The Vietnam Education Foundation 2011 Annual Report

Annual Report 2011 Page 7
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF) has demonstrated its organizational and management capabilities
through positive program outcomes during the reporting period of this eighth Annual Report, from October 1,
2010, through September 30, 2011.
VEF is governed by a thirteen-member Board of Directors, which consists of two U.S. Senators, two U.S.
Representatives, three U.S. cabinet members, and six members from the U.S. citizenry appointed by the President
of the United States. The Board appoints an American Executive Director to oversee VEF operations conducted
through two highly coordinated offices: (1) the U.S. Headquarters Office, with five U.S. Federal Government
employees; and (2) the Hanoi Field Office in Vietnam, with eight Vietnamese employees—a total of 13 VEF
employees as of September 30, 2011.
VEF has operated within budget this year, as it has each year. VEF receives $5 million annually from the
Vietnam Debt Repayment Fund, which is described in the VEF Act 1 . As of the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2010,
specifically as of September 30, 2010, the carryover amount from previous fiscal years was $4,928,536. To
achieve its goals for FY 2011 (October 1, 2010 – September 30, 2011), VEF had an approved budget of
$5,843,599 for operations and direct costs to support the Fellows, Visiting Scholars, and U.S. Faculty Scholars as
well as related activities for these program participants. For FY 2011, VEF received an unqualified audit
opinion, which is the best opinion available. This demonstrates that VEF is managing its funds in an appropriate
and responsible manner.
Because of the VEF-enabling legislation, VEF program activities focus only on the sciences (natural, physical,
and environmental), engineering, mathematics, medicine, and technology (including information technology),
often referred to as the STEMM 2 fields. Educational exchange activities are conducted generally through the
following VEF programs:
1. Fellowship Program, which sends Vietnamese nationals to the United States for graduate study,
primarily doctorates;
2. Visiting Scholar Program, which supports Vietnamese nationals, who already hold a doctorate, to
further develop their professional skills through studies, research, and/or observational activities at
leading U.S. academic institutions; and
3. U.S. Faculty Scholar Program, which supports American professors to teach courses at Vietnamese
institutions for one to two semesters by teaching on site in Vietnam or by teaching via interactive, realtime
videoconferencing from the United States. Those Faculty Scholars, who are teaching by
videoconferencing, must teach face-to-face on site at the Vietnamese university for at least one week at
the beginning and at the end of the course(s).
The primary educational exchange activity for VEF is the Fellowship Program. Since the beginning of
operations in 2003 and as of September 30, 2011:
VEF has selected and placed a total of 381 outstanding Vietnamese nationals in science and technology
at 80 top university graduate programs across the United States.
Most pursue a doctorate degree while some pursue a master's degree.
The major fields of study are divided between sciences and engineering.
As of September 30, 2011, 156 Fellows (41% of all Fellows) had received degrees:
1 P.L. 106-554, Title II – Vietnam Education Foundation Act of 2000
2 Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine