Vietnam seeks solutions as research paper retractions rank among world’s highest

Vietnam now publishes more than 15,000 scientific papers a year, but it ranks among the world’s top 10 countries for paper retractions, said Nguyen Van Tuan, director of the Center for Health Technologies at the University of Technology Sydney, at a forum on research ethics held in Ho Chi Minh City.

Tuan said retractions were linked not only to ethical breaches but also to weak research design, unreliable data, authorship disputes, and duplicate publication.

He added that the scale of the problem highlighted gaps in research quality and governance.

Vietnam’s spending on scientific research remains low, particularly in technology-intensive fields, limiting the ability of many institutions and research groups to meet international standards, said Nguyen Van Phuoc, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Science and Technology Associations.

Uneven investment between major universities and local institutions has contributed to inconsistent research quality and restricted access to resources, he said.

Experts also said Vietnam’s framework for scientific integrity had been incomplete until recent years, with international screening tools and integrity standards only now being more widely adopted.

Le Cong Luong, a former senior official at the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations, said preventing ethical violations required a systematic approach, including clearer legal frameworks, stronger accountability, and expanded training in research ethics for scientists and academic managers.

Dang Van Phuoc, honorary rector of the University of Health Sciences in Ho Chi Minh City, said weak critical-thinking skills among students and researchers increased the risk of flawed or misleading research, underscoring the need for reforms in higher education.