“We’re very excited that…the new Fulbright University Vietnam will open in Ho Chi Minh City — this nation’s first independent, non-profit university — where there will be full academic freedom and scholarships for those in need.
Students, scholars, researchers will focus on public policy and management and business; on engineering and computer science; and liberal arts — everything from the poetry of Nguyen Du, to the philosophy of Phan Chu Trinh, to the mathematics of Ngo Bao Chau…”
We began under a tamarind tree
Our story begins with the establishment of the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program (FETP), now the Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management (FSPPM), in 1994 by the Harvard Vietnam Program.
Powered by funding from the U.S. Department of State, FETP built a reputation as a center of excellence in Vietnam’s public policy research and teaching.
On FETP’s campus, students and faculty alike spent many hours underneath a large tamarind tree, discussing the idea of an independent nonprofit university.In 2012, the Trust for University Innovation in Vietnam, an American nonprofit corporation, was established to sponsor and shepherd this newly formed idea.
As Fulbright continues to grow, we proudly carry the tamarind tree at the center of our seal, rooted in our history and growing to meet Vietnam’s needs. Since that day in the tree’s shade, Fulbright has received numerous support from both the American and Vietnamese governments.
After donating 15 hectares of land for our future campus in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 9, the Vietnamese government granted Fulbright our operating license in 2017. Additionally, since 2016, Fulbright has been receiving generous support from the Department of State Bureau for Educational and Cultural Affairs and the United States Agency for International Development to advance the University’s mission and goals.
Today, our vibrant Crescent Campus hosts our first class of undergraduates and cohorts of dynamic FSPPM graduate students.
When we move to our permanent campus in District 9 in the coming years, our students will once again study under the same tamarind tree, replanted on campus as a symbol of our university’s history.
We’re proud bearers of the Fulbright name
J. William Fulbright was an American statesman who launched many international exchange programs we know today. Fulbright’s emphasis on liberal arts education and international cultural understanding continues to resonate with all nations and peoples today.
We’re proud to bear the Fulbright name, and share Senator J. William Fulbright’s belief in the power of educational exchange to foster mutual understanding among nations.
As the only university in the world to bear the Fulbright name, we carry it with pride and responsibility. We find inspiration in the long-lasting tradition of liberal arts education which he dedicated his life to.
