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‘Long-term investment’: More Vietnamese students enrol in Singapore’s higher learning institutes 

Factors such as the quality of education and employment opportunities are a huge draw, but cost of living can weigh on decisions 

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Koh Kim Xuan &

Jermaine Fok

Published Thu, Apr 23, 2026 · 01:30 PM
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    • About 140,000 Vietnamese students are said to be pursuing higher education overseas, making them one of the largest international student communities worldwide.
    • About 140,000 Vietnamese students are said to be pursuing higher education overseas, making them one of the largest international student communities worldwide. PHOTO: BT FILE

    [SINGAPORE] Nguyen Minh Phuong was 13 years old when she left Hanoi to come to Singapore for her secondary school education – setting in motion plans for her to pursue higher education in the Republic. 

    After graduating from a junior college in the city-state, she is now studying business management at the Singapore Management University (SMU) – one of the many Vietnamese-born students that have moved here to obtain degrees at institutes of higher learning (IHLs).

    Nguyen, a first-year student, said that Singapore is “starkly different” from what she was exposed to in her home country.

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