Research is one of NEU's major activities. One strength of the university is that it has a big team of leading experts who are highly capable of conducting research and consultations; moreover, a majority of its faculty members have strong motivation for doing research and are well-equipped with up-to-date knowledge.

Leading in academic development. In the period of transformation from a centrally planned to a socialist-oriented market economy, NEU has been a leader in providing teaching materials on economics and business management.

NEU textbooks are widely used in all economic universities and colleges in the whole country, namely political economics, history of economic theories, macroeconomics, microeconomics, business management, marketing, accounting, e-commerce and so on.

NEU has contributed significantly to the development of new management methods such as total quality management, ISO standards, business strategies. Within the last 10 years, NEU has introduced 200 new textbooks and rewritten 30 ones.

Prevailing in macroeconomic policy study and consultancy. NEU is an important institution for the Party and Government to consult socio-economic situation of the country. The Party and the Government have assigned many important works to the university.

"Building strategy of socio-economic stabilization and development in Vietnam up to 2000"; the Draft of the economic section prepared for the official Document of the 7th Vietnamese Communist Party's mid-term Congress; the Draft of the official Political Report to the 8th Vietnamese Communist Party's Congress and suggestions of other macroeconomic policies are just examples. NEU has been responsible for the Government science and technology programs including KX.03 (1991-1995) on "Renovation and completion of the management policy and mechanism system of Vietnam"; KHXH.03 (1996 – 2000) on "Building and completion of the socialism-oriented production relation pushing up economic growth and implementing social equality"; KX.01 (2001-2005 ) on "The socialism-oriented market economy". It also undertook many other research for the Government on different issues such as "Ensuring the improvement of production and the life of farmer households without/lacking of land in the Mekong river delta: Current situation and solution" in 1998; "Development of farming economy in the period of industrialization and modernization: Current situation and solution" in 1999; "Method determining the minimum salary level" in 2000; "Real situation of incomes, lives and occupations of those whose land is taken back for industrial zones, urban areas, socio-economic infrastructure and national benefits" in 2005 - 2006; "Assessment of anti-corruption situation in Vietnam" in 2005; "Solutions to develop Vietnam – African Trade Relations" in 2005 – 2006; "Thang Long – Hanoi's commodity economy: specific characteristics and development experience" in 2005 – 2007. The outputs of the research have been highly appreciated and applied through the policy and resolution of the governmental administrative bodies.

Providing high quality consulting services to enterprises. Proudly, NEU is one of the most prestigious consultants to business community. With a team of experienced experts, it implements many contracts that provide large companies with consulting services. NEU organizes intensive training courses for managers of companies and enterprises, implements market investigations, builds various projects for Vietnam Insurance Company (Bao Viet), General Petroleum Company (Petrolimex), Vietnam Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (VBARD) and other major state owned corporations which are its strategic partners.