2017 Fulbright Vietnamese Scholar Program

The U.S. Mission in Vietnam seeks qualified candidates for the 2017 Fulbright Vietnamese Scholar Program (VSP). The VSP provides grants to Vietnamese scholars to lecture and/or conduct research at American institutions or universities for three months up to nine months.

Established in 1946 and funded by the U.S. Congress, the Fulbright Program aims to achieve mutual understanding through academic and cultural exchange. The Fulbright VSP is a competitive, merit-based scholarship program. Successful applicants are provided with a stipend, living expenses, health and accident insurance for the full term of the grant, and transportation to and from the United States. The Fulbright Program in Vietnam in coordination with the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) helps place scholars at appropriate host institutions in the United States.

The VSP actively encourages women, minorities, and residents from all provinces to apply. It is open to all candidates who qualify through open competition on the basis of academic and professional merit without regard to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or affiliation.

•    Grant announcements 2017: English (PDF, 102KB); Vietnamese (PDF, 170KB);
•    Online application
•    Online Application Instruction (PDF-122KB)
•    Reference letter form (PDF-29KB)

• What is the deadline for application?
The annual deadline for applications to the Vietnamese Scholar Program is October 15. A complete application package for the 2017-2018 academic year must be received at the Fulbright Program in Vietnam Office via online system by 17:00 on October 15, 2016 (Vietnam time zone).

• What does the Vietnamese Scholar Program grant provide?
Participants in the Vietnamese Scholar Program are provided with a stipend and living expenses, health and accident insurance for the full term of the grant. Typical grants range from three months to nine months. Participants are also provided with transportation to and from the United States and participants are eligible to apply for further travel grants to cover additional research not covered by the main grant. CIES helps place scholars at appropriate host institutions in the United States.

• Who is eligible for the Vietnamese Scholar Program?
All participants in the Vietnamese Scholar Program must hold an M.A. or a Ph.D. degree. Participants must be Vietnamese citizens and must have adequate English skills to conduct their research and/or lectures in the United States. Special consideration is given to scholars in the academic disciplines of American Studies, Environmental Studies & Policy, Economics (including international economics and agricultural economics), Law, Public Administration, Higher Education Administration, Women’s Studies, Urban Planning & Development, Foreign Policy, and Public Health. The Vietnamese Scholar Program is open to all candidates who qualify through open competition on the basis of academic and professional merit, without regard to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or affiliation.

• How are participants chosen?
The Fulbright Program sends a grant announcement to universities, colleges, think-tanks and people’s committees throughout Vietnam every year. A peer review panel is then convened to select candidates who are distinguished by their academic prominence, possess potential for becoming key figures in their fields, and whose research topic or methodology is creative. After the panel makes its recommendation of candidates, the Fulbright Program interviews these candidates to assess their English abilities. The Program then sends its recommendations to CIES for further evaluation. Once the candidates’ records are assessed, CIES forwards its selection of candidates to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, which makes a final selection of participants.

For more information, please read

or contact Ms. Đỗ Thu Hương, the Program Assistant at phone (04) 3850-5000.