Why Vietnamese Students Are Choosing Singapore for University

Scholarships and Ambition Bring Students South

Nguyen Hong Gia Nghi, 20, has secured two full scholarships from the National University of Singapore (NUS), covering an undergraduate degree in Materials Science and Engineering and a subsequent master's degree at its College of Design and Engineering. Her route began in 2021, when an ASEAN secondary scholarship brought her to Singapore Chinese Girls' School. She later earned distinctions in advanced physics courses and recognition at the Singapore Physics Olympiad.

Nguyen Minh Phuong began even earlier. At 13, she left her family home in Hanoi to attend secondary school in Singapore. Now a first year business management student at Singapore Management University (SMU), she describes an environment starkly different from her experiences in Vietnam. Her journey reflects the appeal of Singapore to thousands of Vietnamese students who travel there each year.

Vietnam is Southeast Asia's largest source country for students studying overseas, with more than 350,000 citizens abroad. Singapore attracts a growing share of attention through universities with strong international rankings, teaching in English, scholarships and a location close to home. Exact enrollment figures for Vietnamese students in Singapore remain held by individual institutions, so a national total is not available.

The recruitment activity is visible. NUS and SMU have developed pathways to identify and support promising applicants in cities including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Representative offices, dedicated recruitment events and scholarships aimed at Vietnamese applicants show how seriously institutions are pursuing this demand.

Families are weighing these opportunities against rising costs in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, stricter immigration policies and concerns about distance that persisted after pandemic disruptions. Singapore offers Vietnam's growing middle class a regional option combining academic reputation, employment prospects and geographic familiarity. Its high living costs, however, make financial support central to many decisions.

How Exceptional Students Win Opportunities

Hoang Dang Khanh achieved a perfect SAT score of 1600 at just 15, earning a scholarship to attend Saint Joseph's Institution International in Singapore starting in January 2026. Khanh had previously lived in Singapore during primary school, giving him an earlier connection to the country.

Khanh devoted more than ten hours a day to preparing for the standardized examination and completed more than 700 practice problems. He concentrated on the logical structure of questions rather than choosing answers by instinct. His preparation combined foundational grammar, mathematical formulas and careful time management.

Khanh's approach was practical: secure points on easier questions before spending time on harder ones. His achievement illustrates the intense preparation behind some of the students winning places and financial support in Singapore.

Nghi's two scholarships show how support can extend beyond a single degree. She said the awards relieved her family of a substantial financial burden, allowing her to concentrate on academic excellence rather than money. Her progression from a secondary scholarship to funded university study also shows how opportunities at school can lead to further education.

Singapore's recruitment reaches beyond outstanding school pupils and undergraduates. NUS is actively seeking doctoral candidates from Vietnam, including students in advanced mathematics. A doctorate, or PhD, involves sustained research into a particular subject, making these students contributors to a university's research as well as learners.

Why NUS Wants More Vietnamese Researchers

Associate Professor Han Fei, vice dean of the mathematics faculty at NUS, recently encouraged Vietnamese students to apply for advanced mathematics programs. The faculty has only three to five Vietnamese PhD candidates among 120 total positions, a small presence within its research community.

Han described Vietnamese applicants as highly educated, smart and hardworking, with an attitude the university values. He expressed hope that recruiting more would strengthen research at NUS and Vietnam's capacity for development.

We really like Vietnamese students. Highly educated, smart, work hard, and good attitude.

NUS doctoral support includes full tuition waivers, monthly stipends of approximately S$4,000, equivalent to US$3,116, and additional funding for international conferences. Doctoral funding packages described for research candidates range from S$4,000 to S$4,300 a month. A stipend is a regular payment that helps a student meet living expenses while studying.

Master's students from partner institutions, including Vietnam National University and Hanoi University of Science and Technology, can apply for the NUS ASEAN Master's Scholarship. These arrangements create routes into advanced study for students who have already begun their university education in Vietnam.

Scholarships serve two connected purposes. They give talented applicants access to education that their families might otherwise struggle to afford, while helping universities recruit people capable of contributing to demanding research programs. Nghi's experience demonstrates the family benefit; Han's recruitment appeal explains the university's interest.

Limited University Places Add Pressure at Home

Vietnam's universities offered 550,000 places in the 2021 to 2022 academic year, against 795,000 applicants. The gap was 245,000 places, leaving nearly 250,000 qualified students without domestic options. Available places covered about 69 percent of applicants, calculated from those two figures.

Vietnam has approximately one university for every 260,000 citizens, putting pressure on resources and the attention institutions can give individual students. Its achievements in basic education are substantial, with literacy reaching 94 percent among people older than 15, but only 6 percent of Vietnamese workers hold university degrees.

