CHEM1021 – Chemistry

Credits: 2.5

Prerequisite: N/A

Chemistry is a compulsory course for the first year medical students. It combines basic chemistry: generalization of atoms, molecules and chemical bonds; inorganic substances and basic dynamic and equilibrium processes; important organic groups related to organisms and life; basic analytical techniques for clinical and biomedical applications.

MEDI1012 – Introduction to Professionalism in Medicine 2

Credits: 1

Prerequisite: N/A

This course in year one sets the foundations of professionalism. Students being the active learners, will identify the core components of what it means to be a professional as medical student and a doctor in later years. These components once identified will determine the content to be learned across the six years.

CHEM1022 – Chemistry

Credits: 2

Prerequisite: N/A

This course will take a practical approach to studying the general and organic chemistry concepts that are foundational to an understanding of normal cellular and physiological processes. Real-world situations from clinical contexts will carry through lecture and lab components of the course to link theoretical knowledge of the chemical and physical characteristics of the major classes of compounds (like acid-base physiology in blood pH, osmosis and electrolytes in cellular health, and radioactivity) to living systems and the practical diagnosis and treatment of diseases. The integrated lab component of the course will reinforce content presented in lectures and problem-solving exercises, as well as train the student’s use of tools and techniques.

NURS1070 – Introduction to Professional Nursing Practice II 

Credits: 3

Prerequisite: NURS1030

This course provides opportunities for the nurse to develop critical thinking skills when applying theory to practice. The nurse will understand autonomous, collaborative and delegated role functions when they develop care plans for their patients in simulation settings. They will begin to make decisions about assessment, care and management of patients. Students will be introduced to basic health assessment skills and fundamental care strategies.

NURS1060 – Anatomy and Physiology II

Credits: 3

Prerequisite: NURS1020

This is the second part of a two-semester course designed to provide a comprehensive study of the structure and function of the human body along with essential embryology and maturational physiology. Histological and gross anatomical features of selected organ systems are related to the physiologic and biochemical mechanisms that enable the human body to maintain homeostasis. Within each system, deviations from normal are considered to situate the student’s understanding of health problems and to foster an appreciation for the complexity of the human organism. Integrated laboratories and case studies provide a contextual base to acquire and use domain-specific knowledge that includes physical assessment and procedural approaches to patient care.

NURS1080 – Psychology and Communication Skills in Nursing Practice II

Credits: 2

Prerequisite: NURS1040

Psychology refers to knowledge necessary to equip nursing students with a basic understanding of the behavioral and social psychological processes that influence both health and illness, and people’s responses to threats to well-being. It also includes understanding of the developmental stage of an individual that enables clinicians to assess the extent of deviation from normal functioning and to respond appropriately in terms of choices of care and the language used to communicate with patients and families. It enables adaptation of the basic communication skills from Psychology and Communications I to more complex clinical and non-clinical situations.

OLSM3010 – Operations Management

Credits: 3

Prerequisite: STAT1010

This course provides three fundamental OM skills: Process Analysis, Inventory Management, and Quality Control. Process Analysis covers the evaluation of the performance of business processes, as well as how to identify opportunities for improvement. Inventory Management teaches how to recognize the different types of inventory in a supply chain and the reasons for its accumulation, as well as tools for deciding how much inventory a business should hold under different circumstances. Finally, with Quality Control teaches how to measure and control the quality of the output of a business process. Throughout the course, the course also covers the more advanced topics of Queuing (how to measure and reduce waiting times), Reven

HADM2040 – Service Operations Management

Credits: 3

Prerequisite: N/A

This course will provide a comprehensive study of concepts, models and managerial issues in service operations to critically assess the performance of the service delivery processes for hospitality organizations to be competitive. The quality assurance processes using a range of quantitative and qualitative techniques necessary for hospitality service organizations will be reviewed.

HADM1870 – Hospitality Internship Orientation

Credits: Non-credit

Prerequisite: N/A

This non-credit course is designed to prepare first-year students for successful internship. Specifically, this course will help students to (1) identify and search for a suitable internship program, (2) write a cover letter, (3) write a resume, (4) develop interview skills, (5) develop good communication and networking skills, and (6) understand the essential requirements for successful internship. All hospitality management major students should take this course during the 2nd semester of the first year. Other major students are also welcome to take this course.

