Prime Highlights
- Vietnam overtook China last year to become the top source of international students in Korea, according to official data.
- Vietnamese graduates report facing language and employment barriers that make it difficult to remain in Korea after their studies.
Key Facts
- The Global Korea Scholarship is a government-funded program supporting international students pursuing graduate studies in Korea.
- Visas for full degree programs surpassed short-term language-training visas among Vietnamese students in Korea for the first time last year.
Background
Vietnam’s top students are increasingly turning to Korean universities, with institutions such as Seoul National University (SNU), the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Pohang University of Science and Technology gaining ground alongside traditional favorites in the United States, Europe and Japan.
Nguyen Minh Hoa, a 25-year-old finance graduate and recipient of the Korean government’s Global Korea Scholarship, said her experience working at a Korean bank’s Vietnamese subsidiary shaped her decision to pursue graduate studies in green finance and ESG issues at SNU, rather than pursuing her earlier goal of studying in Europe.
Vietnam has become the largest source of international students in Korean higher education, according to the Korean Educational Development Institute, narrowly overtaking China for the first time last year. Industry representatives noted that the trend has shifted from short-term language training toward full degree programs, with visas for regular degree studies surpassing language-training visas for the first time last year.
Top-performing science and engineering students are also choosing Korea, citing the country’s technological investment and links to companies such as Samsung and LG. The solution offered by Korean universities has been to conduct admission sessions in Vietnam as well as scholarships in collaboration with study abroad firms.
However, some graduates have faced difficulty staying in Korea post-graduation owing to linguistic difficulties as well as employment restrictions, thus comparing Korea to Singapore, France, and Japan, where it is easier for graduates to stay back and work.
