Internationalization of higher education in vietnam new policies needed for new context

Internationalization of higher education is therefore considered as one o f the necessary solutions for Vietnam and its institutions to enhance educational quality and thus catch up with

INTERNATIONALIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN VIETNAM:

NEW POLICIES NEEDED FOR NEW CONTEXT

Nguyễn Tnùy Ann, Dr.

U n iv e rs ity o f E c o n o m ic s a n d B u s in e s s - V N U H anoi, V ie tn a m

Abstract

Over the past decades, internationalization of higher education has accelerated in terms of both pace and magnitude, having impact on countries and institutions the world around Since its start of Doimoi policy in

1986, Vietnam has achieved remarkable development in higher education However, it is still faced with serious chronic and emerging problems Internationalization of higher education is therefore considered

as one o f the necessary solutions for Vietnam and its institutions to enhance educational quality and thus catch up with regional and international standards The purpose of the paper is to investigate the policies for and current status of internationalization of higher education in Vietnam The paper will first analyze the legal and policy fram ework for Vietnam ’s internationalization of higher education Second, it will examine how this process is being implemented at the national level Finally, the paper will discuss issues and challenges that Vietnam has to face with during the process of higher education internationalization Data and information used to analyze in this paper were collected by the author from various sources such as the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), the UNESCO Institute for Statistics and the Institute for International Education (HE) The paper therefore provides an insightful and comprehensive understanding o f the current situation of higher education internationalization in Vietnam with a variety of facts and figures, highlighting its problems and challenges in this process and contributing to literature on this issue in Vietnam

1 INTRODUCTION

Over the last few decades, globalization has been drastically accelerated and become an irreversible and most influential process that permeates all aspects o f human life from economic, political to social and cultural fields and therein higher education is not an exception Together with globalization, internationalization is also a prominent process that is changing the scene of higher education34 According to scholars like Altbach, Teichler, internationalization of higher education is not a new phenomenon since universities have long been considered one of society’s most international institutions35 However, since the 1980s, under the impacts of globalization, there have been qualitative leaps36 in which the internationalization of higher education all over the world has been accelerated in terms of both pace and magnitude Universities globally have become more and more internationally active, promoting diverse internationalization activities, programs, policies and strategies ranging from traditional international activities, for examples, student and staff mobility, research collaboration,

34 Knight, J (2004) Internationalization Remodeled: Definition, Approaches, and Rationales Journal o f Studies in

In te rn a tio n a l Education, 8(1).

35 Altbach, P G.( & Teichler, u (2001) Internationalization and Exchanges in a Globalized University Journal o f Studies in International Education, 5(1).

36 Teichler, u (2004) The changing debate on in te rn a tio n a lisa tio n o f higher education Higher Education, 48.

language study o r developm ent projects Higher education institutions can also carry out various more recent contents of internationalization, especially those related to cross-border education such as international double/joint degree programs, branch campus or the adoption of foreign curriculum The calls fo r internationalization have influenced not only the content of education and research but also the way university m anagement is organized Teichler argues that “international” is no longer essential for only a few, select sectors of higher education Instead, all higher education institutions have to be international, national and possibly local as defined by the terms “glocal” or "glonacal”37 Moreover, international activities in higher education institutions are not viewed anymore as ad hoc, fragmented or marginal ones but rather, as those that need to be systematized, embedded and taken up in all arenas of decision making and administration Similarly, international education is no longer confined to internationalization specialists but touches all areas of study and research to a certain extent

Although internationalization o f higher education has been intensified for the last three decades and has been subject to much discussion, there is still a lack of consensus about the meaning o f this concept, especially the distinction between internationalization and globalization is still an ongoing topic In many cases these two concepts are used interchangeably 38 39 40, whereas other scholars assert that these are two different processes having relations with each other Some researchers consider internationalization

as a response to globalization 41 42; while others believe that this process has been going on quite independently with globalization and that these two processes have a dialectical relationship4344 For some analysts, internationalization of higher education is perceived as a steerable policy process in which national states are not questioned, whereas globalization is external to higher education and can hardly

be influenced 45 46 o th e r researchers argue that the differentiation between these two processes “does not correspond to a national/global distinction”47 and that globalization should not be simply seen as a

37 Ibid

38 Altbach, P G., Reisberg, L, & Rumbley, L (2009) Trends in g lo b a l h ig h e r education: Tracking an academic

revolution Chestnut Hill, MA: Boston College Center for International Higher Education.