LEAD1020 – Organizational Behavior

Credits: 2

Prerequisite: N/A

This course introduces students theoretically and practically to key facets of leadership in organizations. It lays the foundations for students’ preparation to being influential leaders who can effectively work in local and global teams. The course covers aspects of self-leadership through developing self-awareness, critical thinking, resilience, and developing a global mindset. It develops interpersonal leadership through addressing perspective taking and feedback management, and strengthens team leadership skills through conflict management and ideation management. Students develop skills through theoretical lectures, case study analysis, individual and team assignments, and self-reflection.

MATH1020 – Calculus II

Credits: 4

Prerequisite: MATH1010

This course gives an introduction to multivariable calculus. Topics include partial derivatives, double and triple integrals, line and surface integrals, vector fields, Green’s theorem, Stokes’ theorem, and the divergence theorem.

PHYS1010 – Physics I

Credits: 4

Prerequisite: MATH1010

This course covers the mechanics of particles with focus on kinematics, dynamics, conservation laws, central force fields, periodic motion. Mechanics of many-particle systems: center of mass, rotational mechanics of a rigid body, rotational equilibrium, and fluid mechanics. Temperature, heat, the laws of thermodynamics.

COMP1020 – Object Oriented Programming and Data Structures

Credits: 4

Prerequisite: COMP1010

This course covers program structure and organization, modular programming, advanced topics in object-oriented programming (abstract data types, polymorphism, interfaces, iterators), collections, basics of graphical user interfaces, the basics of algorithm analysis (asymptotic complexity, big “O” notation), recursion, data structures (lists, trees, stacks, queues, heaps, search trees, balanced trees, hash tables, graphs), graph algorithms. Java is the principal programming language.

CECS1030 – Computational and Algorithmic Thinking

Credits: 3

Prerequisite: N/A

This course introduces computational and algorithmic thinking for students with no computing background. Explains computer organization, networks, and architectures. Emphasises understanding of key computational concepts such as abstractions, algorithms, efficiency, correctness and the basics of visual programming. Covers main principles of algorithmic problem solving, such as iteration, recursion, searching, and sorting, and concepts such as concurrency and randomness. Introduces the main principles of artificial intelligence and data science. Discusses computational thinking in economics, medicine and healthcare, neuroscience and sports,and examines security, privacy and ethical concerns. In laboratories, students solve computer science problems,with the guidance of staff.

HASS1050 – History of the Communist Party (Vietnam: History and Culture I)

Credits: 2

Prerequisite: N/A

The great American humorist and writer Mark Twain once said, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” This course takes as its point of departure the possibility of using those rhymes of the past to better help us navigate our present and future. What lessons can we draw? As future businesspeople, health care professionals, engineers, and computer scientists, these lessons have far more relevance than you may imagine.

Vietnam History and Culture (I) examines Vietnamese history and cultural production from its early origins to 1858 and the French Colonial project. The curriculum is divided into five units. We begin the curriculum by considering the study of both history and culture from theoretical perspectives and consider what these mean in the Vietnamese context. Just what are “History” and “culture”? What does it mean to be Vietnamese? In the second unit, we consider the ancient construction of Vietnamese history and cultural production. The third portion of the course examines the Lý and Trần dynasties as well as the Ming Occupation. Fourth, we explore the movement of Vietnamese people southward and the Tây Sơn Rebellion. And finally, fifth, we assess the unification of Vietnam under the Nguyễn and what is to come.

Too often Vietnamese are portrayed in history as vessels upon which events happen to them. This course treats the Vietnamese as agents of their history, grappling with big questions and great problems. We also explore the Vietnamese people’s historical willingness to learn from and integrate foreign ideas and instruments to further develop the Vietnamese culture. To this end, We will wrestle with questions such as: What are the forces that have shaped Vietnamese identity? What drives the world-view(s) of Vietnamese? How has it been transformed over time?

HASS1041/42 – Ho Chi Minh Ideology (Vietnam: History and Culture II)

Credits: 2

Prerequisite: N/A

In the past two decades, Vietnam has achieved remarkable economic development while deepening its international ties and committments. As a result, the country is enjoying a transformation rarely seen in human history. This makeover extends to fields as diverse as education, health care, technology, information, transportation, nutrition and real estate. But as Vietnam has developed, so have the complexities it faces, both at home and internationally. How do we make sense of it all?

In reality, Vietnam has long been a global crossroads. However, its history, culture and economy are rarely understood in this way. Vietnam History and Culture (II) considers Vietnam’s significance as a point of international intersection since the arrival of French Colonialism to examine its history and contemporary events. Surverying modern Vietnam, the course explores such topics as French colonialism and the end of Dynastic Vietnam, Vietnamese responses to colonialism, the rise of nationalism and Communism, Hồ Chí Minh, the First and Second Indochina Wars, the post-1975 period, and Đổi Mới.

