Comparative Analysis of Brand Strategy of Big 4 Universities in Vietnam

Today's universities, regardless of domestic or foreign, large or small scale, are drastically changing their educational philosophy. In the past, universities with inertia always considered themselves as “Eternal Being”, and did not pay enough attention to students. By now, they have understood that with the outstanding development of information and communication technology, the explosion of digital transformation, the world is getting flatter and flatter, the competitive pressure is strong not only in the country but also in the world. from international. Changing educational philosophies of universities towards putting the focus on students. Since the introduction of the Doi Moi policy in 1986, Vietnam's higher education system has undergone groundbreaking changes, including the removal of state monopoly control over education, allowing the establishment of private universities and colleges. However, public academic institutions are still subject to centralized planning and are dependent on government funding. Understanding that change is necessary to improve the quality and role of higher education institutions in the market-oriented economy, the Vietnamese government approved HERA (known as Resolution 14/2005/ NQ-CP) in 2005. HERA allows universities to decide their own enrollment quotas, program content and manage their own operating budgets. In general, HERA has been accepted by the public and universities themselves, and is expected to completely transform the higher education system. As a result, all higher education institutions in the country have been gradually granted autonomy, and the quality of research and teaching staff has been improved. The goal of the go-to-market approach is to increase sales of existing offerings in an existing market, which means enrolling more students in existing courses. Vietnamese universities and colleges have continuously increased their enrollment targets throughout the years. From 1999 to 2013, the number of students enrolled in universities continuously increased, spurred by government policy with the aim of providing sufficient human resources for the labor market. Even so, the link between training required skills and market demand has not been systematically addressed. Many schools have been implementing a corporate-level cooperation strategy by developing training programs in cooperation with foreign partners. This was the result of a 1987 government policy to promote international cooperation with the aim of diversifying the financial resources of the education system. The first such cooperation was implemented in 1998 and since then the number of international cooperation programs has increased, which includes undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral degree programmes. Students enrolled in these programs pay very high tuition fees, but gain access to foreign curricula, receive degrees from foreign institutions, and have the option of attending half the program. in Vietnam and half abroad. International cooperation programs generate significant revenue for schools, helping to improve the quality of training, improve their reputation and attract more students thanks to improved teaching methods.