PM Chinh wants Australia to double scholarships for Vietnamese students

Speaking at the Vietnam-Australia Education Cooperation Forum held at the Australian National University on Friday, he thanked that country for helping with the training of personnel, even at a time when Vietnam was under an embargo.

He hoped Australia would double the number of scholarships, focusing on important fields like green transformation, digital transformation, AI, and semiconductors.

He also hoped Australia would relax visa policies for Vietnam, and ensure living conditions and safety for its students.

Australia is one of the top destinations for Vietnamese students, with over 32,000 currently studying in the country, making them the sixth largest international student group, he said.

He wanted both countries to increase the number cooperative programs between university-level facilities and enhance their quality, with a focus on research and development and science and technology.

Australia provides around 70 government scholarships for Vietnamese students annually.

The two nations have 37 cross-border education programs at university-level facilities.

The Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics has established the Vietnam-Australia Center while some Australian universities have a campus in Vietnam.

"I hope in future we will see projects that are symbolic of the Vietnam-Australia university education cooperation and on a par with the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership," Chinh said.

Australia’s Minister for Education Anthony Chisholm said the two countries have signed over 200 agreements and published over 5,000 joint research papers.

Chinh is on an official visit to Australia from Thursday to Saturday.

He has visited RMIT University, attended the opening ceremony of the Vietnam-Australia Policy Institute and spoke at the Vietnam-Australia Education Cooperation Forum.