The Australian Consulate General in HCMC last week hosted a reception in HCMC’s District 1 to launch the Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan (NCP) to support 160 Australian university students to undertake studies or internships in Vietnam as well as other Asia-Pacific countries in 2015.

Australian Consul General in HCMC John McAnulty (C) exchanges with the New Colombo Plan Mobility Scheme students at a reception in HCMC last week.

At the event, there were two groups of the NCP’s Mobility Scheme students, one from the University of Adelaide, learning about environmental issues facing this region with the Mekong River Commission, and one from James Cook University, learning about sustainable, eco- and agri-tourism in the Mekong Delta, in partnership with Can Tho University. The students had a chance to meet and collaborate with representatives from universities in HCMC.

In 2015 Australia is supporting around 160 students from 12 Australian universities to study and gain work experience in Vietnam, in fields as diverse as teaching, business, forest management, design, agriculture, urban planning and social sciences. This will create a stronger people-to-people link between Australian and Vietnamese youth, and create opportunities for further cooperation, economic development and partnerships into the future.

Addressing the reception Australian Consul General John McAnulty said, “Under the NCP, we want to see study in the region become a rite of passage for Australian undergraduate students. We want to foster an

Australian community that understands and engages with our region better - what better way to achieve this than by investing in our young people?

“Students studying in Vietnam as part of the NCP will receive a transformational experience that will enhance the value of their Australian degree. The NCP will expand their world-view, build connections, improve their croass-cultural skills and allow them to gain experience that will enhance their career progress. They will return to Australia with new networks, new perspective, new insights, and a regional literacy founded on friendship and goodwill.”

The Australian Government has committed US$100 million to the New Colombo Plan over five years. The program which was first started in the 1950s will support Australian students to generate long-term professional and personal relationships with people of the Indo-Pacific region through study and work placements as part of their undergraduate degree. It involves two main streams of grants - a prestigious scholarship program and a mobility grants scheme.

Further information can be found at www.dfat.gov.au/new-colombo-plan/