The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, about 70% of Vietnamese foreign university students in the U.S. choose to major in STEM and business administration. Approximately 30,000 Vietnamese students, including more than 20,700 university and postgraduate students, are studying in the United States, according to Ambassador Marc E. Knapper, who made the announcement during an education exhibition in Hanoi. Of the 20,700, the Education USA Advising Center at the embassy said that 15% are masters students, more than 67% are college students, and the others are staying under the Optional Practical Training program, which provides graduate students with temporary work. Vietnam is only second to China in the number of foreign students attending community colleges in the United States, according to the center.
Nearly 70% of students enrolled in universities in Vietnam choose business administration and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) as their majors. According to the center, many Vietnamese postgraduate students seek degrees in community health, public health, and supply chain management. Vietnamese undergraduate students are also interested in graphic design, the arts, and nursing. According to Knapper, science and technology collaboration between the US and Vietnam is growing, with the US government promising to assist Vietnam in creating a 50,000-person information technology workforce by the year 2028.
He said that there would be several grant and financial assistance offers for Vietnamese students and that many U.S. colleges are eager to enroll Vietnamese students, particularly in high-tech fields. 800 people attended the fair, which drew 60 American schools. The U.S. Embassy hosts the fair each year so that parents and students may speak with representatives from American universities directly to learn more about scholarship options and get advice on the majors that students are interested in pursuing. Vietnamese students make up the fifth-largest group of international students in the United States, with more than 20,700 students, according to a report published by the Institute of International Education in November.
