The first 28 Vietnamese students joining the Intel Vietnam Scholars (IVS) programme have graduated with high honours from Portland State University in the US .

Chairman of the university Wim Wiewel described the graduates as real assets for Vietnam .

Most of them scored a grade point average of 3.8 out of 4, except for five who scored between 3.9 and 4.0, while the minimum requirement in the US is a 2.0 mark.

After graduation, these students are required to work for Intel for three years before opting to move to other workplaces.

US chipmaker Intel initiated the scholarship with the aim of providing overseas training for students from countries it is investing in, to develop a high-quality human resource.

The second group of 24 students of electronics, engineering and business, who are expected to graduate in 2012, are also showing their great talent in the US .

Intel plans to train 52 engineers at a total cost of about 4 million USD, to meet the demand for qualified personnel for its Vietnam operations, according to Rick Howarth, general director of Intel Products Vietnam.

Opening in late 2010 in Vietnam , the company hired 900 employees, including 74 foreigners, for its 1 billion USD chipset facility. It plans to increase staff numbers at the facility to 3,000.

US chipmaker Intel initiated the scholarship two years ago in partnership with Portland State University, to first fill an immediate need for qualified engineers at its semi-conductor assembly and testing plant in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 9 and then expand the hi-tech workforce in Vietnam./.