Vietnam’s polytechnic college awards scholarships to Cuban, Lao students

During the opening ceremony for the new academic year on October 18, the college presented full scholarships covering tuition and dormitory expenses to six Cuban and two Lao students for their entire course of study. 

Most of the Cuban students are enrolled in technical programs to meet their country’s human resource development needs.

Earlier, the college launched the campaign 'BKC – Vietnam–Cuba Solidarity,' which raised more than VND100 million (US$4,000) to support the Cuban people during challenging times.

Saigon Polytechnic College is one of Vietnam’s vocational institutions actively expanding international cooperation and welcoming foreign students to study in Ho Chi Minh City. 

The school currently hosts around 500 international students, primarily from Southeast Asia.

It welcomed its first Lao students in September and expects the first group of Cuban students to arrive by the end of October.

Rector Hoang Van Phuc said welcoming international students not only builds academic bridges but also fosters a multicultural environment where Vietnamese and international students can learn from one another and exchange experience.

At the ceremony, Ariadne Feo Labrada, Consul General of Cuba in Ho Chi Minh City, expressed her appreciation that the college is the first in the city to open a program for Cuban students. 

She said Cuba urgently needs high-quality human resources, particularly in engineering and technical fields, to meet the demands of modern development.

Labrada emphasized that educational cooperation between Cuba and Vietnam not only enhances professional capacity but also strengthens the historic friendship between the two nations. 

"Cuba and Vietnam share a special relationship, and we believe that Cuban students will become ambassadors of friendship, embodying the spirit of cooperation and solidarity between our peoples," she said.

Looking ahead, Rector Phuc said the college will continue to update programs in digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI) while reforming teaching methods to ensure that "learning goes hand in hand with practice, and theory is closely linked with application."

The college aims for more than 95 percent of its graduates to find employment in their trained fields and plans to strengthen its teaching staff, build international partnerships, and expand learning and internship opportunities for both Vietnamese and foreign students.