Speaking at a study‑abroad orientation seminar organized by education organization Summit, Vu Hai Truong, the University of Hong Kong's admissions representative in Vietnam, said interest among Vietnamese students in Asian universities has risen sharply in recent years.
Are costs and distance driving the shift?
At the University of Hong Kong, ranked 11th globally in the QS World University Rankings, only one Vietnamese student applied around four years ago. In 2026, the number surged to 300 applications, with 192 students admitted, 45 choosing to enroll and 32 receiving scholarships.
Truong said the figures partly illustrate a shift in Vietnamese students' choice of overseas study destinations.
One factor behind the trend, he said, is cost. Compared with traditional study‑abroad markets such as the US, UK, Australia and Canada, tuition and living expenses in some Asian destinations are "more accessible."
At the University of Hong Kong, Truong said the combined cost is about $25,000 a year, which is considered reasonable given the university's position in global rankings.
The quality of education at Asian universities has also risen rapidly.
"In the past, when people talked about the highest levels of academic excellence, they usually thought of Western countries. Now, those centers of excellence are increasingly emerging in Asia," Truong said.
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