Under its mission that no one should be left behind in education, the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) continues to expand study opportunities for financially disadvantaged students from low- and lower-middle-income countries, contributing to SDGs 1 and 4. In 2025, UEH reserved 15 full scholarships for Lao students, maintained scholarship policies for international students from Southeast Asia and lower-income countries, and provided nearly VND 23 billion to 11,262 Vietnamese students whose families were affected by severe storms and floods, alongside preferential scholarships and tuition support for Mekong Delta students.
UEH designed an integrated support system for two groups. For international students, it earmarked 30 annual full-time scholarships for students from Southeast Asia and low-income countries, as well as 100 inbound exchange scholarships covering tuition, accommodation and a living allowance. For Vietnamese students – Vietnam was classified by the World Bank as lower-middle-income in fiscal year 2026 covering activities in 2025 – UEH offered study-support scholarships, tuition reductions, preferential credit and international exchange scholarships to prevent disruption due to financial hardship.
A major 2025 initiative was UEH Mekong’s comprehensive scholarship offer for Lao students. On 14 March 2025, more than 26 Lao students from the Ho Chi Minh City University Preparatory School visited UEH Mekong for career and course counselling and were introduced to 15 full scholarship places. Separately, following Storms 10–13, UEH reduced tuition, provided scholarships, extended payment deadlines and arranged preferential loans for 11,262 Vietnamese learners from 24 affected provinces/cities.
| Policies / Activities | Scope of application – Target audience | Deployment | Result |
| Full scholarships are available for Lao students studying at UEH Mekong. | Lao students – a country classified as lower-middle-income according to the World Bank. | 15 full scholarships are available, including: 100% of university tuition fees; 100% of tuition fees for the Vietnamese language preparatory course; 100% of dormitory fees throughout the course; an initial stipend and monthly living expenses.
On March 14, 2025, UEH Mekong organized a visit, study program consultation, and career guidance session for Lao students from the Ho Chi Minh City University Preparatory School.
Image: Group of Lao students from the Ho Chi Minh City University Preparatory School at UEH Mekong. Source of evidence: UEH organizes a tour and career counseling program for Lao students of the Ho Chi Minh City University Preparatory School in 2025 at UEH Mekong (UEH Portal, March 15, 2025)
Image: Dr. Nguyen Thi Thy Lieu advising Lao students on study programs. Source of evidence: UEH organizes a tour and career counseling program for Lao students of the Ho Chi Minh City University Preparatory School in 2025 at UEH Mekong (UEH Portal, March 15, 2025)
Image: Lao students visiting the UEH Mekong Dormitory. Source of evidence: UEH organizes a tour and career counseling program for Lao students of the Ho Chi Minh City University Preparatory School in 2025 at UEH Mekong (UEH Portal, March 15, 2025) |
Fifteen full scholarships have been awarded to Lao students.
Over 26 Lao students received direct counseling on study programs and scholarships. Student population in Laos in 2025: + Regular university programs: 19 + Master’s degrees: 7 + PhD: 1 |
| Full-time scholarships for international students. | International undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students; 30 places per year are reserved for students from Southeast Asian countries and low-income countries. | 100% of tuition fees are covered during the official study period.
Free dormitory accommodation. Living allowance of 2,600,000 VND/month. 100% of the tuition fee for the Vietnamese language preparatory course and the fee for the B2 Vietnamese language certificate exam are covered. Applications are reviewed continuously in the order they are received.
Source of evidence: Inbound Scholarship – Scholarships for international students at UEH
Source of evidence: Scholarship policy for international students studying full-time at UEH (UEH Student Care Department) |
[Additional information needed: number of international students from low- and lower-middle-income countries receiving scholarships in 2025, broken down by country] |
| Exchange scholarships for international students (incoming) | International students nominated by partner universities and independent (free-mover) students studying at UEH for 3 months or more. | 100 scholarships per year: 100% tuition fee waiver, free dormitory accommodation, and a living allowance of VND 2,600,000 per month.
There are two application periods each year (March–April and September–October).
Source of evidence: Inbound Scholarship – Scholarships for international students at UEH
Source of evidence: Scholarship policy for international exchange students at UEH (UEH Student Care Department) |
Number of students on exchange at UEH in 2025:
+ Germany: 8 + Japan: 5 + Russia: 3 + Hungary: 1 + Canada: 1 + Finland: 1 + Switzerland: 1 + Austria: 1 + Bulgaria: 1 |
| Emergency support for Vietnamese students in flood-affected areas in 2025 | Vietnamese students with permanent residence in the 24 provinces and cities affected by typhoons No. 10, 11, 12, and 13 are at high risk of falling into sudden poverty. | 10% tuition fee reduction for the final semester of 2025, scholarship support, tuition payment extension until January 25, 2026, and preferential student loans (OCB 7.5%/year with interest subsidy; 0% installment payments through Sacombank).
Image: Program to support learners affected by storms and floods in 2025 Source of evidence: UEH implements a program to support students in areas affected by Typhoon No. 10 (Bualoi) in 2025 (UEH Portal, October 3, 2025)
Source of evidence: University reduces tuition fees by 10% for over 11,200 students in flood-affected areas (VnExpress Newspaper) (UEH Portal – Press, November 24, 2025) |
Nearly 23 billion VND was provided to support 11,262 students.
