Sixty-two scholarships were awarded on Monday to children of Vietnamese expats living in Laos who wish to study in Vietnam, taking the total number of such grants this year to a record 92, according to newswire VietnamPlus.

The scholarships are jointly sponsored by the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos and the Union of Vietnamese People in Laos, as part of the Vietnam-Laos Bilateral Cooperative Agreement on Education and Training in 2015-2016 between the two governments and the Plan for Cooperation in Education and Human Resources Development in 2015-2016 between the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports.

The Vietnamese government had earlier granted 1,000 similar scholarships to Lao students, 30 of which were reserved for those of Vietnamese origin, with three master’s scholarships and 27 undergraduate grants.

During his visit to Laos last year, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung listened to the embassy’s report on the success of the scholarship program as well as the high demand for study from Vietnamese students in Laos.

The prime minister responded with an agreement to offer 62 additional scholarships to those who have applied to study in Vietnam this year, of which one scholarship is for a doctorate program, two for master’s, and the rest for undergraduate studies, taking the total number of such grants this year to a record 92.

Speaking at the awards ceremony in Vientiane, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Manh Hung highlighted the goodwill of the Vietnamese government and people in presenting these scholarships and expressed his hope that those who receive the grants would continue to excel in their field of study and use their knowledge to contribute to the development of their nation and strengthen the friendship between Vietnam and Laos.

Somphong Bouyalethon, on behalf of the awardees attending the ceremony, expressed her sincere gratitude and joy for the scholarship by the Vietnamese government and promised to try her best to study and train herself to fulfill her potential and help strengthen the friendship between the two nations.

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