The single most common misunderstanding about MBBS admissions in Vietnam is treating NEET as either universally required or universally irrelevant. Neither is true. The real answer depends on which university, and getting this wrong late in the admission process can cost a family weeks.
The general rule — and the one exception
For six of the seven partner universities, NEET is not required for admission at all. It becomes relevant only later, separately, when the graduate needs to sit India's NExT/FMGE licensing exam to practise medicine in India.
Dai Nam University is the sole exception. A valid NEET qualifying score is a mandatory admission requirement there — not merely a later licensing formality. Dai Nam also requires a valid health/medical fitness certificate at the point of admission, which the other six universities don't ask for as a baseline requirement (though two others do for other reasons — see the table below).
Class 12 requirements, university by university
There is no single percentage that applies across all seven universities. Treating them as interchangeable is the second most common error families make.
| University | Class 12 Requirement | NEET |
|---|---|---|
| Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy | 80% in Maths, Chemistry, Biology | Not required for admission |
| Phan Chau Trinh University | 60% in PCB, plus English as a compulsory subject | Not required for admission |
| Dai Nam University | Valid NEET score, no fixed % | Mandatory for admission |
| Buon Ma Thuot Medical University | 65% overall aggregate | Not required for admission |
| Dong A University | 65% overall aggregate | Not required for admission |
| University of Health Sciences, VNU-HCM | 60% in PCB | Not required for admission |
| Cuu Long University | 60% in PCB | Not required for admission |
Can Tho's 80% bar in specifically Maths/Chemistry/Biology is the highest and narrowest of the seven — it does not accept a general aggregate the way Buon Ma Thuot or Dong A do.
Age and documents
Every partner university requires a minimum age of 17 by December 31 of the admission year — this one rule is consistent across all seven.
Standard required documents across all universities: 10th marksheet, 12th marksheet, transfer certificate, an English-medium bonafide certificate, and a valid Indian passport with at least 18 months' validity. Where a university requires additional documents (Dai Nam's NEET scorecard and health certificate; Buon Ma Thuot's health certificate), that's called out specifically on that university's profile page.
Why this matters before you apply
A family that assumes NEET is irrelevant and only discovers Dai Nam's requirement after starting the application loses time re-routing to a different university. Conversely, a family that assumes NEET is mandatory everywhere may rule out five perfectly viable universities unnecessarily. Confirm the specific university's rule before you build a shortlist, not after.
See the full eligibility comparison for the complete document checklist, or browse all seven university profiles individually.
