A report shows that Vietnam is at the forefront among Southeast Asian countries in sending students abroad

The 2024 Key Trends in Southeast Asia report by Acumen, an international education consultant, highlights Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia as the top three Southeast Asian countries with students studying abroad. In 2022, over 350,000 students from Southeast Asia pursued education overseas, ranking the region third globally for outbound student mobility after China and India.

Vietnam leads the region with 132,000 outbound students, followed by Indonesia and Malaysia with 56,000 each, and Thailand with 32,000. The report indicates that Vietnamese students predominantly choose Japan and South Korea as their top destinations, with significant numbers also heading to the United States, Australia, and Canada.

For Indonesian, Malaysian, and Thai students, the United Kingdom and Australia are popular choices. Although China is not included in UNESCO data, it remains a significant destination for Southeast Asian students, especially from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia.

The report highlights a trend where Western countries face increasing competition from East Asian countries like Japan, South Korea, and China in attracting Southeast Asian students. Both Japan and South Korea have ambitious goals to increase their international student enrollments, promising more job opportunities for foreign graduates.

Asian destinations offer cost advantages due to geographical proximity, and many universities in East Asia are gaining recognition on the global stage. In the 2024 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, 33 Asian universities are in the top 200, reflecting an upward trend.

Vietnam stands out as a top destination for student mobility, with Vietnamese students ranking among the top internationally in countries like the U.S., Japan, Australia, and Taiwan, according to ICEF Monitor.

Several factors contribute to Vietnam's appeal as an education hub, including its youthful population demographic (with 28% aged between 16 and 30), rising university enrollment rates, and increasing middle-class affluence. Education is a priority for Vietnamese families, with significant spending allocated to it, as indicated by a 2018 HSBC survey where education accounted for 47% of total household expenditure. This burgeoning middle class further fuels the demand for overseas education opportunities among Vietnamese students.