Asia's No. 2 University Prefers Admissions, Offers Many 100% Scholarships to Vietnamese People

Hong Kong University representative advises Vietnamese students

Hong Kong University (HKU) held a study abroad information fair in Ho Chi Minh City on the afternoon of September 28, attracting more than a hundred students and parents. This is also the first time that leaders of two faculties of this university have come to Vietnam to learn about the market and directly advise on enrollment. According to the 2024 and 2025 rankings of QS (UK), Hong Kong University is ranked 2nd in Asia and 17th in the world .

Open policy

Speaking to Thanh Nien on the sidelines of the event, Ms. Esther Kwok, Director of Admissions at HKU, said that since the Covid-19 pandemic, the university has been prioritizing the Vietnamese market. Therefore, this visit to Vietnam had representatives from 10 faculties and 8 schools at HKU, not only to recruit students but also to understand more about the Vietnamese market. "The university used to have only a few Vietnamese students, but this number has increased to dozens every year," Ms. Kwok said.

Ms. Kwok said the growth comes from two reasons. First, since the end of 2023, Hong Kong has decided to relax its visa policy for Vietnamese people, creating conditions for Vietnamese students to study in this special administrative region. Second, Vietnamese students are very hard-working, good at English, have good academic results and easily integrate into the multicultural environment at HKU, encouraging the school to prioritize enrollment, the female director shared.

"Regarding admission requirements, we currently consider academic transcripts combined with other factors such as leadership ability, extracurricular activities, international awards, and essays. Of these, English and math skills are important. We currently focus on training knowledge about artificial intelligence (AI), so you should not be afraid of math and data science . Being outgoing and proactive in seizing opportunities is also a plus," Ms. Kwok advised.

More than a hundred students and parents attended the Hong Kong University study abroad information fair.

On the other hand, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government announced last year that public universities, including HKU, would double the number of overseas and mainland Chinese students from 20 to 40%. This move is a good sign for Vietnamese people, but it also means that the school has to receive more applications than ever. "Therefore, candidates should really choose their major based on their passion, not a certain career, to increase their chances of competing," Ms. Kwok said.

Ms. Lucy Tsui, Senior Manager of the Talent Support Office under the Hong Kong Labour and Welfare Bureau, added that the special administrative region is increasingly interested in attracting and retaining talent, including from Vietnam. That is the reason why Hong Kong established the Talent Support Office late last year to advise and help international students who intend to stay and work in Hong Kong.

“If you are considering staying in Hong Kong after graduation, we currently have seven talent attraction programmes that you can apply for. Some programmes require you to have a job offer from a Hong Kong company, while others focus on whether you have a strong commitment to Hong Kong, such as spending many years working or starting a business here,” Ms Tsui said.

According to Ms Tsui, one of the newest programs is the Top Talent Pass Scheme, which will be implemented from 2022. To participate in the program, candidates need to have a bachelor's degree from one of the world's top 185 universities. In addition, you can also choose the IANG program, which allows candidates to apply for a 2-year work stay within 6 months of graduating in Hong Kong, which can be extended.

According to Ms. Lucy Tsui, Senior Manager of the Talent Support Office (Labour and Welfare Bureau of Hong Kong), this special administrative region has many programs to support foreign students to stay and find jobs.

Many candidates passed the scholarship

Ms. Vu Ha, Deputy Head of HKU Representative Office in Vietnam, commented that HKU is increasingly interested in the Vietnamese market, not just in terms of student recruitment. This comes from the fact that Vietnam is an emerging market with a lot of potential. In addition, our country has a young population and an increasingly important position as the geopolitical context changes after Covid-19.

"During the visit, the delegation from HKU also wants to find opportunities for research cooperation and talent recruitment. In addition, we are also looking for opportunities for professors from the school to directly come to Vietnam to teach classes through a partner university in Vietnam. In addition to undergraduate and postgraduate programs, we also want to organize high-level training programs for leaders and business managers directly in Vietnam," Ms. Ha informed.

Ms. Ha also emphasized that in addition to introducing Hong Kong education to Vietnamese people, the representative office also acts as a bridge to bring foreign students to Vietnam. Most recently in July, a group of MBA students from the HKU School of Business went on a field trip to Vietnam to experience the culture and exchange work experiences with companies and government agencies.

"Our goal is to connect Vietnam with the world," Ms. Ha told Thanh Nien .

Mr. Nguyen Tan Phat, Director of Undergraduate Admissions of the University of Hong Kong in Vietnam (middle), answers questions from parents and students.

Ms. Ha added that HKU is offering many scholarship programs specifically for Vietnamese people. For university level, HKU is operating a scholarship nomination program, meaning that a number of selected high schools can nominate scholarship recipients or students can nominate themselves, with the scholarship value being 100% of tuition fees. Requirements include a GPA of over 8, IELTS English proficiency of 6.5, essays, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, etc.

Last school year, the school received 70 applications and awarded scholarships to 23 candidates, with a competition ratio of 1 to 3. This year, HKU plans to award 20 scholarships to Vietnamese people.

In addition, HKU's representative office in Vietnam cooperates with an investment fund in Hong Kong to launch a master's scholarship exclusively for Vietnamese people, worth up to 100% of tuition fees with a full allowance of 120,000 HKD, applicable to candidates studying at HKU Business School. In addition, HKU also has many other scholarship programs for international students in general, so students from Vietnam can also apply.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dh-so-2-chau-a-uu-ai-tuyen-sinh-danh-nhieu-hoc-bong-100-cho-nguoi-viet-185240928201857777.htm