- Cuba offers 15 full scholarships to Vietnamese students for the 2026-2027 academic year, reinforcing over six decades of educational cooperation between the two countries.
- Scholarships cover medicine and other disciplines, fully financing tuition, accommodation, medical care, and a preparatory Spanish year, with preference given to students from poor or remote areas.
- The program has a long legacy, having supported 1,300+ Vietnamese graduates since 1961, many of whom now hold prominent roles in Vietnam, reflecting the enduring brotherly ties between Cuba and Vietnam.
Cuba has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to cooperation with Vietnam through education by providing 15 full scholarships for Vietnamese students for the 2026-2027 school year. This has continued for over six decades, as was disclosed by the Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam, Rogelio Polanco Fuentes, during a press conference. The scholarships represent part of the bigger plans by the Cuban Government towards assisting students from poorer backgrounds, apart from other goals that include fostering cooperation between the two countries through education.
The 15 scholarships include eight in the area of medicine and seven in other areas administered by Cuba’s MES, such as economics, journalism, natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences. For a candidate to apply, he or she must be aged between 16 and 25 years and must have completed upper secondary education or have attained an equivalent level of education.
As a way of adhering to the aspect of inclusivity within this program, preference will be given to students from poor backgrounds, in addition to those from remote areas in Vietnam that may not have equal opportunities to study abroad. The deadline to apply for this academic year, 2026-2027, will be March 31, 2026.
Also Read: China Unveils New Policies to Enhance Job Opportunities Nationwide
The shortlisted candidates will be fully financed by the Cuban Government for their entire academic tenure, whereby they will be awarded all their academic, living, and medical requirements, including tuition, accommodation, and medical coverage free of cost. Each scholarship will also comprise one preparatory academic year in Spanish, so that students will be adequately prepared for their five to six-year academic program for whichever field they choose to opt for in Cuba, because Cuba’s academic programs are known to be among the finest in Latin America, and they offer some disciplines, which are not found in any other part of the world. “The special and long-standing relationship shared by Cuba and Vietnam continues through such mutual endeavors”, said Ambassador Fuentes in a statement.
The program traces its roots to an initiative that began to take shape in 1961, when the initial group of 23 Vietnamese students arrived in Cuba to study as part of the program that Fidel Castro initiated. In the many years that have lapsed since then, at least 1,300 Vietnamese nationals have graduated from these educational institutions in Cuba, many of whom have held prominent positions in Vietnam’s political, administrative, and diplomatic landscape.
Through the scholarship program, the people of Cuba have continued to be at the forefront of the development of a generation of Vietnamese professionals. Not only does the program empower Vietnamese citizens, but it also impacts positively on the development of the country, an embodiment of the spirit of brotherliness which has continued to characterize the relationship between the two countries for over 60 years.
