Consulate General of the United States Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Contact info: Tel: 84-8-3520-4610

Scholarship Programs

• The Fulbright Programs
  - U.S. Fulbright Scholar Program
  - Vietnamese Fulbright Scholar Program
  - U.S. Fulbright Student Program
  - Fulbright Vietnamese Student Program
  - English Teaching Assistantship Program (ETA)
  - Fulbright Specialist Program (FSP)

• Study of the United States Institutes (SUSI)
• Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGRAD)
• Undergraduate Intensive English Language Study Program (UIELSP)
• Southeast Asia Youth Leadership Program (SEAYLP)
• Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program
• E-Teacher Scholarship Program
• English Access Microscholarship Program
• English Language Fellow Program

Grant Programs

• Small Grants Program for civil society organizations
• Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation – AFCP
• The Voluntary Visitor Program (Volvis)

The Fulbright Programs

U.S. Fulbright Scholar Program

The Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) assists in the administration of the Fulbright Scholar Exchange Program for faculty and professionals. American academics are recruited and nominated for grants of three to 10 months to participate in the U.S. scholar component, directly administered in Vietnam by PAS-Hanoi, which places American lecturers and researchers in universities and colleges, think tanks, and government ministries throughout Vietnam. The U.S. scholar component started in 1998. Six to eight awards are granted by the Fulbright Program to American scholars on an annual basis.

Timeline

• December-January: Project proposal screening by Embassy Committee
• Mid – January: Submission of shortlisted candidates to Washington
• February – May: Selection results available from Washington
• May – July: Affiliation and Visa Process
• August-September: In-country Orientation for the newly arriving grantees

Vietnamese Fulbright Scholar Program

The Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) assists in the administration of the Fulbright Scholar Exchange Program for faculty and professionals. Started in 1998, the Program recruits and nominates Vietnamese scholars for placement by CIES as lecturers and researchers in U.S. universities for terms of three to 10 months. From six to eight scholars from Vietnam travel to the United States on an annual basis.

Timeline

• October: Deadline of application submission
• November – December: Peer Review Panel
• January: Interview the shortlisted candidates
• End of January: Submission of semi-finalist candidates to Washington
• February - March: Selection results available from Washington
• April – July: Affiliation and Visa Process
• August: Pre-departure Orientation for the departing grantee

U.S. Fulbright Student Program

Through a grant from ECA, which started in 1997, the Institute of International Education (IIE) recruits and nominates American postgraduate students with a working knowledge of Vietnamese to carry out research in Vietnam on six to 10 month grants. The Fulbright Program in Vietnam places them at institutions in Vietnam. Up to 10 students from the United States travel to Vietnam on an annual basis.

Timeline

• December - January: Project proposal screening by Embassy Committee
• Mid – January: Submission of shortlisted candidates to Washington
• February – May: Selection results available from Washington
• May – July: Affiliation and Visa Process
• August - September: In-country Orientation for the newly arriving grantees

Fulbright Vietnamese Student Program

The Fulbright Vietnamese Student Program is a competitive, merit-based scholarship program which recruits and nominates young Vietnamese professionals for Master’s degree programs at U.S. universities. Approximately 20 to 25 fully-funded scholarships are granted on an annual basis for students in social sciences and humanities. Successful applicants will receive support in university placement and a full scholarship which covers tuition and fees, monthly stipend, round-trip airfare to the U.S. and health insurance. Selection is based on study objectives, work experience, understanding of the chosen field of study, impact potential, leadership, academic excellence and English proficiency.

Timeline

• December: Grant announcement
• April: Application deadline
• June – July: Application review and semi-finalist selection
• September: Interviews & finalist selection
• October: Finalists take GRE/GMAT/TOEFL iBT
• November: U.S. universities placement
• April - May: Confirmation of final university placement
• May: Pre-departure orientation
• June – July: Medical check-up and visa application
• July – August: Departure

English Teaching Assistantship Program (ETA)

This program brings newly graduated U.S. college students to Vietnamese universities and colleges in different parts of the country to support the English teaching and learning at those institutions for nine months. Up to 15 ETAs are brought to Vietnam on annual basis.

Timeline

• January - February: ETA Selection
• February – March: Selection of ETA host institutions
• March – April: ETA placement
• May: Inform ETAs of their placement
• May – June: Visa process for ETAs by host institutions
• End of July: ETAs arrive in Vietnam
• August: ETA 4-week in-country orientation
• September: ETAs start grant at host institutions
• Mid September – Mid October: ETA site visits by the Fulbright representatives
• Mid December: ETA Mid-year Enrichment Seminar
• End of May: ETA Final-year Meeting
• End of May – Early June: ETAs depart Vietnam for the U.S.

Fulbright Specialist Program (FSP)

The Fulbright Specialist Program is a short-term program which brings U.S. faculty and professionals to work at Vietnamese institutions from two to six weeks upon request from the host institution. Institutions that would like to invite a Fulbright specialist are required to submit the request form and a tentative working schedule to the Fulbright office at least 3 months prior to the proposed start date of the project. Applications can be sent to the Fulbright Program at anytime. Up to 10 projects are approved on annual basis.

