The number of Vietnamese students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities rose 4.6 percent year on year to 15,572 in the 2011-12 school year, the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi said Thursday in a press release, citing statistics from a report by a U.S. nonprofit and a U.S. Department of State bureau.

Vietnam ranks 8th among countries sending students to US

The Embassy quoted data from the Open Doors 2012 report, published by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in partnership with the U.S. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, as indicating that this is the 12th consecutive year of quantitative growth for Vietnam.

The Southeast Asian country remains 8th among all countries sending students to the North American nation, according to the report.

Vietnam continues to be one of the strongest growth markets in Asia for U.S. higher education, Christopher Hodges, the Embassy Public Affairs Officer, was quoted as saying in the release.

The latest Open Doors figures also show that international enrollments at U.S. higher education institutions climbed 6 percent to a record high of 764,495 during the same period.

IIE is an educational and cultural exchange non-profit with a network of 13 offices worldwide, including Vietnam.

It provides information on international students and scholars studying or teaching at higher education institutions in the U.S. based on a survey of approximately 3,000 accredited U.S. institutions.