 |
On July 22, 2026, the project “Educating High-Quality Human Resources for ASEAN Newer Member States through Postgraduate Programs at Vietnam Japan University” received final approval with financial support of USD 939,994.48 from the Government of Japan through JAIF. Earlier, the project had been endorsed by the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Education (SOM-ED) on June 10 and approved by the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR) on June 30.
Established in March 2006, the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF) is an initiative of the Government of Japan aimed at supporting ASEAN Community building, contributing to the implementation of the ASEAN 2025 Vision, and promoting ASEAN-Japan cooperation in areas such as education, economic integration, disaster management, SME development, youth exchange, and human resource development.
New features of the JAIF Scholarship for 2026-2029
The new project at VJU builds on the success of the “Educating High-Quality Human Resources for Mekong Sub-region Countries” project implemented at VJU during 2019-2024. Starting this year, the project has been expanded to include applicants from Timor-Leste, ASEAN’s newest member state, and has added PhD candidates to the list of scholarship beneficiaries alongside Master’s students.
For students from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Timor-Leste, each admission intake will award 01 full scholarship to the most outstanding student in each program. The scholarship covers tuition fees, round-trip airfare to Viet Nam, and living expenses for the standard study period at VJU. A total of 28 students will receive support across the four admission intakes. The actual distribution of scholarships among programs will depend on enrolment results and the total number of scholarship recipients. Scholarship holders will receive full funding for two years of Master’s study and three years of PhD study at VJU.
In parallel, 96 tuition-fee-support scholarships will be available for Vietnamese students. The allocation of scholarships among postgraduate programs will be proportional to the number of enrolled students and awarded on a competitive, semester-based basis. Tuition support for the first semester of the first academic year will be determined based on entrance examination results. For subsequent semesters, scholarships will be awarded according to students’ academic performance, including GPA, research outputs, teaching assistance, learning attitude, and ability to graduate on time. In addition, internship scholarships in Japan will be awarded based on students’ overall academic performance during the first year of a two-year program. Notably, Vietnamese students enrolled in the MBA program are not eligible for JAIF scholarship, as this field is projected to have no shortage of human resources in Vietnam.
 |
The project will also support 28 internship scholarships in Japan with a standard duration of 1.5 months. The duration may vary depending on agreements with Japanese partner universities and the scope of support under the JICA Technical Cooperation Project implemented at VJU. The internship program will be implemented on a cost-sharing basis among the project, VJU, and participants, with a maximum project contribution of approximately USD 2,800 per scholarship. Internship funding will be allocated to each program based on the number of participating students.
The project contributes to the implementation of VJU’s development strategy through high-quality postgraduate education and strengthened academic cooperation among Viet Nam, Japan, and ASEAN. In addition to expanding educational opportunities for students and PhD candidates from ASEAN countries, particularly the CLMV countries and Timor-Leste, the project promotes the internationalisation of the academic environment, enhances research capacity, and supports the development of high-quality human resources to meet the region’s needs for sustainable development and innovation in the new era.
Developing high-quality human resources for the ASEAN region
The project aims to develop high-level human resources for the CLMV countries and Timor-Leste, particularly in interdisciplinary sciences and advanced technologies, areas in which VJU and Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) have established strengths. In addition to continuing support for Master’s education, the project extends scholarship support to PhD-level training for the first time, enabling students to strengthen their research capacity and professional expertise. Through scholarships, internships, and academic exchange programs in Japan, the project helps expand access to high-quality postgraduate education, strengthen academic cooperation, and address the region’s human resource development needs.
In the long term, the project seeks to build a network of young professionals with strong expertise, global perspectives, and the ability to address regional development challenges. Through postgraduate education, research, and international academic exchange, the initiative contributes to the development of a high-quality talent network in the CLMV countries and Timor-Leste, thereby helping narrow development gaps, expand access to quality education, and strengthen cooperation between ASEAN and Japan.
The project also supports the implementation of the priorities of the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF), the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI), and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) through human resource development, people-to-people connectivity, and expanded educational cooperation across the region. With programs jointly designed and implemented with Japanese partner universities, the VJU project is expected to promote research collaboration, academic exchange, and institutional connectivity, thereby supporting ASEAN-Japan cooperation in sustainable development, digital transformation, and innovation.
 |
During 2019-2025, the JAIF-funded project “Educating High-Quality Human Resources for Mekong Sub-region Countries” was implemented successfully at VJU, providing support for nearly 230 students from Viet Nam, Laos, and Myanmar enrolled in eight Master’s programs at VJU. Approximately 10% of the beneficiaries continued to PhD programs, including many who received Japanese Government Scholarships (MEXT). Around 15% of graduates are currently working in international organizations, NGOs, and multinational enterprises, while most of the remaining graduates hold important positions in the public and private sectors. In addition, 32% of graduates have pursued careers in academia or research, contributing to the development of high-quality human resources for the region.
