(VOVworld)- As many as 340 Australian undergraduates will take short-term courses and internship programmes in Vietnam in 2017 as part of the New Colombo Plan Scholarship Programme, unveiled the Australian Embassy this week.

The number showed an increase of over 35 percent compared to 2016 and doubled the figure in 2015, when Vietnam first joined the New Colombo Plan programme. As such, Vietnam ranks 7th among 38 host countries in the Indo-Pacific region in terms of number of students enrolled. The students from 22 Australian universities will study and undertake internships at over 30 institutions in Vietnam in a broad range of areas including business management, education, health, engineering, hospitality, urban design and regional planning. Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Craig Chittick remarked that the result demonstrates Australian students’ increasing interest in Vietnam, representing a wonderful compliment to the strong and long-lasting education ties between the two countries.