100 scholarships, totaling over 1.35 billion VND. |
| Scholarships and tuition fee discounts for students from the Mekong Delta at UEH Mekong | New students with household registration in the Mekong Delta, and students from disadvantaged backgrounds at UEH Mekong. | Tuition fees at UEH Mekong are only 60% of those at the Ho Chi Minh City campus.
100% tuition fee waiver for the first semester for students with household registration in the Mekong Delta who achieve excellent grades in the three majors: Technology and Innovation, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, and Agricultural Business; 50% for other students from the Mekong Delta in these three majors. The on-campus dormitory has nearly 500 beds.
Image: Awarding scholarships to support studies for new students of the 51st cohort at UEH Mekong. Source of evidence: UEH Mekong – Opening Ceremony of the 51st Undergraduate Course: The First Page – Write Your Own Story at UEH (UEH Portal, October 6, 2025)
Image: Awarding scholarships to new students, academic achievement scholarships, and academic support scholarships at UEH Mekong. Source of evidence: UEH Mekong: Partnering through policy – Creating a comprehensive development journey for students (UEH Portal, July 23, 2025) |
730 million VND in awards, entrance scholarships, and study support scholarships for new students of the 51st cohort at UEH Mekong.
Over the past 5 years, UEH Mekong has awarded more than 1 billion VND in scholarships to support students’ studies. |
| Scholarships are provided to underprivileged Vietnamese students. | Vietnamese students from disadvantaged backgrounds strive to excel in their studies. | Truong Tuoi Group sponsors the “Wings of Dreams” scholarship for disadvantaged students from Dong Nai province (including the former Binh Phuoc province).
The UEH Student Union has maintained the “Bright Future” scholarship for over 17 years.
Image: Representatives of Truong Tuoi Group awarding scholarships to UEH students. Source of evidence: End of the Truong Tuoi Group – UEH League 2025 journey: Dormitory 43-45 Nguyen Chi Thanh crowned champion (UEH Portal, November 18, 2025)
Image: Six “Bright Future” scholarships awarded to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Source of evidence: Program commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Traditional Day of Vietnamese Students and the Vietnam Student Union (UEH Portal, January 9, 2025) |
10 scholarships under the “Wings of Dreams” program, each worth 20 million VND (November 2025).
Six “Bright Future” scholarships, each worth 4 million VND (January 2025). |
| International student exchange scholarships (outbound) for Vietnamese students. | UEH students with good academic performance are given priority, especially those who have received academic achievement scholarships. | First semester of 2025: exchange programs at 13 universities in Asia and Europe.
Final semester of 2025: Exchange program at 12 universities in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, and South Korea. Partner universities provide full or partial support for tuition, dormitory fees, and living expenses; students can convert academic achievement scholarships into exchange scholarships.
Image: UEH International Student Exchange Scholarship, First Semester 2025 Source of evidence: UEH International Student Exchange Scholarship First Semester 2025: Unleashing dreams of studying abroad at 13 universities in Asia and Europe (UEH Portal, May 21, 2025)
Image: UEH International Student Exchange Scholarship, Final Semester 2025 |
25 partner universities will accept UEH students in two phases in 2025, helping students access international education at a significantly reduced cost.
[Note: 14 students will receive exchange scholarships in 2025] |
| Academic and living support for international students. | International students from developing countries | Accommodation arrangements in dormitories, assistance with enrollment and residency procedures, Vietnamese language preparatory courses, academic counseling, and cultural integration activities are provided. | 19.5 international students (full-time equivalent) from developing countries are expected to study at UEH in 2025. |
These examples confirm that UEH not only issues scholarship policies for international students but also allocates specific resources to poor students from lower-middle-income countries such as Laos and Vietnam, helping them to fully pursue their studies without being hindered by economic conditions.
Note: Low- and lower-middle-income countries are defined according to the World Bank’s classification. Laos belongs to the lower-middle-income group; Vietnam belongs to the lower-middle-income group in fiscal year 2026 (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026) and will be classified as upper-middle-income from fiscal year 2027.
Compared to the previous year, UEH’s policy of supporting poor students from low- and lower-middle-income countries has been expanded in both scope and level of support. While in 2024, UEH supported 20 international students (1 student from Ghana with tuition waived and 19 students from Laos and Cambodia with dormitory fees waived), in 2025, the University will allocate 15 full scholarships specifically for Laotian students. For Vietnamese students, the scale of emergency support has increased from 100 scholarships (approximately 1 billion VND) for students in 26 provinces affected by Typhoon Yagi in 2024 to nearly 23 billion VND for 11,262 students in 24 provinces and cities in 2025. In addition, international exchange scholarships have been expanded to 25 partner universities in two rounds during the year. [Additional information needed: total number of international students from low- and lower-middle-income countries supported in 2025.]
Therefore, it can be seen that UEH is gradually becoming a friendly learning destination for poor students from low- and lower-middle-income countries, with clear policies, specific resources, and support throughout their learning journey.