39 Ebuchi, K (1996) Curriculum developm ent f o r in te rn a tio n a liza tio n fr o m a com parative perspective: In special

reference to the OECD/CERI p ro je c t on "h ig h e r education in a n e w in te rn a tio n s e ttin g " Paper presented at the

Fukuoka Seminar on Internationalization of Higher education

40 Scott, P (2000) Globalisation and Higher Education: Challenges for the 21st Century Journal o f Studies in

In te rn a tio n a l Education, 4(3), 7.

41 Knight, J (2008) H igher Education in T urm oil: the Changing W orld o f In te rn a tio n a liza tio n Rotterdam: Sense

Publishers.

42 Yang, R (2005) Internationalizing Chinese Higher Education: A Case study of a M ajor Comprehensive University

In P Ninnes & M Hellstén (Eds.), In te rn a tion a lizin g Higher education: C ritical E xploration o f Pedagogy and Policy

(pp 97-118) Netherlands: Springer Press.

43 Anneke, L (2002) Europeanisation, internationalisation and globalisation in higher education (Publication Retrieved May 25, 2009: http://docs.glotta.ntua.er/lnternational/W TO/susulub.pdf

44 Teichler, u (2009) Internationalisation of higher education: European experiences Asia Pacific Education

Review, 10(1), 13.

45 Luijten-Lub, A., Van der W ende, & Huisman, J (2005) On Cooperation and Competition: A Comparative Analysis

of National Policies fo r Internationalisation of Higher Education in Seven Western European Countries Journal o f

Studies in In te rn a tio n a l Education, 9(2), 16.

45 Van der Wende (2001) The international dimension in national higher education policies: W hat has changed in

Europe over the last five years? European Journal o f Education, 36(4).

47 Marginson, s (2008) G lobalization, n a tio n a l developm ent a n d university rankings Paper presented at the

International Symposium "University ranking: Global trends and comparative perspectives".

higher form of internationalization48 Scholars like Marginson49, Teichler50 and Knight51 refer to internationalization as the increase of relations and cross-border activities between and among nations, while globalization means the worldwide scope and level and the blurring or even disappearance of national borders52 It can be stated that there have been a variety of definitions fo r internationalization of higher education In this context, the paper uses the definition proposed by Knight53 which is a neutral one and has been w idely accepted in the domain of international education54 "Internationalization at the national/sector/institutional levels is the process of integrating an international, intercultural or global dimension into the purpose, functions or delivery o f higher education at the institutional and national levels”55

Internationalization of higher education can take place through a variety o f activities, programs, policies and strategies carried out by countries and higher education institutions, which can be categorized into two main groups according to Jane Knight (2004) The first set o f internationalization elements consists of those related to academic/program content which include academ ic programs, research and scholarly collaboration, external relations domestically and cross-border and extracurricular The second group pertained to organizational strategies composes o f governance, operations, services and human resource There are various rationales and reasons as to why a country or a higher education institution wants to promote internationalization As Knight and de W it cluster it, there are four groups of possible rationales for internationalization including political, economic, academic and social/culture56 The political rationale relates to issues concerning a country’s position and role as a nation in the world, or a university’s desire to strengthen strategic alliances with other institutions and association The economic rationale refers to either long-term economic effect where internationalization of higher education is considered to contribute to building up human resources and competitiveness of an economy, or the revenues generated from cross-border education or the recruitment of international students The academic rationale for internationalization is related to the aims and functions of higher education itself where nations and institutions, by integrating international dimensions into their activities, programs, policies and strategies, try to upgrade the quality of education, research and services in order to achieve international standards or to be recognized internationally The cultural/social rationale concerns with issues such as the maintenance and spreading of one country’s own culture and language or on the

48 Scott, P (2000) Globalisation and Higher Education: Challenges for the 21st Century Journal o f Studies in

In te rn a tio n a l Education, 4(3), 7.

49 Marginson, s (2006) Notes on glo b aliza tio n a n d hig h er education w ith some reference to the case o f A ustralia

Paper presented at the Internationalizing Canada' s Universities-Practices, Challenges and Opportunities: A symposium from http://www.vorku.ca/vorkint/global/conference/canada/papers/Sim on-Marginson.pdf

50 Teichler, u (2009) Internationalisation of higher education: European experiences Asia Pacific Education

Review, 10(1), 13.

51 Knight, J (2008) H igher Education in Turm oil: th e Changing W orld o f In te rn a tio n a liza tio n Rotterdam: Sense

Publishers.

52 Teichler, u (2009) Internationalisation of higher education: European experiences A sia Pacific Education

Review, 20(1), 13.

