Vietnam STEM education expansion

In July 2026 the Vietnamese government launched a large‑scale rollout of state‑funded scholarships to boost talent in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Decree No. 179/2026/ND‑CP, effective 15 July, provides monthly awards to top‑performing students in 15 designated STEM fields, covering about 30 % of higher‑education enrolments and aiming to raise STEM enrolment to 35 % by 2030. The program funds up to 30 000 recipients with an annual budget of roughly 1.3 trillion VND and links universities to research and strategic technology sectors.

A few weeks later, Decree 176 (issued 19 May, implemented 7 July) added a specialised stipend scheme for students and researchers in the emerging nuclear power sector. Undergraduate nuclear‑power students receive monthly allowances exceeding 5 million VND, while graduate and doctoral candidates obtain merit‑based scholarships of up to five times a base salary, together with tuition and dormitory waivers. Recipients must enroll at institutions designated by the Prime Minister and sign agreements with nuclear plant investors.

On 25 July 2026, the Ministry of Education and Training issued Decision No. 995, approving 90 new undergraduate and master’s programmes in STEM across 23 universities. The programmes target strategic technologies such as semiconductor chips, robotics, artificial intelligence and automation. The same decision introduced a new post‑graduate recruitment and training regime effective 2027, requiring doctoral candidates to study full‑time, devote all research time to their supervising institution and refrain from holding other full‑time jobs, with institutions responsible for continuous monitoring to raise PhD quality to international standards.