exist, but eligibility must be checked against the current rules. Graduate tuition varies by level and field. For continuing cohorts in 2026–2027, published annual charges ranged from VND 51,500,000 to VND 73,500,000 for listed master’s, residency, and Specialist Level I groups, and from VND 60,500,000 to VND 88,000,000 for doctoral and Specialist Level II groups. Programs prepare students for regulated healthcare, laboratory, pharmaceutical, public-health, social-service, or psychology work, depending on the curriculum. Clinical degrees do not by themselves guarantee permission to practise in another jurisdiction. Students planning to work outside Vietnam should investigate licensing, degree recognition, language examinations, and supervised-practice requirements before enrolling. No reliable university-wide employment rate or salary figure was found, so none is presented.