The World Bank has identified a mismatch between the skills employers need and those workers possess. Rapid technological progress demands capabilities that traditional curricula struggle to develop. In a 2019 survey, one fifth of Vietnamese firms identified an inadequately educated workforce as their main obstacle.

Former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung had set ambitious goals for reform by 2020, including establishing institutions meeting international standards. Implementation has continued to face challenges. For students seeking stronger academic resources and preparation for skilled work, these pressures help explain the attraction of foreign universities.

Vietnam's expanding middle class has grown alongside annual economic growth of 5 to 6 percent. Families increasingly treat education as an investment in social mobility, meaning the ability to improve their economic position. Many are prepared to spend heavily on schooling from an early age to create opportunities for university and professional careers.

The main dates behind these education pathways span several years:

• 2009: British University Vietnam was established, creating an option for international degrees within Vietnam.
• 2019: One fifth of Vietnamese firms surveyed cited an inadequately educated workforce as their main obstacle.
• 2020: The target year for Nguyen Tan Dung's ambitious higher education reform goals.
• 2021: Nghi arrived in Singapore on an ASEAN secondary scholarship.
• 2021 to 2022: Vietnam recorded 795,000 university applicants against 550,000 places.
• January 2026: Khanh's scholarship at Saint Joseph's Institution International was due to begin.
• April 2026: Four Singapore universities held a postgraduate recruitment networking session in Hanoi.

English, Classroom Discussion and Access to Employers

NUS ranks eighth globally in the 2026 QS World University Rankings. That standing helps Singapore compete with established destinations farther away, while English as the primary teaching language makes it attractive to students who might face additional language requirements in Japan or South Korea.

Singapore also offers a culturally familiar setting within Southeast Asia. Its location allows Vietnamese students to maintain closer family connections, with fewer difficulties from long journeys and time zone differences than they would face in Western countries. A reputation for safety and political stability reassures parents committing substantial savings to education.

SMU's classroom approach is another attraction. Its classes use seminars and discussion rather than relying mainly on the traditional lecture format common in Vietnam. Students are expected to challenge ideas and defend proposed solutions when presented with demanding situations drawn from professional life.

These methods develop critical thinking and communication alongside subject knowledge. A student must explain why a proposed answer works, respond to objections and consider alternatives, skills that carry into workplaces where decisions involve more than recalling information.

Singapore's central business district brings students close to multinational corporations and financial institutions. The concentration of regional headquarters creates access to potential employers, internships and professional networks, especially for those interested in finance, technology or consulting.

The World Bank identifies complex problem solving, decision making and creativity as capabilities needed in highly skilled professions that support development at higher income levels. Singapore offers many such roles, while Vietnam's workforce remains concentrated in occupations requiring low or medium levels of skill.

Nearly 65 percent of Singapore's workers occupy highly skilled roles, compared with 9 percent of roles in Vietnam. In developed economies, these occupations account for more than half of employment. Vietnamese families seeking access to a limited pool of quality positions therefore see international degrees, professional methods and networks as valuable parts of the investment.

Four Universities Make a Joint Appeal in Hanoi

SMU maintains an official representative office in Vietnam to connect prospective students with the university. The office provides information about programs, advice on study pathways and guidance on what applicants should expect before leaving home.

In April 2026, SMU held a Research in Singapore networking session in Hanoi with three other autonomous universities from Singapore. Nearly 100 people interested in postgraduate education attended. Faculty highlighted research opportunities in urban development and digital transformation, subjects connected to Vietnam's economic development.

Singapore's Ambassador to Vietnam, Rajpal Singh, attended the event. He described the collaboration between four universities as a reflection of their interest in Vietnamese talent and the importance Singapore attaches to relations with Vietnam.

It is rare to see four world-class universities come together in such a concerted effort. It reflects both the strong potential recognised in Vietnamese students and the deep importance we place on our ties with Vietnam and its people. Singapore has long served as an educational hub for Vietnamese students seeking to advance their academic pursuits, and this tradition continues to flourish. Vietnamese students who pursue postgraduate studies and PhDs in Singapore return home as valuable contributors to Vietnam's development, bringing with them cutting-edge methodologies, innovative approaches, and international perspectives.

University connections also extend into curriculum alignment and research topics linked to Vietnam's development challenges. Students can study abroad while continuing to work on issues relevant to their home country. Faculty with experience advising industry and government guide applied projects that reach beyond academic theory.

Singapore's institutions are therefore promoting more than a place to earn a qualification. They are building relationships that connect recruitment, research and professional experience with Vietnam's demand for skills.

Economic Optimism Shapes Education Choices

Vietnamese students express the highest economic optimism in Southeast Asia in recent surveys, with more than 90 percent confident about their country's future. This confidence sits alongside a practical interest in personal advancement and measurable outcomes from education.

