More Australian students will head to Vietnam in 2018 to study and undertake work placements under the New Colombo Plan mobility programme, announced the Australian Embassy in Vietnam.

As many as 784 students will take part in 30 projects in Vietnam ranging from human welfare studies and services to urban design and regional planning.

According to Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Craig Chittick, students from 18 Australian universities will come to learn more about the people and the culture of Vietnam.

They will return to Australia with new friendships and connections that will last a lifetime, as well as new perspectives on Vietnam that will contribute to the relationship between the two countries for decades to come, he said.

In 2014, the New Colombo Plan was launched with the participation of 161 Australian students. 

The number is five times higher three years later, adding up to 1,539 students who will have experienced Vietnam by the end of 2018.

The New Colombo Plan is a signature initiative of the Australian Government which aims to lift knowledge of the Indo-Pacific in Australia by supporting Australian undergraduates to study and undertake internships in the region. 

It is intended to be transformational, deepening Australia's relationships in the region, both at the individual level and through expanding university, business and other links.

In 2018, more than 13,000 Australian students will take part in New Colombo Plan mobility projects in 35 locations across the Indo-Pacific. 

The New Colombo Plan is helping the next generation of Australian leaders learn more about the region by supporting students to study and undertake work placements in the Indo-Pacific.

VNA