(VNF) – 12 Vietnamese students received the ASEAN Scholarship awarded by the Singaporean Government on October 18. The ceremony was held by the Singaporean Embassy in Hanoi.

12 representatives of Vietnam who receive the ASEAN scholarship 2017 (source: NDO)

12 students, of which 5 are from the North and 7 are from the South of Vietnam have been named the holders of the prestigious scholarship for students in the ASEAN community.

The ASEAN Scholarship is an annual scholarship programme offered by the Singaporean Ministry of Education since 1998.

The scholarship aims to create opportunities for ASEAN young generation to develop their potentials as well as acquire relevant skills for the future.

The scholarship, targeting students of age 14-16, gives the holders financial supports to pursue the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education ‘Advanced’ (GCE A-Level) (or equivalent) certificate in Singapore's leading institutions.

After graduation, the students will have an opportunity to apply for scholarships to study at any Singaporean university.

5 of 8 Vietnamese students who were awarded the ASEAN Scholarship in 2016 (source: NDO)

Speaking at the ceremony, Singaporean Ambassador to Vietnam Catherine Wong Siow Ping congratulated the students on achieving the scholarships, after successfully passing multi rounds of challenging examination and interview.

Ambassador Wong emphasized Singapore's firm belief that human resource development is key to a country’s social and economic development, which significantly contributes to the success of the nation.

She furthermore encouraged the students to make use of the opportunity to mingle with Singaporean and international students, striving to be part of the increasingly stronger bilateral relations between the people of Vietnam and Singapore.

At the ceremony, the Ambassador also congratulated 10 Vietnamese students on being awarded the A-STAR scholarship for young researchers./.

( Translated by Phi Yen )