Vietnam received the highest or second highest number of recipients of the Australia Awards Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships for 2014, the Australian Embassy in Hanoi has said.

The Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships are internationally competitive scholarships which promote knowledge, education links and enduring ties between Australia and its neighbours.

Around 4000 applications are received each year from over 125 eligible countries. The applications are assessed on merit and there are no country quotas. Of the 56 countries receiving awards, Vietnam received 44 scholarships, the second highest number for any country with a total value exceeding 6.8 million AUD, equivalent to 129 billion VND.

For the third year in a row, Vietnam has received the highest number of the prestigious Prime Minister’s Australia Asia Scholarships across 10 eligible countries.

“This is a significant achievement for Vietnam, reflecting the quality of Vietnamese applications and the high level of interest in studying in Australia,” Australian Ambassador Hugh Borrowman said in a press release.

The 2014 round also saw an increased number of successful applications from regions outside Hanoi, particularly from Hue. Many of the scholarships are in the field of education, with a number also in engineering, IT, agriculture and economics.

Endeavour awardees will gain access to leaders in their field of study, business and government and will develop ongoing education, research and professional linkages that last well beyond their programme. They will also be able to share in experiences to deepen their understanding of Australia.-VNA