Around 30,000 to 32,000 students admitted to STEM disciplines in 2026 will obtain annual scholarships starting from VND37 million to VND55 million (roughly US$1,420-2,110), with a projected complete finances of about VND1.3 trillion (US$49.8 million).
The data was shared by Prof. Nguyen Tien Thao, Director General of the Department of Higher Education beneath the Ministry of Education and Training, throughout a seminar on implementing STEM training and workforce growth insurance policies. The occasion was collectively organized by the ministry and Hanoi University of Science and Technology on June 27.
According to Prof. Thao, Vietnam at the moment has more than 771,000 students enrolled in STEM disciplines, accounting for about 29% of complete college enrollment. To develop a extremely expert workforce in science and expertise, the Government has issued Decree 179, introducing scholarships for students pursuing elementary sciences, key engineering disciplines and strategic applied sciences.
Under the decree, students in 15 designated fields are eligible for scholarships value VND37 million to VND55 million (US$1,420-2,110) per yr. Master’s and doctoral students might obtain between VND55 million and VND84 million (US$2,110-3,220) yearly.
Eligibility necessities
To qualify, candidates have to be admitted to one of many eligible applications.
They should additionally both be nationwide glorious scholar award winners admitted immediately to college or obtain a minimal rating of twenty-two.5 in the nationwide highschool commencement examination utilizing an admission mixture that features arithmetic and two of the next topics – physics, chemistry, biology or English. Bonus and precedence factors usually are not included in this calculation.
Eligible students should additionally rank among the many high 30% of entrants nationwide inside their respective fields.
Scholarships shall be renewed yearly based mostly on educational efficiency, credit score completion and analysis achievements.
According to calculations by the Ministry of Education and Training, roughly 30,000 to 32,000 students throughout bachelor’s, grasp’s and doctoral applications will profit from the coverage in the 2026 admission cycle, with complete funding estimated at VND1.3 trillion (US$49.8 million).
The coverage may also apply to round 22,250 students admitted through the 2025-2026 educational yr to eligible applications beneath Decree 179. They will start receiving scholarships from September, with an estimated finances of VND350 billion (US$13.4 million) protecting the ultimate 4 months of 2025.
Ministry goals to elevate STEM enrollment to 35% by 2030
Prof. Nguyen Tien Thao mentioned Vietnam has many gifted students in the pure sciences, significantly arithmetic. The new scholarship coverage is meant to encourage more students to pursue STEM fields, particularly elementary sciences, key engineering disciplines and strategic applied sciences.
He mentioned the coverage is designed not solely to assist students dealing with monetary difficulties but in addition to entice expertise into fields which are important to the nation’s future. Alongside authorities scholarships, many universities and companies are additionally providing monetary help to STEM students.
The ministry expects the initiative to improve the proportion of college students enrolled in STEM disciplines to round 35% by 2030, serving to meet demand for extremely expert staff in strategic expertise industries.
Speaking on the seminar, Minister of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son harassed that science, expertise, innovation and digital transformation are elementary drivers of financial progress. As Vietnam will increase funding in high-tech sectors comparable to semiconductors, synthetic intelligence, huge information and renewable power, growing a powerful STEM workforce is crucial.
“When Vietnam has a STEM workforce with sufficient scale and quality, the country will be able to adapt to, master and further develop advanced technologies, particularly strategic technologies, more quickly and effectively,” Minister Hoang Minh Son mentioned.
According to the minister, the Government’s issuance of Decree 179 is a sensible and important step that allows more students to select STEM majors, reduces academic prices and creates alternatives for these from deprived backgrounds to pursue their ambitions.
However, he additionally emphasised that alongside monetary assist, universities should enhance the standard of training, produce graduates who meet trade wants and strengthen the connection between educating, analysis, companies and native authorities in order to construct a extremely expert workforce for Vietnam’s industrialization and modernization.
The 15 scholarship-eligible disciplines embrace biology, utilized biology, bodily sciences, Earth sciences, arithmetic, statistics, laptop science, data expertise, mechanical engineering and mechanics, electrical, electronics and telecommunications engineering, chemical engineering, supplies, metallurgy and environmental engineering, engineering physics, geological engineering, geophysics and surveying, mining engineering, and civil engineering.
Thuy Nga