Hero of Labor and Distinguished Teacher Le Cong Co is a pioneer in socializing education and establishing the Plan to found Duy Tan University - the first private university in Central Vietnam.

Over 30 years of development, he has built a team of 1,627 lecturers; a Party organization with 4 sub-units and 417 Party members, trained and provided 87,116 graduates from Bachelor's to Doctoral levels to society, helping DTU to be ranked among the Top 500 universities worldwide, 115th in Asia, and number one in Vietnam. DTU is the first private university to achieve accreditation and lead the country in the number of internationally accredited programs. It has consistently ranked in the top 5 research institutions in Vietnam and has scientists ranked in Top 10,000 globally. In 2024, DTU was upgraded by the government to a University status. The University received the Third-Class Labor Medal (2009), Second-Class Labor Medal (2014), and First-Class Labor Medal (2019).

Hero of Labor and Distinguished Teacher Le Cong Co and DTU are always closely associated with the symbol of pioneering and breakthrough. He has been awarded many prestigious honors by the Party and the State, including: the Second-Class Independence Medal (1995); the First-Class Resistance Medal (1985); Hero of Labor in the Renovation period (2016); Distinguished Teacher (2012); Outstanding Citizen of Da Nang for the 1997-2017 period; and the 60-year Party membership badge (2025).