On Friday, December 19, 2025, a series of activities took place at Hanoi University of Civil Engineering: the Asia Foundation STEM Scholarship Award Ceremony, a seminar on "Women in STEM Careers," and a soft skills training program for female scholarship recipients.

Attending the program, on behalf of the Asia Foundation in Vietnam were: Dr. Nicola Nixon - Acting Head of the Asia Foundation's Representative Office in Vietnam; Ms. Dinh Kieu Nhung - Education Specialist; and Ms. Ha Thi Anh - Education Program Assistant. On behalf of the University of Construction, Hanoi were: Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hoang Giang - Vice Rector; Dr. Ngo Kim Tuan - Head of the Department of Political Affairs and Student Management; Mr. Nghiem Ha Tan - Deputy Head of the Department of International Cooperation and International Relations, staff from various departments/faculties, and students. Among the invited guests and experts was Ms. Pham Thi Hai Yen - Lecturer in Soft Skills, Faculty of Economics and Management, Thuy Loi University.

Program Overview

Established in 2011, this is the fifth cohort of the Asia Foundation STEM Scholarship Program, implemented in collaboration with Hanoi University of Civil Engineering. Students will receive support from their first year of university in 2025 until graduation in the summer of 2030.

Speaking at the program, Professor Nguyen Hoang Giang, Vice Rector of the University, expressed his sincere gratitude to the Asia Foundation for establishing this meaningful scholarship fund, effectively supporting female students from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue their dreams in engineering fields – fields often favored by male students. Vice Rector Nguyen Hoang Giang also urged the scholarship recipients to continue striving, fulfilling the requirements of this meaningful scholarship, and hoped that the students would understand the message of the scholarship program, work hard, and study diligently to live up to the trust of their families, the University, and the sponsors.

Professor Dr. Nguyen Hoang Giang - Vice Rector, delivered a speech at the program.

For the fifth cohort, the Foundation will support 11 students pursuing STEM-related majors at engineering schools in Hanoi from 2025 to 2030. These 11 students are female students who received scholarships from the Asia Foundation throughout their three years of high school and will continue to receive the Asia Foundation STEM scholarship upon entering university this year. Currently, students from cohorts I, II, and III have graduated and all have stable jobs with good salaries compared to the general average. In the future, the Asia Foundation will continue to seek funding for this scholarship program to attract and create more female human resources to work in STEM-related fields in Vietnam.

Within the framework of the Program, Expert Pham Thi Hai Yen - Lecturer in soft skills at the Faculty of Economics and Management, Thuy Loi University - shared knowledge and provided support in communication skills, listening skills, teamwork skills, leadership skills, and presentation skills, helping female scholarship students to receive training in soft skills that are very helpful in their studies, life, and future.

The scholarship recipients took a commemorative photo with their teachers and representatives from the Asia Foundation.

Here are some photos from the program:

Dr. Nicola Nixon - Acting Chief Representative of the Asia Foundation in Vietnam, delivered a speech at the program.

Congratulations to the female students who received the STEM scholarship in the 5th cohort.

Professor Nguyen Hoang Giang presents flowers to thank Dr. Nicola Nixon - Acting Head of the Asia Foundation's Representative Office in Vietnam.

Student representatives receiving scholarships in Batch V delivered a speech expressing their gratitude.

A female student who received a STEM scholarship in previous years shared her memories.

Introducing information about STEM scholarships - Asia Foundation

Panel discussion "Women and STEM Careers"

Training in communication skills, listening skills, teamwork skills, presentation skills, and leadership skills for female scholarship recipients.

Congratulations to the female students who received the scholarship!

Đăng Được - Phòng TT&TS