Abstract
During the 1980s, K–12 schools in the United States and later in the Western setting conducted extensive research on instructional leadership. However, this kind of leadership research is scarce in the setting of the higher education industry. This lack resulted in insufficient scholarly work on instructional leadership in higher education. To fill the literature gap in the context of higher education literature, this study is essential to be conducted. Applying qualitative analysis based on interviews with academics, this study investigates the perceptions of leadership characteristics in higher education in Vietnam.