Despite receiving overwhelming support from the university’s board of directors to hold the vacant post, he did not have enough years of experience in a management position under his belt as required by Vietnam’s higher education law, officials say.

The professor, Dr. Truong Nguyen Thanh, received 16 out of 18 votes from board members to take charge of Hoa Sen University as its chancellor, a post that has been left vacant since October 2017 when the last chancellor entered retirement.

However, the municipal Department of Education and Training has refused to go through with Thanh’s confirmation for the post, citing his lack of experience.

According to Vietnam’s Law on Higher Education, a candidate must hold a doctoral degree and have at least five years of experience in a management position, either as faculty dean or the head of a university office, prior to their promotion to chancellor.

Thanh has only served as vice chancellor of Hoa Sen University since January 2017 and therefore is unqualified for the position as per current laws, no matter how strong his academic profile and background may be, according to Le Hong Son, director of the city’s education department.

Prof. Dr. Truong Nguyen Thanh wears shorts and a cut out T-shirt during a lecture at Hoa Sen University in this photo posted on his Facebook account.

In an e-mail addressing colleagues and students announcing his departure from the university, Thanh said he felt “sorry” for the decision and hoped the post of chancellor would be succeeded by a “worthy” candidate.

“I believe in the yin-yang balance of life, that every cloud has a silver lining,” Thanh wrote.

“For all I know, this could open a door to new heights for Hoa Sen University.”

Born in 1962, Thanh earned his PhD in computational chemistry from the University of Minnesota in 1990.

He taught at the University of Utah between 1992 and 2002, and served as president of Ho Chi Minh City’s Institute for Computational Science and Technology from November 2007 until June 2017.

In January 2017 Thanh was appointed vice chancellor at Hoa Sen University, where he also teaches computational chemistry.

Prof. Dr. Truong Nguyen Thanh is seen this photo posted on the official site of Hoa Sen University.

News of Thanh’s departure has caught many by surprise and stirred up fresh criticism against current regulations that are said to discourage talents from abroad to return home and do good to the country.

“I think the Law on Higher Education should be amended to open opportunities for truly talented professors to become chancellors,” said Mai Truc, a reader of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

In a Facebook post on Friday, the professor said he had set aside his dream of supporting the development of Vietnam’s higher education to return to the U.S. for his old job at the University of Utah.

Professor Thanh made local headlines in April last year after photos emerged on social media of him giving lectures on innovation dressed in shorts and a cut out T-shirt.

According to the professor, his peculiar choice of outfit served as a demonstration of creativity and innovation.

Hoe Sen University is a private university established in 1991, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in natural and social sciences, liberal arts, and business management.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!