More information about the Fulbright program in Vietnam can be found at: http://vietnam.usembassy.gov/fulbright.html

Study of the United States Institutes (SUSI)

The SUSI Program is divided in two sub-categories: SUSI for Scholars and Secondary Educators, and SUSI for Student Leaders.

SUSI for Scholars and Secondary Educators:

These are six-week intensive post-graduate level academic programs with integrated study tours whose purpose is to provide foreign university faculty and other scholars an opportunity to deepen their understanding of American society, culture and institutions. The ultimate goal is to strengthen teaching about the U.S. in academic institutions abroad. The ideal participants are young scholars who research, teach, compile textbooks and design curricula on American Studies at the undergraduate or graduate levels at Vietnamese universities.

SUSI for Student Leaders:

These are five-week intensive academic programs whose purpose is to provide Vietnamese undergraduate student leaders with a deeper understanding of the U.S., while simultaneously enhancing their leadership skills.  Participants are selected based on 1) academic record, 2) leadership skills and potential, 3) community involvement and extra-curricular activities, and 4) English proficiency.

Timeline

• December: Call for applications
• January: Deadline for submission of applications to the Embassy
• Jan-Feb: Screening of applications; interviews of shortlisted candidates
• February: Submission of finalists to Washington
• March: Selection results available from Washington
• June: Departure of selected candidates

Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGRAD)

This program provides scholarships for one semester or one academic year of study at a U.S. university.  The goal is to provide a diverse group of emerging student leaders, from non-elite and under-represented groups, with a substantive exchange experience at a U.S. college or university, with in-depth exposure to U.S. society, culture and academic institutions. Students are selected based on 1) academic record, 2) leadership skills and potential, 3) community involvement and extra-curricular activities, and 4) English proficiency (minimum TOEFL score of 525 (paper-based) or 70 (iBT).

Timeline

• September: Call for applications
• November: Deadline for submission of applications to the Embassy
• Nov-Dec: Screening of applications; interviews of shortlisted candidates
• December: Nomination of finalists to Washington
• March: Selection results available from Washington
• June: Placement information available
• July: Departure of selected candidates (whole academic year program)
• January: Departure of selected candidates (semester program)

Undergraduate Intensive English Language Study Program (UIELSP)

This program enrolls undergraduate students in the East Asia and Pacific region who demonstrate the potential to become student leaders in an eight-week intensive English Language course at colleges and universities in the United States with a focus on English language acquisition, leadership skill building, and civic education and engagement. It also provides participants with an introduction to American institutions, society and culture.

Timeline

• Oct-Nov: Call for applications
• December: Deadline for submission of applications to the Embassy
• Dec-Jan: Screening of applications; interviews of shortlisted candidates
• February: Nomination of finalists to Washington
• March: Selection and placement results available from Washington
• June: Departure of selected candidates

Southeast Asia Youth Leadership Program (SEAYLP)

This intensive four-week exchange program in the United States aims at promoting high-quality leadership, civic responsibility, volunteerism, and respect for diversity.  Each year, five Vietnamese high-school students and one teacher (who acts as chaperone) are selected for this program and are joined by similar groups from other Southeast Asian countries.  It is designed to enable teenagers, ages 15-17, and teachers to travel to the United States for a program focused on building a sense of community, developing civil society and economic institutions, and recognizing the commonalities among Southeast Asians and Americans.  

Timeline

• July-August: Call for applications
• September: Submission of applications to the Embassy; screening and interviews
• October: Nomination of finalists to Washington
• November: Selection results available from Washington; departure of selected candidates

Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program

This is a one year, non-degree, full scholarship program offered to promising mid-career professionals who have proven track records of leadership and a strong commitment to public service. Participants in the program spend one academic year at a leading U.S. university doing their self-designed program of academic course work, participating in professional affiliations off-campus, field trips, special workshops and seminars in their field of study.

Timeline

• April: Call for applications
• May: Information sessions held in Hanoi and HCMC
• Early August: Deadline for submission of applications to the Embassy
• Aug-Sep: Screening of applications; Institutional TOEFL for shortlisted candidates; interviews
• October 1: Nomination of finalists to Washington
• October: Finalists take official iBT
• Feb-Mar: Selection results available from Washington
• March/April: Departure for the U.S. (fellows needing Long Term English)
• May: Placement results available
• June-August: Departure for the U.S. (fellows not needing Long Term English)

E-Teacher Scholarship Program

The E-Teacher Scholarship Program is a professional development distance-learning program for English teachers. It is designed to improve the quality of English language teaching throughout the world. Participants are English teaching professionals who will be introduced to the most recent English language teaching methods and techniques and offered the opportunity to engage in an innovative distance-learning program that employs the latest in modern technology, and provides direct access to U.S. experts with whom participants might not normally have the opportunity to interact.  

