The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) says the training cost is the lowest in the world, but graduates dispute this claim.

Postgraduates on an education forum wrote that in theory, research students have to pay VND15 million a year, or VND50 million for three years of study, but in fact, they have to pay at least VND1 billion to obtain a doctorate. Besides official tuition, they have to pay for other items.

Meanwhile, the scientists who guide students said that they don’t receive much money from the work. Dr Nguyen Duy Quy said he is now guiding five postgraduates who are conducting research on rice genes, and he receives VND1.8 million a year. He reads thematic reports prepared by postgraduates and receives VND500,000.

He believes that the biggest expenses postgraduates have to bear are land and machinery rent and the cost for laborers.  

Bui Van Ga, Deputy Minister of Education and Training, in an interview with VietNamNet, said VND15 million a year is not high enough for high-quality training. 

“Postgraduates have to carry out experiments, exercise practices and make investment in their work,” he said. 

Nguyen Dinh Duc from Hanoi National University also commented that the expenditure of VND18 million per postgraduate at the university is ‘too low’, which partially explains why talented students prefer studying abroad and don’t want to come back to Vietnam after finishing courses.

Tran Van Nhung said he believes no other country in the world except Vietnam can train doctoral students at such a low cost.

Meanwhile, some analysts argue that the training cost in Vietnam is not low at all, and that it is unreasonable to compare the cost in Vietnam with that in developed countries.

In other countries, tuition is high because postgraduates can enjoy good facilities and services, including libraries, sports and entertainment.

It is also necessary to compare the training cost with the average income per capita in Vietnam and developed countries.

Most postgraduates in developed countries are scientific researchers and work in the private sector; very few work for state agencies. 

Most of them in Vietnam, however, are state officials and still receive salaries while they study for a doctorate.