53 Knight, J (2004) Internationalization Remodeled: Definition, Approaches, and Rationales Journal o f Studies in

International Education, 8(1).

54 Beerkens (2004) G lobal o p p o rtu n itie s and in s titu tio n a l embeddedness: H igher education consortia in Europe and

Southeast Asia CHEPS, Enschede.

55 Knight, J (2004) Internationalization Remodeled: Definition, Approaches, and Rationales Journal o f Studies in

In te rn a tio n a l Education, 8{1).

56 Knight, J., & de W it; H (1999) Q u a lity a n d in te rn a tio n a lisa tio n in hig h er education Paris: Organisation for

Economic Co-operation and Development.

importance o f understanding those o f other countries57 One notable point here is that prioritized contents

of and rationales for internationalization of higher education can differ from countries to countries, from institutions to institutions and from time to time

Since the adoption of the “Doi Moi” policy in 1986, Vietnam, a developing country, has undertaken a dual process of transitioning from a centrally planned economy to a socialist-oriented market economy and integration into a rapidly changing world Along with the open door policy and market-oriented reforms, Vietnam in recent years, especially from 1991, with the introduction o f the policy fo r multi-lateralization and diversification of international relations, has accelerated international integration in many fields Vietnam is now strongly promoting socio-economic development with an aim to become an industrialized and modernized country by the year 2020 and education is identified as a crucial means to achieve the set goals for national development In 2001, with the issuance of the “Socio-economic strategic Development Plan 2001-2010” the Communist Party of Vietnam identified that “in order to meet the demand for human resources which is a decisive factor in the country's development plan in the period of industrialization and modernization, it is necessary to create radical and overall changes in education and training"58 In response to changes in the socioeconomic policies, since 1987 Vietnam has implemented some important reform policies to renovate of the old higher education system which was heavily

influenced by the Soviet education59 One o f the most fundamental renovations was the move away from

a fragmented higher education structure consisting of narrowly specialized institutions and insufficient research embedded universities, to one with broader and diversified academ ic fields and institutional types 60 61 In the past two decades, Vietnam ’s higher education has gained rem arkable progress in terms

of magnitude, quality and efficiency o f its system, narrowing the gap between itself and neighboring countries However, like many other systems in the region, the system o f higher education in Vietnam is still struggling with a range of chronic and emerging problems It is now left with a challenging question of how to preserve and enhance core functions o f the universities which are teaching, research and service,

in the face of limited resources as well as the escalating and conflicting demands of the society for higher education In this context, internationalization is considered an im portant approach to secure the development arid progress o f V ietnam ’s higher education sector at both national and institutional levels, while striving to achieve international standards and greater regional cooperation

3 LEGAL AND POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR VIETNAM’S INTERNATIONALIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Internationalization, as a strategy for the development of higher education, has been used in several policy documents at both national and institutional levels as well as in a number of academic papers However, there has not been a general understanding of this concept within the context of Vietnam Generally, the internationalization of higher education in Vietnam is interpreted as an enhancement of

57 Qiang, z (2003) Internationalization of higher education: towards a conceptual framework Policy fu tu re s in

education, 1(2).

58 Communist Party of Vietnam (2001) Socio-economic S trategic D evelopm ent Plan 2001-2010 Retrieved, from

http://www.unaids.org.vn/sitee/images/stories/documents for resources/socia economic dev v.pdf.

59 Fry, G w (2009) Higher Education in Vietnam In Y Hirosato & Y Kitamura (Eds.), The P olitical Economy o f

Educational Reforms and Capacity D evelopm ent in Southeast Asia, Netherlands: Springer Netherlands.

60 Huong, N T L (2008) V ietnam H igher Education - Reform f o r the N a tio n 's D evelopm ent Paper presented at the

Asia-Pacific Sub-regional Preparatory Conference for the 2009 World Conference on Higher Education: "Facing Global and Local Challenges: the New Dynamics for Higher Education".

