| 英文摘要 |
University autonomy has become a major reform trend in Vietnam’s higher education system, particularly since the 2018 amended Law on Higher Education, with the 2025 Law on Higher Education and the 2025 amended Education Law further updating the policy framework. In this context, developing sustainable work motivation policies for academic staff is essential to enhance lecturers’commitment, performance, and long-term professional development. This study used a qualitative phenomenological approach approach and collected data through semi-structured and in-depth interviews. The research was conducted at seven of the eight member universities of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM), with participants including lecturers, Deans of Faculty, Center Directors and VNU-HCM-level administrator from the Organization and Personnel Board. The findings show that sustainable work motivation policies should be built around four closely connected policy groups: organizational, financial, human resource, and academic-research policies. However, several barriers remain, such as inadequate income, imbalance between teaching and research, limited professional development opportunities, uneven research support, and weaknesses in policy implementation. Therefore, universities need coordinated, flexible, fair, and context-sensitive policies to sustain lecturers’motivation under university autonomy. |