SUBJECT: Development Cooperation
Australia announces significant increase in Development Scholarships for Vietnam
During the visit to Australia by the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, HE Nong Duc Manh, Australia’s Prime Minister, the Honourable Kevin Rudd MP, announced a significant increase in Australian Development Scholarships for Vietnam.At a dinner in honour of General Secretary Manh on 7 September, Mr Rudd said he had been pleased to inform the General Secretary that Australia would increase the number of scholarships offered by the Australian Government to Vietnam by a further 50 scholarships.
Combined with an additional 25 scholarships announced by Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Smith, last year, Australia will now provide 225 scholarships per year to Vietnam.
The number of development scholarships offered to Vietnam has increased by 50% over two years. This is in addition to other scholarships offered under the Australian Leadership Awards and Endeavour Awards.
“I regard this as a practical and positive measure to underline this cooperation between our two countries. And to underline the absolute importance of education”, said Mr Rudd in his speech at the dinner.
‘This announcement means that Vietnam is the second largest recipient of Australian aid program scholarships’, said the Australian Ambassador, Mr Allaster Cox.
‘Since 1992 more than 2,500 Vietnamese students have obtained Australian tertiary qualifications via these scholarships. I am pleased that we can now support even more Vietnamese to realise their dream of studying in Australia.’
Prime Minister Rudd and General Secretary Manh also witnessed the signing of the Australia-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership by Deputy Prime Ministers Julia Gillard and Pham Gia Khiem, which marks a major landmark in the development of relations. The two sides are now looking ahead to develop an action plan to take forward this partnership.