Japanese firms provide aid for over 1,060 pandemic-hit Vietnamese students

Japanese enterprises have donated more than JPY50 million (US$481,100) for a program to finance part of tuition fees for Vietnamese students facing difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, which has selected more than 1,060 beneficiaries.
At the event (Photo: VNA)
At the event (Photo: VNA)

The information was unveiled at an event held in Tokyo on December 4 to review the programme, which was coordinated by the Vietnamese Embassy, MUFG Bank and its partners, the Association of Vietnamese Intellectuals in Japan (AVIJ), and the Vietnamese Youths and Students' Association (VYSA) in Japan. It ran from September to mid-November this year.

Speaking at the event, AVIJ President Le Duc Anh said the organsing board of the programme selected over 1,060 eligible students from more than 3,400 submissions. Each received 50,000 JPY in aid, he added.

Anh said the fund is a source of encouragement for Vietnamese students to continue purchasing their dreams in Japan.

Tooru Mera, a representative from the MUFG, hoped the aid will help alleviate difficulties facing the students so that they can obtain good academic achievements and make contributions to the Vietnam – Japan friendship in the future.  

Lam Thanh Phuong, an envoy at the Vietnamese Embassy, said the pandemic has caused several obstacles for Vietnamese in Japan, including students, who sent lots of requests for help to the embassy. Amid the context, the embassy has worked to raise funds for the community, helping them gain financial assistance, food, and accommodations, she added.

Phuong noted the programme for Vietnamese students is the largest of its kind to date.

According to statistics from the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), as of May last year, there were 73,389 Vietnamese students in Japan, accounting for 23.5 percent the nation’s total number of foreign students.

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