VNExpress-Oct 3
Rising tuition and tighter U.S. visa and work rules are prompting more Vietnamese students to consider universities in Singapore and Hong Kong instead. At a study-abroad seminar held by Summit Education in Hanoi on Oct. 3, Nghiem Tan Cuong, a 10th-grade math major at Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted, was looking into data analytics programs at universities in Singapore and Hong Kong. Cuong said the U.S. was once on his list, but his family changed course mainly because tuition there keeps rising, while his parents can afford about VND300-400 million ($11,500-15,400) a year. Tuition and fees for 2026-27 average $26,034 a year for out-of-state students at ranked public U.S. colleges and $46,973 at private ones, before living costs, according to U.S. News & World Report. He also sees Singapore and Hong Kong as modern places to study that are close to Vietnam, which saves on travel.
Counseling desks for Asian universities stayed crowded throughout the event as students waited to ask about entry requirements, tuition and scholarships. Tran Minh Trang, a 10th grader at Phan Huy Chu-Dong Da High School, has also set aside plans for the U.S. and Europe to aim for business and economics programs at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the National University of Singapore (NUS). She described Asia as a friendly environment with good education where she can still use English. The shift from the U.S. to Asia is growing clearer, said Le Dieu Linh, deputy director of Summit Education, where most families used to target only American schools.
In the past one to two years, 30-40% of its students have considered Asia and applied to schools in the region alongside the U.S., she said. HKU has seen a similar trend, with one Vietnamese applicant in 2022, three the next year and 30 in 2024, according to Vu Hai Truong, its admissions representative in Vietnam. This year the number rose tenfold to 300 applications, of which 192 were admitted, he said.
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