61 Pham, L H., & Fry, G w (2004) Education and Economic, Political, and Social Change in Vietnam Educational

Research f o r Policy and Practice, 3(3).

international and regional cooperation and integration in the field of higher education In some policy documents, internationalization is narrowly understood and referred to as the integration o f international dimensions into the curricula at higher educational institutions62 This process is also seen merely as "the establishment of foreign education programs run either entirely by foreign universities or through cooperation between a foreign and Vietnamese institution”63 Some contents o f internationalization such

as international standards, international cooperation, international ranking and recognition, student mobility, international curricula have been broadly carried out and considered indispensable to the development of higher education in Vietnam Among the most important legal and policy frameworks for the country’s tertiary education improvement in general and its internationalization in particular are the Strategy fo r Educational Development 2001-2010, the Education Law 2005 and the Vietnam Higher Education Renovation Agenda 2006-2020

In order to meet up with the specific goals in educational and national development, the strategy for Educational Development 2001-2010 approved by the Prime Minister by Decision No 201/2001/QD-TTg

on December 28, 2001 emphasizes the encouragement, expansion and acceleration of collaborative relations in training and research with prestigious institutions in the world, with the purpose o f exchanging good practices and experiences suitable for the conditions o f Vietnam and improving educational development resources for the country To this end, the strategy has proposed a package o f measures to promote international cooperation in education at all levels, especially in higher education

Another important legal framework for the internationalization of higher education in Vietnam is the Education Law 2005 which was approved by the National Assembly in June of 2005 Article 107, 108,

109, and 110 o f the Law provide the legislative basis for various international dimensions of higher education including international cooperation in education, encouragement o f cooperation in education with other countries, encouragement of cooperation in education with Vietnam, recognition of foreign degrees/diplomas

The third corner-stone policy fram ework worth mentioning here is the Vietnam Higher Education Renovation Agenda Period 2006-2010 (HERA) promulgated by the Vietnamese Government along with Resolution No, 14/2005/NQ-CP adopted on November 2, 2005 The agenda puts up an objective to make

by 2020 “fundamental changes in quality and scale, responding to the human resource requirements for the cause of socio-economic development and national intellectual improvement, accessing to the advanced levels in the region and the world, upgrading several universities to international level, making contributions to improving the com petitiveness o f human resources and the country’s economy”64 The docum ent proposes some solutions in order to contribute to the im provement in competitiveness of higher education system in international integration process as follows:

a) Developing an international integration strategy for the national higher education system within the context o f the Vietnamese-American Bilateral Trade Agreem ent (BTA), the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and the General Agreem ent on Trade in Services (GATS);

b) Launching a strategy on teaching and learning in foreign languages, especially in English; using advanced foreign training programs, curricula and materials, which are suitable fo r Vietnam's

62 MOET (2008) 2009-2020 Vietnam Educational Development strategy, 14th Edition Draft.

63 Ngo, D D (2007) H igher education developm ent in V ietnam b y 2010: Goals, s tra te g ic measures, im p le m e n ta tio n

a n d challenges Paper presented at the 2007 Vietnam Update.

64 MOET (2005) Vietnam Higher Education Renovation Agenda: Period 2006-2020 Hanoi: MOET

development needs, especially in the areas of natural sciences, engineering, technology and economic management;

c) Improving the quality o f research and training programs with specific national features in order to attract foreign researchers and students, while maintaining national identity and traditional values; d) Exchanging lecturers and students, implementing joint training and research programs and continuing to send teaching staff and students overseas to study in key areas by using state funding; e) Ratifying the "Regional Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees in Higher education in Asia and the Pacific", and signing similar bilateral treaties and establishing organizations for the promotion of related activities;

f) Establishing clear principles and simple procedures to facilitate foreign countries or qualified foreign universities to provide 100 percent capital investment or open branch campus; Exercising quality control in training services (including on-line programs) provided by foreign training institutions; participating in regional and international quality accreditation organizations;

g) Developing on-site (in-country or regional) overseas training centers with the participation of highly qualified international experts, or providing "sandwich" training programs in order to minimize the brain leakage;

h) Attracting highly qualified experts from foreign countries to provide training and research support, while formulating systematic policies to attract overseas Vietnamese and Vietnam ese citizens trained abroad to come back and make contributions to nation-building;

i) Participating in the international human resource training market, and aiming at exporting skilled labor.65

Table 1 shows the cornerstone events which have direct or indirect impacts on the internationalization of higher education in Vietnam These events will be discussed in detail in the following sections of the paper

3 THE PROCESS OF HIGHER EDUCATION INTERNATIONALIZATION IN VIETNAM

3.1 Staff and student mobility

3.1.1 S tu d y a b ro a d

Since the implementation of the Open door policy in 1986, especially from 1991 when the Vietnam Communist Party Central Committee decided the policy of multi-lateralization and diversification of international relations, there has been a significant growth in the number of outbound mobile Vietnamese students Between 1990 and 2005, this number increased by 22.4 tim es from 1,139 to 25,505 6B UNESCO statistic data show a sim ilar picture of the flow which sharply increased from 7,853 in 1998 to 47,938 by 2011 as shown in Figure 1

