The ceremony to announce the establishment of Fulbright University Vietnam officially took place on the afternoon of May 25, 2016, as part of former U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Vietnam.
Fulbright was founded with equal investments from the United States (funding) and Vietnam (real estate) and is now financed by operational revenue, corporate partnerships, donations, and grants.
Fulbright is supported by the Vietnamese and the Vietnam-American business communities, which highly value Fulbright’s mission of educating the next generation of entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers, intellectuals, and artist shaping the future of Vietnam.
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.