Below are seven typical innovative, on-line, graduate level courses provided under this program.  No more than one candidate from Vietnam will be selected for each of the seven courses).

• Critical Thinking in the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Curriculum
• Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) 
• Building Teaching Skills through the Interactive Web 
• English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Best Practices
• English as a Foreign Language Assessment 
• Methods Course I: Survey of Best Practices in TESOL (Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages) 
• Methods Course II: Developing EFL Literacy through Project-Based Learning

Timeline

• June: Call for applications; submission of applications to the Embassy
• August: Selection results available
• September: E-Teacher courses begin and are offered throughout the year

English Access Microscholarship Program

The English Access Microscholarship Program is a global scholarship program which provides a foundation of English language skills to non-elite, 14-18 year old students through after school classes plus other, more intensive sessions and activities. The program also gives participants the opportunity to gain an appreciation for U.S. culture and values, and is intended to increase their ability to participate successfully in the socio-economic development of their countries, and improve their chances of participating in U.S.-based educational and exchange programs.  Access students are given a total of 360 class hours over a two-year period.

Timeline

• August: Calls for proposals from English language educational service providers
• October: Selection of service providers by the Embassy
• November: Call for applications from Vietnamese students; selection of candidates
• December/January: Access classes begin

English Language Fellow Program

The English Language Fellow Program shares American expertise in teaching English as a foreign language by sending American professionals (Fellows) on ten-month fellowships to help enhance English teaching capacity at Vietnamese academic institutions.  The Fellows provide foreign teachers and students with the communications skills they will need to participate in the global economy; improve foreign teachers' and students' access to diverse perspectives on a broad variety of issues.  Fellows are usually selected in April, arrive at the host institutions in September and leave the following June. Vietnamese academic institutions interested in hosting an English Language Fellow are invited to submit a proposal to the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi or the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City.   

Timeline

• Oct-Nov: Submission of proposals from Vietnamese educational institutions
• Nov-Dec: Screening of proposals; nomination of shortlisted proposals to Washington
• Mar-April: Proposal selection results from Washington
• July-August: Selection of fellows
• September: Arrival of fellows at host institutions

For any questions about these programs, please contact the Cultural Affairs Section of the Embassy at pas.culture@gmail.com

Small Grants Program for civil society organizations

The Small Grants Program is designed to assist countries around the world to strengthen democracy, human rights, civil society, and rule of law, and to combat extremism in their countries by making grants of up to $20,000 to local non-governmental and not-for-profit organizations. Proposals must support program activities that promote democratic practices, including civil society, freedom of information and independent media, transparency in government, NGO capacity building, rule of law and judicial reform, civic education, conflict resolution, human rights, ethnic, minority and women's rights.  

Timeline

• March: Call for proposals from Vietnamese organizations
• May: Submission of proposals by Vietnamese organizations
• May-June: Proposal screening by Embassy Committee
• June: Submission of shortlisted proposals to Washington
• August: Selection results available from Washington

Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation – AFCP

Since its creation by the U.S. Congress in 2001, the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation has provided financial support to more than 640 cultural preservation projects in more than 100 countries. The AFCP shows the depth of the U.S. respect for the cultural heritage of other countries. Ten preservation projects in Vietnam, averaging $20,000 each, have been funded by the AFCP, ranging from intangible heritage such as the Then Music of the Tay minority to tangibles such as pagoda statues, museum collections and historical/architectural monuments. In 2010, a major project ($74,500) was granted to Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to preserve the 18th century O Quan Chuong Gate – the only one of the 16 gates that remains of ancient Hanoi, as a gift from the U.S. Ambassador to the people of Hanoi as the city celebrated its 1000th birthday.  

Timeline for the 2011 AFCP program:

• October: Calls for proposals from Vietnamese organizations
• Nov: Proposal Screening
• December: Submission of proposal to Washington
• July: Selection results available from Washington

The Voluntary Visitor Program (Volvis)

The Voluntary Visitor Program brings up to 10 Vietnamese individuals per project to the U.S. to meet and confer with their American professional counterparts in order to obtain a broader view of American culture, society, and politics.  Meetings are arranged with local and national level government officials, non-governmental organizations, businesses and other organizations. Volvis participants are required to self-fund at least their roundtrip air tickets from their home country to the U.S. as well as the return.  A Volvis program lasts a maximum of 10 calendar days.  All expenses and logistics during the time in the U.S. are covered by the Department of State.  Vietnamese organizations and individuals wishing to participate in this program should submit a program request to the Embassy at least two months prior to the expected travel time.  If the Embassy approves of the project, it will then make a formal request to Washington.  If the Volvis project is approved by Washington, the Embassy will contact the requesting organizations or individuals to proceed with the project.  While there’s no timeline for the Volvis program, an early request is encouraged.

Timeline: Rolling application cycle throughout the year