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International collaboration in scientific research in Vietnam: an analysis of patterns and impact

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Abstract

The present study sought to examine the trend and impact of international collaboration in scientific research in Vietnam during the period after the introduction of the a reform policy and the normalization of relations with the United States. Using the Thomson Reuters’ Web of Science data (2001–2015) we found that 77% of Vietnam’s scientific output (n = 18,044 papers) involved international collaborations, with the United States and Japan researchers being the most frequent partners. The proportion of international collaborations has decreased slightly over time at the expense of an increased rate of domestic collaborations. The rate of growth in Vietnam’s scientific output was 17% per annum, and three-quarters of the growth was associated with international collaborations rather than purely domestic production. Moreover, internationally coauthored papers received twice the average citation as domestic papers. Of note, papers with overseas corresponding author had higher citation rate than papers with domestic corresponding author. These data suggest that the vast majority of scientific papers from Vietnam was attributable to international collaboration, and this had a positive impact on the quality and visibility of Vietnam science. The data also indicate that Vietnam is in the growth phase of building up research capacity.

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Acknowledgements

Professor Tuan V. Nguyen’s work is supported by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. We thank Professor Robert M. Graham of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute (Australia) for his personal interest of this work and his thoughtful comments that improved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Tuan V. Nguyen.

Appendix: Classification of broad research areas

Appendix: Classification of broad research areas

Mathematics

Mathematics—general

Mathematics—applied

Mathematics—miscellaneous

Statistics and probability

Social sciences—mathematical methods

Physics

Acoustics

Crystallography

Physics—general

Physics—applied

Physics—atomic, molecular and chemical

Physics—condensed matter physics—fluids and plasmas

Physics—mathematical optics thermodynamics

Physics—miscellaneous

Physics—nuclear

Physics–particles and fields

Astronomy and astrophysics

Chemistry

Chemistry—general

Chemistry—analytical

Chemistry—applied

Chemistry—inorganic and nuclear

Chemistry—miscellaneous

Chemistry—medicinal

Chemistry—organic

Chemistry—physical

Electrochemistry

Polymer science

Engineering and technology

Engineering—electrical and electronic

Telecommunications

Materials sciences

Metallurgy and metallurgical engineering

Metallurgy and mining

Construction and building technology

Civil Engineering

Mechanical engineering

Instruments and instrumentation

Fuels and energy

Geological engineering

Chemical engineering

Aerospace engineering

Other engineering sciences

Computer sciences

Earth Science

Geochemistry and geophysics

Geography geology

Geosciences—general

Geosciences—interdisciplinary

Remote sensing

Meteorology and atmospheric sciences

Mineralogy

Oceanography

Paleontology

Environmental sciences

Ecology

Environmental sciences

Limnology

Water resources

Clinical Medicine

Allergy

Anesthesiology

Cardiac and cardiovascular system

Cardiovascular system

Chemistry—clinical and medicinal

Clinical neurology

Critical care

Dermatology and venereal diseases

Drugs and addiction

Emergency medicine and critical care

Endocrinology and metabolism

Gastroenterology and hepatology

Geriatrics and gerontology

Hematology

Medical informatics

Medical laboratory technology

Medicine—general and internal

Medicine—miscellaneous

Obstetrics and gynecology

Oncology

Ophthalmology

Orthopedics

Otorhinolaryngology

Pediatrics

Peripheral vascular disease

Psychiatry

Respiratory system

Rheumatology

Sports science

Surgery

Transplantation

Tropical medicine

Urology and nephrology

Vascular diseases

Dentistry and odontology

Oral surgery and medicine

Public Health and Health Sciences

Drugs and addiction

Hygiene and public health

Nursing

Public—environmental and occupational health

Rehabilitation

Substance abuse

Biomedical science

Anatomy and morphology

Andrology

Cytology and histology

Embryology

Immunology

Infectious diseases

Engineering—biomedical

Medicine—research and experimental

Neurosciences

Parasitology

Pathology

Radiology and nuclear medicine

Physiology

Virology

Pharmacology and pharmacy

Toxicology

Basic life sciences

Biochemistry and molecular biology

Biomethods

Biophysics

Biotechnology and applied microbiology

Cell biology

Developmental biology

Genetics and heredity

Microbiology

Reproductive biology

Reproductive systems

Social sciences

Anthropology

Anthropology

Legal medicine

International relations

Communication

Psychology

Religion

Education and educational research

Area studies

Public administration

Family studies

Social work

Physical geography

Behavioral sciences

Linguistics

Women’s studies

Paleontology

Information science and library science

Transportation

Geography

Demography

Urban studies

Government and law

Social sciences—other topics

Medical ethics

Cultural studies

Film, radio and television

Sociology

Art

Social issues

Mathematical methods in social sciences

Criminology and penology

Arts and humanities—other topics

History

Archaeology

Literature

Asian Studies

Ethnic Studies

Philosophy

History and philosophy of science

Business and economics

Business and economics

Operations research and management science

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Nguyen, T.V., Ho-Le, T.P. & Le, U.V. International collaboration in scientific research in Vietnam: an analysis of patterns and impact. Scientometrics 110, 1035–1051 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-016-2201-1

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