Fulbright University Vietnam
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Fulbright University Vietnam (FUV) is a
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nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
currently located at the Crescent Plaza in Phú Mỹ Hưng, the new headquarters will be at the
Saigon Hi-Tech Park The Saigon Hi-Tech Park (Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: ''Khu Công nghệ cao Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh''; abbr.: SHTP) is a park for high technology enterprises located 15 km from downtown Ho Chi Minh City, opposite to Vietnam National U ...
in near future, after the new campus here is done in 2026, both in
Hồ Chí Minh City Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
,
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. It is one of Vietnam's first private, nonprofit institutions of higher education. The FUV concept emerged from discussions convened by the Vietnam Program at the Harvard Kennedy School aimed at planning the next stage in the development of the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program (FETP), a center of public policy research and teaching in Hồ Chí Minh City. Since 2014, the university's development has been coordinated by the Trust for University Innovation in Vietnam (TUIV), a nonprofit corporation based in the Boston area. TUIV and the Harvard Vietnam Program are recipients of several grants from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the
United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...
. Peter Welsh, chief operating officer, Ben Wilkinson, executive director and board clerk, and Adam Steinberg, director of development and outreach, earned a cool $198,979, $193,288, and $138,349, respectively, in the fiscal year ending in June 2021.


History

A license to establish the Fulbright University Vietnam was presented to the Board of the Trust for University Innovation by Nguyễn Phú Trọng in 2015. The campaign for licensing and funding was spearheaded by Thomas Vallely of the
Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, formerly known as the Ash Institute, was established in 2003 and is part of the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The Center's miss ...
at the Harvard Kennedy School. Vallely said the university will “will embody American values including academic freedom, autonomy, meritocracy, and transparency.”. Thomas Vallely was a key figure in Joe Biden’s 1988 presidential campaign, and USAID grants were approved for Fulbright University Vietnam when Biden was vice-president and then president. Just before Biden left office, he awarded Vallely the Presidential Citizens Medal. Although Fulbright University Vietnam is a private university, it has benefited from the support of the governments of both Vietnam and the United States. In the United States, Fulbright University Vietnam, and its antecedent, the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program, has benefited from strong bilateral support in Congress. Of particular note is the role played by
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...
. While in the Senate, Kerry and his fellow Vietnam veteran
John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...
were strong supporters of education exchange with Vietnam. As Secretary of State, Kerry was an early advocate for the FUV initiative. In 2013, FUV was cited in a joint statement by
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Trương Tấn Sang and
President Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. Ob ...
during President Sang's visit to the United States. In June 2014,
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Nguyễn Tấn Dũng approved the establishment of FUV. In December 2014, the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
approved $20 million to fund the development of FUV on the condition that the university be independent, not-for-profit, and on par with the quality of American universities. The
government of Vietnam The Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (; less formally the Vietnamese Government or the Government of Vietnam, ) is the Cabinet (government), cabinet and the central Executive (government), executive arm of the Politics of Vietn ...
officially licensed FUV on May 16, 2016. Later that month, the launch of Fulbright University Vietnam was officially announced in a speech by President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
in Hanoi. Two days later in Ho Chi Minh City, at a ceremony witnessed by Secretary of State John Kerry, Fulbright University Vietnam was awarded its establishment license.


Academics

During its first five years, FUV will focus on the development of two integrated academic units, a graduate school of public policy and management and an undergraduate program in engineering and the liberal arts and sciences. The Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management represents the continuation and expansion of the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program, the center of public policy teaching and research operated by the Harvard Kennedy School Vietnam Program from 1994 to 2016. The public policy school will offer degree and non-degree programs in public policy and related fields. FUV's ''undergraduate program in engineering and the liberal arts and sciences'' admitted a beta class in 2018 and underwent a year-long co-design process to build all aspects of the university collaboratively with the involvement of faculty, staff, and students. The academic program is being developed in consultation with faculty members from the Olin College of Engineering. The undergraduate program will feature interdisciplinary courses, project-based learning, and active engagement with the community. FUV intends to seek accreditation from a U.S. regional accrediting body. FUV may enroll up to 2,000 students during its first five years.. Even though there is very small student body, no campus (only a few floors in a shopping mall), and very few faculty, the university appointed 1 president, 3 vice-presidents, 1 dean, and 2 vice deans along with other senior leaders