65 Ibid

66 MOET (2005) S tatistical D ata o f Vietnamese Students Abroad Hanoi: MOET.

Table 1 Im portant events, strategies and policies having im pacts on the internationalization o f

higher education in Vietnam

Year

1992

1999

2000

2001

2004

2005

_2.CLQZ_

2008

Events Board of Minister’s Instruction on Sending Vietnamese citizens abroad for training in the new circumstance

MOET's Regulation on foreigners studying in Vietnam Government's Decree on foreign investment in education, health care, and scientific research Establishment of RMIT-first 100% foreign investment university in Vietnam

MOET's Project 322: Vietnamese Government Scholarship Government’s strategy for Education Development 2001-2010 Government's Decree on stipulating the Setting Up and Operation of Vietnam-Based Foreign Cultural and/or Educational Establishments

Government's Official document “About the continuation of university and college network improvement" Education Law 2005

MOET's “Vietnam Higher Education Renovation Agenda, 2006-2020"

MOET's Circular on Guidelines on investment cooperation with foreign partners in the fields of healthcare, education and training, and research

2006 MOET's "Advanced programs" Pilot project

Prime Minister’s Decision on policy and main guidelines to construct international standard universities of Vietnam

Vietnam becoming the 150th WTO member _ Establishment of the Vietnamese-German University

MOET's proposal 20,000 PhDs Plan Government's Decision on “Advanced programs”

MOET’s drafted strategy for Education Development 2009-2020

2009 Vietnam made commitment to GATS in education sector

Establishment of the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH) in partnership with France

2011 Human Resource Development Plan for the Educational Sector 2011-2020

2012 Discontinuity of Project 322

Source: Compiled by author

Figure 1: Number of Vietnamese students studying abroad

at tertiary level

60000 50000 40000 30000

2000D

10000

u

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

E Number of students 7853 8164 9140 9835 12183 14871 17015 20781 23310 28005 36519 43871 47979 47938

Note: Compiled b y author based on data from UNESCO Institute fo r Statistics Online database

http://stats uis unesco org/unesco/Table Viewer/table View.asDX?Reportld=3968

There are now figures showing that the number of Vietnamese students studying overseas has been as high as 60,000 o f which the largest proportion is privately-funded students67 According to the 2011 “Open doors” report issued by the ÍIE, Vietnam ranks 8lh among the 20 leading countries of origin in the USA with 14,888 students now studying at various us higher educational institutions As o f March 2012, Australia has been hosting 15,727 Vietnam ese students With this number, Vietnam is the fifth among the top 5 sending countries to Australia Meanwhile, statistics from UNESCO show that France, Japan and Russia are among the five most favorite countries for overseas study of Vietnam ese students Some Asian countries such as Japan, China, South Korea and Thailand have also become popular destinations for students from Vietnam during the recent years For example, in 2011, Vietnam ranked fourth among the major sending countries of international students to Japan with 4,033 enrolments, lower than only China, South Korea and Taiwan Vietnamese students were among the top four largest bodies of foreign students in South Korea in 2010 with a number o f 1,818

The rapid growth in the num ber of Vietnamese students seeking overseas study and the variety in destinations can be due to the following reasons:

Firstly, unlike the period prior to 1990 when Vietnam only had educational cooperation with socialist countries, in the past 18 years, MOET has expanded its relations with a wide range o f nations, international organizations and institutions all over the world Many o f these countries and organizations provide scholarships to Vietnam ese students to study in their countries or overseas Among the countries which offer the greatest number of scholarships annually for Vietnamese students are Australia, Russia, Japan, China and India, followed by other countries, such as the Netherlands, France, Germany, USA, the UK, Korea, Singapore and Thailand, to name but a few68

67 Vietbao (2008) Retrieved from http://vietbao.vn/Giao-duc/60000-du-hoc-sinh-nguon-nhan-luc-tuone-

la i/6 5 1 4 9 8 3 7 /2 0 2 /

68 MOET (2004) Vietnam Education a n d Training D irectory (3rd ed.) Hanoi: Education Publishing House.

Figure 2: Number of Vietnamese students in some major destinations

for overseas study

5

XI

E

3

z

18000 16000 14000

12000

10000

8000 6000 4000

2000 0

0 Number of students

France

Japan

(2011)

4033

Russian

F e d

(2009) 3518

Korea

(2010)

