In recent years, higher education institutions in Vietnam expect their academics to have more publications in prestigious journals to improve their ranking. Research motivation, both in the forms of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, is viewed as an important factor driving academics to strive to do research. Examining the relation between academics’ research motivation and research productivity which is measured by the number of publications on international and local journals can offer an understanding of the impact of research motivation on research productivity. This relation is examined by a quantitative analysis of data obtained from a survey of 96 academics at the University of Economics and Law. The results show that intrinsic motivation exerts a stronger influence on the academics’ research productivity than extrinsic motivation. Another finding is that the academics with a doctoral degree are more productive in research than those with a master’s degree. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance both intrinsic motivation and sustain extrinsic motivation to promote the academics’ research productivity. As qualifications play an important role in enhancing the number of publications, providing academics with favorable conditions and encouraging them to achieve higher degrees is expected to boost their research productivity.