Campus

*Phú Mỹ Hưng Campus: The current campus is located at the Ground Floor and 2nd Floor of Cresent Plaza in Phú Mỹ Hưng, District 7, the ground floor is for the Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management (FSPPM), previously known as Fulbright Economics Teaching Program (FETP), the higher floor is for the temporary headquarters and main campus of FUV until the new campus is done. It was moved from the previous campus at 232/6 Võ Thị Sáu, District 3, which is now the Campus V of UEH, when it still was the FETP then. *SHTP Campus: FUV plans to build its main campus and headquarters in the
Saigon Hi-Tech Park The Saigon Hi-Tech Park (Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: ''Khu Công nghệ cao Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh''; abbr.: SHTP) is a park for high technology enterprises located 15 km from downtown Ho Chi Minh City, opposite to Vietnam National U ...
(SHTP) in
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(now is
Thủ Đức Thủ Đức ʰu˨˩˦:ɗɨk˧˥is a sub-municipality in Ho Chi Minh City of the Southestern region of Vietnam. History The oldest name what was recorded in this area was Ngãi An (義安), a district-level administrative unit has existed sin ...
). The government of Hồ Chí Minh City has contributed 15 hectares of land in the park to FUV after giving the investment registration certificate in 2015, where FUV will build learning and residential facilities. In 2024, FUV announced that theyreceived a construction permit for phase 1 at the SHTP with a total of 13 projects allowed to be built, the construction will be started in 2025 and completed in Q4 of 2026. There is a significant public backlash from the public in Vietnam that does not want Fulbright University. The university tried to brush off this backlash as a ‘disinformation campaign’ in its attempts to control the narrative.


The Bob Kerrey Controversy

In May 2016 during his visit to Vietnam, then Secretary of State
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...
announced that the Americans had appointed
Bob Kerrey Joseph Robert Kerrey (born August 27, 1943) is an American politician who served as the 35th governor of Nebraska from 1983 to 1987 and as a United States Senator from Nebraska from 1989 to 2001. Before entering politics, he served in the Vietn ...
to be chairman of the Board of Trustees of Fulbright University Vietnam. This gave rise to controversy. In 2001 an in-depth investigation by ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' and
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had revealed that on 25 February 1969 Bob Kerrey had commanded a Navy SEALS unit that massacred 21 civilians in Thạnh Phong village in the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. Among the prominent Vietnamese critics of the appointment of Kerrey were Tôn Nữ Thị Ninh, a former ambassador to the European Union, and Nguyễn Thanh Việt, an award-winning Vietnamese-American writer. The most high-ranking Vietnamese official to publicly support Kerrey's appointment was
Đinh La Thăng Đinh La Thăng (; 10 September 1960) is a Vietnamese former politician who served as Minister of Transport, Communist Party Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City, and member of the Politburo. On 22 January 2018 he became the first top Party official in ...
, who at the time was Communist Party Secretary of Hồ Chí Minh City and a member of the
Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the highest organ of the central committee in communist parties. The term is also sometimes used to refer to similar organs in socialist and Islamist parties, such as the UK Labour Party's NEC or the Poli ...
. In May 2018, H. Kim Bottomly, former president of
Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...
, was appointed as the chair of the board of the trustees. In June 2019, Dr. Bottomly stepped down amidst a Board reorganization that gave TUIV, chaired by Mr. Thomas Vallely, oversight responsibility for the university. In 2025, Fulbright University had a substantial part of its funding cut by The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). DOGE was set up with the aim of reducing waste, fraud, and abuse. Given the various controversies, some students worry that their association with Fulbright University Vietnam could affect their safety and his future, and avoid mentioning their alma mater to coworkers and wearing shirts marked with the school name, and students' parents have withdrawn their children https://www.yahoo.com/news/cali-became-slur-among-vietnams-100000567.html .


References


External links


Fulbright University Vietnam
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fulbright University Vietnam United States–Vietnam relations Universities in Ho Chi Minh City 2016 establishments in Vietnam Universities and colleges established in 2016 United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs