Hanoi, Vietnam – Yesterday President Obama formally announced that Fulbright University Vietnam will begin operation in the fall of 2016. In remarks at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, President Obama said “now that the government of Vietnam has granted the necessary license, we can say that Fulbright University Vietnam -- this country’s first nonprofit, independent university -- can move forward and open its doors and welcome its first class this fall.” 

The announcement from President Obama comes on the heels of the Vietnam government’s formal decision to award FUV its final outstanding license by the Ministry of Education earlier this month.  This final layer of regulatory approval will allow FUV to assume the operations and intellectual capital of the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program (FETP) a collaborative initiative of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Vietnam Program and the University of Economics, Ho Chi Minh City. FETP’s flagship teaching program is a two-year Masters of Public Policy program, which starting in the fall of 2016 will be formally offered as an FUV academic program.  

“The Ash Center is proud to have played an important role in helping the Fulbright Economics and Teaching Program grow into one of Vietnam’s leading centers for public policy scholarship,” added Anthony Saich, the Daewoo Professor of International Affairs and director of the Kennedy School's Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. “Its coming transition to Fulbright University Vietnam is a testament to the educational commitment of FETP and the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center to strengthening the higher education sector in Vietnam.”

About the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
The Roy and Lila Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation advances excellence and innovation in governance and public policy through research, education, and public discussion. Three major programs support our mission: the Program on Democratic Governance; the Innovations in Government Program; and the Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia. For more information, visit ash.harvard.edu

About the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program
A collaborative initiative of the Vietnam Program and the University of Economics, Ho Chi Minh City, the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program studies the economic development of Vietnam. Its flagship teaching program is a two-year Masters of Public Policy program, the first public policy degree to be offered in Vietnam, issued by the University of Economics, Ho Chi Minh City. The Fulbright School’s faculty works with colleagues at Harvard Kennedy School to pursue a diverse research agenda, the results of which inform the MPP program curriculum and enable the Fulbright School to engage in a policy dialogue with public and private sector stakeholders. For more information, visit fetp.edu.vn/en

About Fulbright University Vietnam
Fulbright University Vietnam (FUV) will be an independent, nonprofit Vietnamese higher education institution that will be located in Ho Chi Minh City. The FUV initiative enjoys the support of a broad network of stakeholders in Vietnam and the United States. FUV will inherit the human and intellectual capital of the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program and will develop new programs in collaboration with a consortium of international academic institutions, including Harvard University.  FUV will recruit students and faculty from around Asia and beyond, and will operate according to the highest standards of governance and academic excellence.

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