Research from the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute finds Vietnamese youth satisfied with political stability while holding strong ambitions for their own progress. Nearly nine in ten express satisfaction with their political system, a level matched only by their Singaporean peers.

These attitudes create a degree of cultural compatibility with Singapore's focus on results, stability and professional progress. Students choosing education abroad can remain optimistic about Vietnam while seeking opportunities that are harder to find at home.

Party General Secretary To Lam has encouraged Vietnamese students overseas to contribute to national development wherever they live, urging them to think globally while balancing national interests. His approach recognizes contributions from people working abroad as well as those returning with expertise, moving beyond earlier rhetoric that focused on return migration.

Vietnam's education technology boom provides another connection between international education and sectors offering valuable employment. Funds based in Singapore have made substantial investments in Vietnamese education technology in recent years. These links sit alongside the university relationships being built between the two countries.

The Financial Calculation Behind the Move

Singapore's tuition fees remain competitive with Western alternatives, but accommodation and daily expenses in one of Asia's most expensive cities weigh heavily on family budgets. Even students who win admission must work out how to pay for the full period of study.

Nghi's scholarships relieved precisely that pressure. Without substantial support, Singapore can be difficult to afford for qualified Vietnamese students, especially when compared with options in Germany or Japan, where tuition fees range from minimal to nonexistent.

Universities have expanded financial aid aimed at applicants from ASEAN countries. The NUS ASEAN Master's Scholarship and undergraduate merit awards provide routes to tuition coverage, while full doctoral funding packages can remove the financial barrier for research candidates.

Families without full scholarships face a more complicated decision. They must compare tuition and living expenses with employment prospects and possible starting salaries. Singapore's proximity to Vietnam can reduce travel costs compared with expensive flights to more distant destinations, but the total commitment still demands substantial sacrifice from many households.

Cost pressures elsewhere are also shaping the decision. Estimates indicate that Indian students pursuing master's degrees in the United Kingdom face expenses about 30 percent higher than three or four years ago. That comparison illustrates the wider increase in the cost of international education that is encouraging Asian students to consider regional destinations.

Stricter immigration policies in traditional destinations add another concern, alongside memories of disrupted travel during the pandemic. Singapore's appeal combines its academic standing with the practical reassurance of studying closer to family.

Other Asian Destinations Compete for the Same Students

Japan and South Korea now rank among the five leading destinations for Vietnamese students abroad. Both connect study opportunities with employment pathways as they seek workers to address labor shortages associated with aging populations.

Programs combining work and study, lower tuition costs and growing Vietnamese communities strengthen their appeal. The need to learn another language can make the transition more demanding than studying in English in Singapore.

Hong Kong has also stepped up recruitment. Its eight publicly funded universities have held events in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, promoting their rankings within the world's top 100 and opportunities for graduates to remain for 24 months while seeking employment.

Hong Kong's Economic and Trade Office in Singapore has helped organize education fairs in Vietnamese cities. The territory promotes an environment bringing together Eastern and Western influences, alongside the practical benefit of time to find work after graduation.

International education within Vietnam creates another alternative. Branch campuses of Australian and British universities operate in Vietnam and Indonesia, allowing students to pursue international qualifications at lower costs than studying overseas. British University Vietnam, established in 2009, awards degrees from the University of London and Staffordshire University without requiring students to leave the region.

Singapore retains an advantage for students targeting finance, technology and consulting through its concentration of multinational employers and its role as a financial hub. Alumni networks across technology and finance also offer connections that branch campuses and alternative destinations cannot replicate.

Vietnamese families consequently face a wider choice than simply staying home or traveling to a Western university. Scholarships, teaching language, proximity, professional networks and living costs all shape the decision. Singapore's institutions are responding with recruitment offices, joint events and funded pathways that connect school achievement to undergraduate study and research.

Key Points

• Vietnam has more than 350,000 citizens studying abroad, making it Southeast Asia's largest source country for overseas students.
• Singapore attracts Vietnamese applicants through education in English, strong university rankings, proximity to home and access to employers.
• Vietnam recorded 795,000 university applicants against 550,000 places in 2021 to 2022, a gap of 245,000.
• Nghi won funding for undergraduate and master's study at NUS; Khanh earned a perfect SAT score of 1600 at age 15.
• NUS doctoral support includes tuition waivers, stipends of around S$4,000 to S$4,300 a month and conference funding.
• Four Singapore universities held a postgraduate networking event in Hanoi in April 2026, attracting nearly 100 attendees.
• Singapore's living costs make scholarships crucial for many families, while Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and international campuses in Vietnam offer competing options.
• Nearly 65 percent of Singapore's workers occupy highly skilled roles, compared with 9 percent of roles in Vietnam.