The New Zealand ASEAN Scholars awards are part of the New Zealand’s official development assistance to the ASEAN region. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, through the New Zealand Aid Programme, delivers this scholarship scheme.

New Zealand ASEAN Scholars awards empower future leaders with the knowledge, skills and qualifications to make key contributions to economic, social and political development within ASEAN nations. 178 New Zealand ASEAN Scholars awards are allocated for eligible students from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam, to undertake postgraduate study at a tertiary institution in New Zealand.

Type and Number of Scholarships

New Zealand ASEAN Scholars awards are for full-time postgraduate level study, i.e. Postgraduate Diplomas, Masters degrees or Doctorates (PhD) in New Zealand. See the Scholarships Country Portfolio sheet. (PDF 464KB)

An indicative allocation of 30 scholarships is available for Vietnamese nationals who wish to obtain a postgraduate degree in New Zealand commencing 2015.

Successful applicants are entitled to return air travel, full tuition fees, establishment allowance, a living allowance to cover day to day costs, medical and travel insurance and reunion airfare for unaccompanied awardees.

English Language Requirements

New Zealand tertiary education institutions set their own admission requirements for English
language proficiency. All applicants should check the IELTS1 or TOEFL2 scores required for admission to the New Zealand education institution that they have applied to.

Priority Sectors

• Agriculture Development  –  Animal Health, Plant Health, Phytosanitary, Agricultural and Horticultural Science, Food Safety and Food Quality, Post Harvest Technologies, Biotechnology, Biosecurity, Vegetables Production, Livestock, Aquaculture, Agribusiness Management, Agricultural Economics;

• Disaster Risk Management  – Emergency Management, hazard assessment and management, climate change adaption, natural resource management, environmental management, geology, land planning and development;

• Public Sector Management – Law, justice, legal and judicial reform, public administration, public policy and management;

• Private Sector Development – Trade Facilitation, International Trade, Trade Policy, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) Development, Private Sector Management, Development Economics, Applied Economics, Value Chain, Accountancy, Finance, Banking, Commerce, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Supply Chain Managementincluding Tourism (tourism management, tourism planning, sustainable tourism, eco-tourism) and Renewable Energy;

• English Language Training.

Eligibility

Candidates from public institutions, civil society, NGOs and the private sector throughout Vietnam are all eligible to apply.

To be eligible for a New Zealand ASEAN Scholar award, an applicant must:

• be a citizen of Viet Nam;

• not have citizenship or permanent residence status of New Zealand, Australia or another developed country;

• not be married or engaged to be married to a person who holds, or who is eligible to hold, citizenship or permanent residence status of New Zealand, Australia or another developed country;

• hold a recognised Bachelors degree for Masters candidates and Masters degree for PhD candidates;

• have an unconditional offer of place from a tertiary institution in New Zealand;

• be under 40 years of age at the time of application for Masters and under 45 years of age at the time of application for PhD;

• have a minimum of two years work experience (candidates under 25 years of age without work experience are eligible to apply if academic excellence and/or future leadership potential are demonstrated).

A developed country is defined as a country not included on the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee’s list of aid recipients.

Applicants who already hold a Masters degree are eligible to apply for a Masters degree under the New Zealand ASEAN Scholar award as long as they could clearly demonstrate the developmental relevance and applicability of their proposed study programme to the development of Vietnam.

Selection Criteria

• Strong academic merit;

• Demonstrated professional and personal leadership attributes;

• Demonstrated developmental benefits to Vietnam;

• Consideration of balance between public, private and civil society organizations/NGOs;

• Consideration of geographical spread and fit with the objectives of the Vietnam-New Zealand
  bilateral development cooperation programme.

Application and Selection Process

The New Zealand ASEAN Schol

ars awards applicants must identify the desired course and
seek an offer of place from the institution in New Zealand by 30 April 2014.

The New Zealand ASEAN Scholars awards applicants submit two applications completed in English (one original and one copy), including a copy of the letter of offer from a tertiary institution in New Zealand, directly to the New Zealand Embassy in Hanoi. PhD students must also include evidence of correspondence with a potential supervisor. Applicants are encouraged to download the application form at www.nzembassy.com/viet-nam. Application forms are also available from the New Zealand Embassy in Ha Noi.

Applications are assessed and a short list is drawn up for consideration by a Selection Committee in Vietnam. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview; The list of recommended candidates is submitted to a Moderation Committee for review and approval.

Timeframes

• 01 July 2014 – Deadline for application to the New Zealand Embassy in Hanoi

• Jul-Aug 2014 – Formal screening, short listing and selection by a Selection Committee in Hanoi

• Sept 2014 – Review and approval by Moderation Committee

• Oct-Nov 2014 – Final results and Letters of Scholarship Offer

• Nov – Dec 2014 – Visa application

• Jan-Feb 2015 – Travel arrangements, Pre-departure briefing and Departure for New Zealand

​Source: http://www.aid.govt.nz/funding-and-contracts/scholarships/eligible-countries/viet-nam