Given the importance of research communities and research mentoring activities in developing research skills, universities around the world have paid special attention to improving these two dimensions. However, developing research communities and research mentoring culture in Vietnamese universities largely remain at a nascent stage because these universities often have a short history of conducting research and limited research capacity. Drawing on a sociocultural perspective, this qualitative case study explores the experience of Vietnamese scholars in developing their research skills via their research communities and their perspectives towards domestic and international research communities. Interview data show that participants were active in establishing their own networks and tended to look outward, searching for support from international communities and mentors, since their institutes lacked collegiality and research collaborations. To develop institutional research communities and positive research culture, universities’ managers should consider factors including collective values, researcher individualism, and research traditions.

鉴于研究社区和研究指导活动在培养研究技能方面的重要性，世界各地的大学都特别关注改善这两个方面。然而，越南大学的研究社区发展和研究指导文化在很大程度上仍处于初级阶段，因为这些大学通常开展研究的历史很短，研究能力有限。该定性案例研究从社会文化的角度出发，探讨了越南学者通过研究社区发展研究技能的经验以及他们对国内和国际研究社区的看法。访谈数据显示，参与者积极建立自己的网络，并倾向于向外看，寻求国际社区和导师的支持，因为他们的研究所缺乏合作和研究合作。为了发展机构研究社区和积极的研究文化，大学管理者应考虑集体价值观、研究人员个人主义和研究传统等因素。