Scholarships and Student Financial Aid in Vietnam: What Exists and How to Apply

University merit and need-based scholarships

Public and private universities in Vietnam run their own scholarship funds for enrolled students, drawn partly from tuition revenue and partly from donor and alumni contributions. These awards typically cover a portion of tuition, sometimes full tuition for top-ranked students in a cohort, and are renewed each semester or year based on academic performance. Since eligibility criteria and award amounts differ by university and by year, check your own university's student affairs office or scholarship page directly rather than relying on a general figure.

Newer private and foreign-invested universities such as VinUniversity, RMIT Vietnam and Fulbright University Vietnam also run dedicated financial aid programs alongside their higher tuition, often blending need-based grants with merit scholarships to keep their programs accessible to strong applicants who could not otherwise afford the fee. Contact the admissions office directly for the current aid package structure, since these change with each intake.

Vietnam Bank for Social Policies student loans

The Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (Ngân hàng Chính sách Xã hội, VBSP) runs a long-standing subsidized student loan program for students from poor, near-poor and other disadvantaged household categories defined by the government. Loans cover tuition and a contribution toward living costs, disbursed through the student's family based on local commune or ward confirmation of household status. Interest rates and loan ceilings are set by government decision and adjusted periodically, so confirm the current rate and eligible household categories through your local VBSP branch or commune People's Committee before counting on a specific amount.

The Vallet Scholarship fund

The Vallet Scholarship fund, established in 2001 by French academic Odon Vallet through the Meeting Vietnam organization, has become the largest non-government scholarship fund operating in Vietnam. More than 55,000 outstanding Vietnamese students and school pupils have received Vallet scholarships worth over 500 billion VND combined since the fund started, and in 2025 alone it awarded scholarships to 2,200 outstanding students across provinces and cities nationwide, according to Vietnam+ . Awards go to strong students recommended through their schools rather than through an open online application, so ask your school's academic affairs office whether it takes part in the current year's nomination round.

Vingroup Scholarship Program for overseas study

Vingroup runs a Science and Technology Scholarship Program aimed at Vietnamese students pursuing master's, PhD and postdoctoral study abroad in STEM fields, with the goal of building talent for Vietnam's technology sector. Full awards cover tuition, a monthly living stipend, health insurance, return airfare, visa fees and other costs of attendance for the standard length of the funded program, according to the program's official page at scholarships.vinuni.edu.vn . Vingroup has also committed funding worth millions of dollars over multiple years to specific research and training initiatives, including scholarships for master's, PhD and postdoctoral researchers through its innovation and smart health center program. Application cycles, eligible fields and quotas are set annually, so check the current call before assuming a past year's terms still apply.

Private, corporate and media-backed scholarships

Beyond the largest named funds, Vietnamese banks, technology companies, and media organizations run smaller scholarship and grant programs, often targeted at first-year students from low-income families or students in specific fields tied to the sponsor's industry. Coverage ranges from a one-time grant toward first-year costs to renewable multi-year support, and most require a nomination through your high school or a direct application during a set window early in the academic year. These programs come and go with sponsor budgets, so search for current listings each year rather than relying on a program that ran in a previous cycle.

How to plan your applications

• Start with your own university's scholarship office once you have an offer, since most routes require current enrollment or a confirmed place.

• Gather your household status documentation early if you plan to apply for a VBSP loan, since confirmation from your local commune or ward takes time.

• Ask your high school whether it takes part in nomination-based funds such as the Vallet Scholarship before your final year ends, since some routes run through school recommendation rather than open application.

• For overseas study funding through programs like the Vingroup Scholarship Program, check the eligible fields and deadline for the current cycle directly on the program's official page, since STEM focus areas and quotas shift from year to year.

Documents to prepare before applying

Most scholarship and loan applications ask for a similar core set of documents: your academic transcript, national ID or household registration book, a household income or poverty-status confirmation for need-based routes, and a recommendation letter for nomination-based funds such as the Vallet Scholarship. For overseas study funding, add a valid passport, an English or destination-language test score where required, and any university acceptance letter the program asks for.

Gather these early rather than during application week, since documents like a commune-level household confirmation or a school recommendation letter can take days or weeks to process, especially during peak application season when staff handle many requests at once.

Timing your applications across routes

University scholarships and financial aid packages usually get finalized once you confirm enrollment, so apply for these right after receiving your offer rather than waiting until classes start. VBSP loan applications can run alongside enrollment, since the loan process depends on local confirmation rather than a university deadline. Nomination-based funds and overseas scholarship programs run on their own separate calendars, often opening months before the academic year they support, so track each program's specific window rather than assuming one deadline applies to every route you plan to use.