Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association Continues to “Nurture Friendship” for 47 Cambodian Students
	Vietnamese, Lao, Cambodian Students Enhance Solidarity, Mutual Understanding

Linking sponsorship with experience and career orientation

After the 2025 ceremony for handing over sponsorship of Cambodian students organized by the Viet Nam-Cambodia Friendship Association, Tran Dinh Truong, General Director of Minanotame Investment Joint Stock Company (Hanoi), took three Cambodian students he had just sponsored to visit his company and have a meal at a restaurant.

The meeting took place in a warm and open atmosphere. For Truong, it was not only the first meal among new acquaintances but also an opportunity for the students to initially approach the corporate environment, share about their studies and future plans, and gain a clearer picture of their path after graduation.

The family of Tran Dinh Truong meets with the Cambodian students they are sponsoring. (Photo: provided by the individual)

The three students sponsored by Truong this year are Chieb Netra, Uk Lida, and Chea Sreynith, who are studying at Hanoi University of Civil Engineering. Previously, he had sponsored three other Cambodian students. In total, Truong is directly accompanying six Cambodian students during their studies in Viet Nam.

According to Truong, sponsorship is not merely material support for a few years of study. “From the business side, I have oriented myself toward long-term support for the children. If after graduation any of them are capable of starting a business, whether in Cambodia or Viet Nam, I am ready to help within my capacity,” he shared. For those intending to establish import-export companies to bring Vietnamese goods to Cambodia, he said he would directly support them with experience and connections.

Currently, the main activity of Truong’s company is labor export, sending Vietnamese workers to Japan and several European countries. In addition, the company is involved in real estate and is preparing to implement the import of goods from Japan to Viet Nam for distribution. From these practical activities, he envisions specific directions that could be suitable for Cambodian students after graduation.

According to Truong, Cambodian students trained in Viet Nam have a clear advantage in language. Many of them use Vietnamese well and are capable of taking on positions that require communication and connectivity. For those with aspirations and proper training, he is willing to introduce them to jobs at agencies and organizations when suitable conditions arise.

For students wishing to start businesses, Truong discusses in detail everything from studying market demand in Cambodia to organizing supply sources from Viet Nam. Regarding capital, within his means, he is ready to create flexible conditions to help them gradually stabilize their operations.

Not all students choose the business path. Some wish to continue with postgraduate studies, while others want to accumulate more knowledge and experience before returning home. “In such cases, I usually advise the children that if conditions allow, they should pursue postgraduate studies to both improve their qualifications and make it easier to return to work or do business later,” Truong said.

Ul Vuthy (far right), a second-year student majoring in Auditing at the National Economics University, at the 2025 ceremony for handing over sponsorship of Cambodian students, December 21, 2025. (Photo: Thanh Luan)

These aspirations are also shared by the Cambodian students themselves. Chav Channy, a third-year student majoring in Business Administration at the National Economics University, said she hopes to work in marketing or business after graduation. “I hope my sponsoring parents or the Viet Nam-Cambodia Friendship Association can support and connect me with internships and jobs. While in Viet Nam, it is quite difficult for us to directly access enterprises. Such support would be very meaningful to us,” Channy said.

Ul Vuthy, a second-year student majoring in Auditing at the National Economics University, said that after graduation he wants to return to Cambodia to work. During his time studying in Viet Nam, he hopes to be able to take part in field visits, internships at enterprises, and be connected with member businesses of the Viet Nam-Cambodia Friendship Association to accumulate experience.

Accompanying Cambodian students on their journey to adulthood

In an interview with Vietnam Times, Le Tuan Khanh, Vice President of the Viet Nam-Cambodia Friendship Association, said that Cambodian students come to their “second home” not only to receive immediate support. Professional training is the responsibility of universities, while the role of sponsors is to provide long-term companionship, accompanying the students throughout their process of growing up.

The 2025 ceremony for handing over sponsorship of Cambodian students organized by the Viet Nam-Cambodia Friendship Association, December 21, 2025. (Photo: Thanh Luan)

According to Le Tuan Khanh, such companionship needs to be materialized through practical actions and diversified forms of sponsorship. Not only members of the Association, but also businesses and individuals who have affection and concern for Viet Nam-Cambodia relations can participate, even if they have never worked in Cambodia. Support should not be limited to one or two years as assigned, but should continue even after the students return home.

“The students are continuing the generations that were once trained in Viet Nam. When they return to Cambodia, that companionship still continues. That is the goal the ‘Nurturing Friendship’ program aims for,” Khanh said.

Regarding internships and job opportunities, the Viet Nam-Cambodia Friendship Association has considered connecting with several businesses willing to accept students in part-time, paid positions, sufficient for them to cover living expenses. Some enterprises are also ready to open their doors for students to visit, learn about production processes and technology, and gain practical experience.

Khanh believes that support for internships and career orientation should not be confined only to the group of directly sponsored students. Alongside helping those in difficult circumstances, it is necessary to expand support to outstanding and capable students who match professional requirements, in order to gradually build a high-quality Cambodian workforce that can become a long-term bridge of friendship between the two countries.

In reality, the number of Cambodian students coming to Viet Nam is increasing rapidly, both under scholarship agreements and through self-funded study. Notably, students are showing increasingly clear career orientations, focusing on fields in demand in Cambodia such as medicine and pharmacy, construction, technology, management, and high-tech agriculture. Many graduates have gone on to work for Vietnamese enterprises in Cambodia in fields such as banking, telecommunications, construction, and agriculture.

According to Le Tuan Khanh, this is evidence of an approach that links training with practical needs. In the “Nurturing Friendship” program, what matters is not how many students are sponsored but maintaining long-term bonds.

“There are families who sponsor only two or three students but still keep in touch after the students return home. Some students even invite their sponsoring parents to attend their weddings. That is the real quality,” he said. That quality is not measured by the level of material support, but by persistent companionship that helps students accumulate language skills, cultural and historical understanding, preserve good memories of their time studying in Viet Nam, and be well prepared for the future, thereby nurturing a solid and lasting foundation for Viet Nam-Cambodia friendship.

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