VietNamNet Bridge - Why are scientists reluctant to publicize their articles in Vietnamese journals?

Making its debut one year ago, the Social Sciences & Humanities Journal of the Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities wanted to become an internationally recognized publication so that it could join ISI (Institute for Scientific Information) or  Scopus by 2025.

Analysts said that this was a big ambition for a Vietnamese social science journal. According to a report of the State’s Professorship Title Council, by May 2016, only one Vietnamese journal had been named on the ISI list and two journals in Scopus. And all three journals are about natural sciences. No university has had its journals accepted by ISI or Scopus.

As such, of the 385 Vietnamese science journals cited by the council, only 0.84 percent of journals can be found in ISI or Scopus systems, and 6.7 percent journals have English or bilingual Vietnamese/English versions.

Of the 385 Vietnamese science journals cited by the council, only 0.84 percent of journals can be found in ISI or Scopus systems, and 6.7 percent journals have English or bilingual Vietnamese/English versions.

The figures are modest if compared with neighboring countries. Malaysia, for example, has 11 ISI journals and 77 in Scopus, while Thailand has some in ISI and 21 Scopus. Cambodia has one, which joined ISI before Vietnam’s Advances in Natural Sciences: Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ANSN).

Prof Tran Van Nhung, secretary general of the State Professorship Title Council, commented that Vietnamese science journals and articles still need to be upgraded to approach international standards.

Some scientists said the quality of Vietnam’s science journals was poor.

The editor of an economics journal who asked to be anonymous said that science journals simply served as publications for governing bodies to issue articles on when the bodies’ members publicize scientific research to pave the way for them to defend PhD dissertations or apply for professorships. 

He also pointed out that many Vietnamese journals do not strictly follow the counter-argument process because they don’t have money to pay to critics. 

Tran Van Kham from the Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities agreed, saying that in many cases, it is the journals’ editorial board which decides whether to publish articles. This explains why the quality of science journals is ‘problematic’.

Meanwhile, a researcher of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS), said many science journals in Vietnam published articles under the ‘ask-and-grant’ mechanism, which means that scientists have to pay money to have articles published in the journals. 

Pham Van Dong from the Physics Institute, one of the scientists who have many international publications, admitted that he would not publish high-quality articles in domestic journals.

“I would publish my articles in domestic journals if they affirm that they only accept high-quality articles,” he said. “It is unreasonable to put high-quality research works together with bad works."


Le Van