Viet Nam: Struggling to Attract International Students
Viet Nam is changing university enrolment requirements to make it easier for foreign students to study at its universities. Previously, foreign students were required to take university entrance examinations in Vietnamese, making it difficult if not almost impossible for non- Vietnamese-speaking foreign students to apply.
International student enrolment is one of the criteria to rank Vietnamese universities. Attracting foreign students is also a way for Viet Nam to promote Viet Nam's education to the world.
The leading universities in Viet Nam enroll undergraduate and graduate international students every year. Most are from the Asia Pacific region including China, Japan, Korea, Australia, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand, while a few come from the United States and Europe. Most of the international students study Vietnamese studies, Vietnamese literature or Southeast Asian studies, which makes Viet Nam the best destination for them.
The leading institutions such as Viet Nam National Universities in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City, which have a tradition of hosting international students, run preparatory courses in Vietnamese for foreign students. However, it’s widely recognized that if these universities do not have programmes taught in English, they have a challenge to enroll international students.
1. Why was it very difficult for foreign students to study at Vietnamese universities?
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2. What is the role of international student enrolment for Vietnamese universities?
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3. Where do most international students in Viet Nam come from?
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4. What majors do they study?
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5. What should the leading Vietnamese universities do to attract more international students?
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7. UNIT 7. Education options for school-leavers