To tell this story, the course approaches events as William Shakespeare famously wrote, “All the world’s a stage.” In order to dive deep into events and the figures who participated in them, students will be challenged to reenact key moments and engagements on the classroom stage. Just who were Phan Thanh Giản and Phan Đình Phùng? How did Hồ Chí Minh experience September 2, 1945? And what was the air like in Geneva in 1954? Students will imagine themselves at these events and in these roles as well as a host of others.

This course is intended for students both with an aversion to history as well as advanced historians. As Vietnam’s legendary economic historian Đặng Phong has argued, only with a strong understanding of history can leaders make appropriate decisions and policy. Therefore, this course aims to train future leaders of all fields, so they can better navigate and assess the complex issues facing Vietnam today as well as make informed judgements about what lies ahead.

HASS1010 – Marxism-Leninism Philosophy (Philosophy Science and Society)

Credits: 3

Prerequisite: N/A

Philosophy Science and Society is one of four courses in the General Education Program forming the ideology/national education component required for higher education curriculum as directed by the Ministry of Education & Training, Socialist Republic of Vietnam. These four courses are written to achieve the primary objective of helping students understand core values of both country and university through objective and critical academic lenses in a global context. As these courses will be taught in English to students for whom English is mainly a second language at VinUniversity, each course is designed to be delivered in the spirit of content-based language learning approach to help students both develop English language competency (focusing on speaking, listening and reading) and basic understanding of the content.
Philosophy, Science & Society (PSS) provides students with a broad survey of key ideas in Philosophy, its relevance to society and the way we think we understand the world, or to put it broadly, “science.” We begin the course with an overview of the role of Philosophy and Metaphysics as we embark on this journey of critically re-examining the way we look at our world. In the second part of the course, we take a deep dive into questions of Epistemology, based on which students can orient and develop their creative thinking, philosophy of humanity and action. We follow up with an exploration of trends that came into being with the “social turn” of epistemology found in the critical works of Thomas Kuhn and later in the burgeoning body of works clustered as Sociology of Science. Following this radical re-thinking, we return to the fundamental questions about humanity posed in Social Philosophy and Ethics, to round up our critical inquiry of the complex relationship among philosophy, science and society.

HASS1030 – Scientific Socialism (Politics and Social Change)

Credits: 2 

Prerequisite: N/A

Assuming a basic, strong, and even pivotal relationship between society and politics, the course Politics and Social Change will guide participants to a deep understanding of that relationship in Vietnam and the wider Asian region in the 20th and 21st centuries. The course explores key concepts of politics and social change, and in explication of those concepts, examine the dynamics of politics and social change in concrete terms.  These understand will assist students in pursuing their professional careers, particularly in such careers require a sharp understanding of politics, current affairs, and histories of the world in the last century.  Students should be able to answer these questions they can ask themselves: Why are we where we are today, and where are we going?

HASS1020 – Marxism-Leninism Political Economy (Global Political Economy)

Credits: 2

Prerequisite: N/A

What is globalization? Is it relevant to Vietnam? What is Vietnam’s place in the world? What are the opportunities and challenges for Vietnam in the current configuration of the global political economy? These are some of the basic questions we will be examining together in Global Political Economy: Vietnam-Region-The World. This course begins with a broad survey of different conceptualizations of globalization viewed through lenses of political economy of different persuasions in Marx-Leninism, political science, economic geography, anthropology and history. In doing so, we bring students through nuanced narratives of globalization to review Vietnam’s place – or lack of place – in the global political economy. A key development in studies of political economy suggests that the ability of a country to integrate or cope with the extending reach of globalization is largely determined by domestic governance. In line with this, second part of the course focuses on the economic history of Vietnam in the global context and the changing domestic governance of the country from past to present. In particular, we pay attention to “alternate histories” of change that underlined the road leading to the Doi Moi reforms and Vietnam’s re-entry to the global political economy. In the third part of this course, we examine the changing configurations of the global political economy vis-à-vis Vietnam, paying special attention to the immediate regions surrounding Vietnam, namely ASEAN, East Asia (in particular, China) and South Asia. We shall conclude this stand-alone course on global political economy by examining the current status of Vietnam and possible pathways the country might take in the globalizing digital present and future.

