Bon Voyage to the New Zealand ASEAN scholars awardees 2013

Ambassador Manning with the Vietnamese NZAS award winners

On 11 January 2013, New Zealand Ambassador Manning hosted a lunch reception at the Residence for the 30 Vietnamese NZAS award winners about to depart for New Zealand.   

These scholarships, funded under the New Zealand government’s aid programme, offer top Vietnamese students the opportunity to undertake postgraduate study in a range of fields, including development studies, environmental management, finance/business studies, and engineering.

At the reception, Ambassador Manning congratulated the students on their scholarship awards, highlighting that the experience of studying and living in New Zealand would forever change their lives.  The Ambassador encouraged them to make the most of New Zealand’s world-class quality education, but not only to focus on their study:  they should also experience the fantastic life style and natural beauty of New Zealand, as well as New Zealand’s unique culture.
Ambassador Manning noted his high expectation that each awardee would make a valuable contribution to Viet Nam’s development after returning home.   Moreover, he expressed confidence that the students would work as future ‘ambassadors’ for New Zealand in Viet Nam, to improve the already strong links between two countries.