The U.S. Embassy in Vietnam Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Fulbright Exchange Program in Vietnam

Hanoi, January 4, 2012 – The U.S. Embassy in Vietnam launched the celebration of 20^th anniversary of the Fulbright Program in Vietnam at a reception dinner in Hanoi on January 4, 2012. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan was the guest of honor as one of the most distinguished alumni of the Fulbright program in Vietnam.  More than 100 Fulbright alumni from throughout Vietnam attended the reception hosted by U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam David B. Shear.  In his welcoming remarks, the Ambassador emphasized that the richness of alumni experiences has strengthened the bilateral relationship in a meaningful and profound way.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan, speaking on behalf of Vietnamese Fulbright alumni, thanked the U.S. government for providing the opportunities for himself and the nearly 500 other Fulbright alumni from Vietnam to travel to the U.S. and forge closer ties between our two nations.  He said that if Senator William Fulbright was still alive today, he would be thrilled with the results of his namesake program, which has helped to foster cooperation between the United States and Vietnam in a wide range of areas, including economic ties.  Deputy Prime Minister Nhan specifically cited Fulbrighters’ contributions to Vietnam’s accession to the World Trade Organization and finalizing a bilateral trade agreement five years ago this month.

Today, after 20 years, Fulbright Program Vietnam includes six major programs: a Vietnamese Student Program, a Vietnamese Scholar Program, a U.S. Scholar Program, a U.S. Student Program, a Specialist Program and an English Teaching Assistantship program.   The program started in 1992 with the Vietnamese Student Program, which sends the country’s brightest students to the United States for graduate programs in political science, business, communications, education and other fields.  Nearly 1,000 people from the U.S. and Vietnam have participated in the Fulbright Program in Vietnam to date.

For this year’s 20^th anniversary celebrations, Fulbright Vietnam is planning a series of activities to highlight the successes and contributions of this exchange program in Vietnam. For more information about upcoming activities or the Fulbright program, please consult our website: http://vietnam.usembassy.gov/fulbright.html