ENGL0022 – Pathway English Advanced B

Credits: 6

Prerequisite: ENGL0021

The overall goal of Pathway English is to provide students with the English proficiency and academic skills needed to successfully study at VinUniversity in English. Pathway English Advanced is a course for students who have completed Pathway English Intermediate or for those who have an English entry proficiency level of CEFR B2 (IELTS 6.0 or equivalent). Students who study Pathway Intermediate in the Summer semester will study Pathway Advanced in the Fall and Spring semesters, alongside some introductory courses. At the end of the course, students will exit with an English proficiency equivalent to CEFR B2+ and meet the English language requirements for full admission to VinUniversity.

The course is divided into two separate skills components: a reading and writing component, and a listening and speaking component. By the end of this course, students will have developed fundamental academic English reading, listening, speaking and writing skills as well as increased their knowledge of prescriptive grammar, pronunciation and academic vocabulary. Classes are active, utilizing a range of activities including group discussions, tasks, online learning activities. The input provided for learners at this level is a blend of graded and authentic texts, including audiovisual texts. Students at this level are still provided with enough scaffolding strategies, diagnostic information, regular formative assessments, teacher check-ins, and out-of-class support to help them achieve optimal success.

This course will benefit students by not only improving their English language proficiency but also by learning and applying academic and 21st century skills that will prepare them to adjust to the norms and expectations of a modern university environment.

ENGL1020 – Academic English 2

Credits: 3

Prerequisite: ENGL1010

Academic English 2 reinforces and expands the language and academic skills developed in Academic English 1. Students will continue to expand and refine their range and accuracy of English but will now focus more intensively on the skill of writing. The principle aim of this course is to transition from the written essay to the research paper, augmenting students’ academic writing skills to prepare them for the type of writing that is essential to their university studies. After identifying a key academic question, through a scaffolded and multistage approach, students will demonstrate a diversity of writing skills to create a coherent research paper and share their findings with an interdisciplinary audience through formal presentations. Students will further develop their academic inquiry skills, synthesizing and critically evaluating knowledge from various sources, creating new connections and ultimately crafting their own original ideas.

VCOR1010 – First Year Experience – OASIS 4 Intercultural Awareness

Credits: Non-credit

Prerequisite: N/A

Required Hours: 6

This is the non-credit required 4th component of OASIS@VinUni program.
OASIS@VinUni is a mandatory, non-credit bearing course of the General Education Program. It is offered through the students’ residential colleges/dormitories, in collaboration with the General Education Program Committee. OASIS is a foundational course aimed to equip the first-year students with a proper understanding of the general nature, value and requirement of university education. It is designed to assist students to successfully navigate through their new experience of university learning. It also forms a solid basis of support from which students may further develop their personal and professional excellence in the university.
This component is designed to enhance the students’ awareness of the importance of intercultural competency and to enable them to foster a general global outlook on different intellectual traditions and academic disciplines, to demonstrate an increased appreciation of the diversity in values and cultures and to cultivate respect to different cultures.

VCOR1010 – First Year Experience – OASIS 5 Self growth & Exploration

Credits: Non-credit

Prerequisite: N/A

Required Hours: 6

The programs provide students with industry insights and professional networks. Students can learn through exposing to diverse working methods and unfamiliar industries, having deep conversations with industrial leaders.

• Lay the ground for career exploration and development.
• Start building connection to high impact people

VCOR1022 – Healthy Lifestyle 2

Credits: Non-credit

Prerequisite: VCOR1021

Required Hours: 22.5

“Healthy Lifestyle” is a mandatory and non-credit bearing course of the General Education Program. Undergraduate students are required to enroll in this course to fulfill part of the graduation requirements and are expected to complete it by the end of their first-year study. This course provides the essential knowledge, skills and practicum lessons (exercise/sport classes), whereby students are able to develop a suitable approach in attaining a physically, mentally, socially and spiritually healthy lifestyle.

Specifically, this course provides students with the knowledge to make better choices during their daily routines to build a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle includes physical wellbeing, psychosocial, and spiritual health. Students receive mentorship that guides and shapes their perspective, showcasing the importance of having a well-balanced life. Components of a healthy lifestyle will be discussed as a process and science that allows students to have a greater understanding of what it takes to achieve their goals for overall wellbeing. Nutrition and diet will be taught to dispel the myths about how and what you should eat to achieve desired health results. Having a healthy mind, healthy body, clarity of thought and the ability to effectively process information are key trademarks of a healthy lifestyle.

This course emphasizes practical application of the learned concepts in order to integrate subject matter into students’ current daily routines and throughout life. The majority of coursework will be held in different environments and venues in order to expose students to the many varieties of fitness tools and resources to maintain a healthy foundation.