1817

Thailand (2009) 1141

Note: Complied by author based on data from various sources69

Secondly, cognizant of the country’s urgent need fo r qualified human resources, in 1992 the Board of Ministers issued the “ Instruction No 270/CT on sending Vietnamese citizens abroad to study in the new circumstance" This important docum ent which emphasizes the necessity to diversify the countries of destination, types of training and financial resources to send students abroad, is a cornerstone for other later policies relating to student mobility Accordingly, privately funded students who w ant to study abroad would be considered and allowed by MOET Under this green-light, together with the increase in family incomes, more and more Vietnam ese students have pursued studies abroad outside the official financial help ever since

Thirdly, in 2000, the MOET’s project “Training Scientific and Technical Cadres in Institutions Overseas with the State Budget” known as “Project 322" started to train and cultivate leading science and technology staff in key sectors This is the first time that the Vietnamese governm ent uses its own budget

to send its staff overseas for training In order to provide Vietnamese universities and colleges with qualified-leeturersrin-late^OOSrMOET-pFomulgated-a-plan-tQ-tPain-BOyOOO-RhDs-by^^-Ohalf-of-whom-will- pursue their study abroad This target is once again reaffirmed in the Human Resource Development Plan

fo r the Educational Sector 2011-2020 Project 322 is one of the policies to achieve this goal Up to October 2008, 3,106 students and cadres had been sent abroad to study with state funds, of which 2,366 were postgraduate students and 740 are undergraduate ones 70 According to Decision No.356/QD-TTg issued by the Prime M inister in 2005, the second phase of Project 322 has been extended until 2014 with VND 260 billion spent each year to dispatch students abroad However, recently in May 2012, this project

Data for Australia retrieved from https://www.aei.gov.au/research/lnternational-Student- Data/Pages/defauIt.aspx: Data fo r USA retrieved from http://www.iie.org/Research-and-Publlcations/Qpen- Doors/Data/lnternational-Students/Leading-Places-of-Oriein/2009-11: Data for China, France, Japan retrieved from http://www.iie.org/Research-and-Publications/Proiect-Atlas.aspx; Data for Russian Federation (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2011); Data for South Korea (Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, 2010); Data for Thailand (Office of the Higher Education Commission, 2009)

70 MOET (2008) R eport on P roject 322- Period 2001-2008 Hanoi: MOET.

has been discontinued due to different reasons and applicants for Vietnamese government scholarships

are encouraged to seek for alternative sources of financial support for their abroad study71.

The Government and many Vietnam ese institutions are now introducing policies to attract graduates from foreign countries back to Vietnam to contribute to the country, especially those who are privately-funded

or sponsored by foreign governments and organizations Hitherto, there have not been official records on the number of students returning home after finishing their study abroad However, there are estimations that there is a large proportion of students remain in the host countries after graduation

3 1 2 F o re ig n s tu d e n ts in V ie tn a m

In the past ten years, Vietnam has welcomed an increasing number of foreign students to its higher education sector Between 1998 and 2001, there were 568 students from 12 countries under different agreement schemes and more than 2,000 students from 18 other countries studying in Vietnam through various other streams72 According to UNESCO online statistic data, the number of inbound mobile students in Vietnam in 2008 was 3,362, of which 3,333 came from Asian countries, making up more than

99 percent of the total international student bodies, see Figure 3

Figure 3: International students at tertiary level in Vietnam

by countries of origin

Í/1 4000

3500

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0

c

01

Tl

3

o

fiijd H ir

3

Note: Compiled by author based on data from UNESCO Institute for Statistics Online database

http://stats.uis.unesco.orq/unesco/TableViewer/tableView.aspx

In 1999, MOET issued the “ Regulation on Management of Foreigners studying in Vietnam" in which it required international students to have an appropriate level of Vietnamese language in order to pursue study in Vietnam Partly due to this requirement, the study-field options for foreign students are mostly constrained to Vietnamese language and Vietnamese studies73 Recently the 14th version draft

“2009-71 Vietnam International Education Development (2012) Retrieved from

http://vied.vn/vn/content/thonebao/thongbaochung/thone-bao-bo-sune-danh-cho-ung-vien-da-trung-tuven-hoc- bong-nsnn-chua-di-hoc-o-nuoc-ngoai 26663.aspx

72 MOET (2004) Vietnam Education a n d Training D irectory (3rd ed.) Hanoi: Education Publishing House.

73 MOET (2004) Vietnam Education a n d Training D irectory (3rd ed.) Hanoi: Education Publishing House.