Hanoi University of Science and Technology (Image from Hanoi University of Science and Technology Facebook)
SEOUL, Jan. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — At a university auditorium in Hanoi last October, a single figure electrified the room: 900 million dong — the equivalent of about $50,000. That, visiting professors from Seoul National University told students, was the starting salary for a new hire at Samsung Electronics.
The murmurs that followed captured a quiet shift underway in South Korea’s higher education strategy.
Facing a deepening shortage of engineering talent at home, driven largely by students flocking to medical schools, Seoul National University’s College of Engineering has begun actively recruiting elite science and engineering students from Vietnam, one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing talent pools.
Over the past two years, senior professors have traveled repeatedly to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, holding briefings at top institutions such as Hanoi University of Science and Technology — often compared to Korea’s KAIST — to encourage students to consider undergraduate study in Seoul, according to Korean media reports.
The effort is part of the university’s EXCEL initiative, a program designed to attract exceptionally high-performing students from developing countries by offering generous scholarships and research funding. Foreign students selected for the program can receive up to 60 million won, or roughly $45,000, in financial support.
Faculty members from Seoul National University’s College of Engineering meet with students during a visit to Hanoi University of Science and Technology in Vietnam last October. (Photo courtesy of Seoul National University College of Engineering)
The push reflects growing concern within South Korea’s academic and industrial circles that the country’s engineering pipeline is thinning just as demand for advanced technology talent accelerates. University officials say recruiting abroad has become a matter of necessity, not ambition.
Interest in the program is rising. Attendance at Seoul National University’s engineering briefings in Vietnam roughly doubled last year, to about 30 students, even though admission remains highly competitive. Applicants must clear rigorous document screening and exams, and successful candidates must enroll as first-year students — effectively restarting their undergraduate studies.
So far, only one Vietnamese student is currently enrolled through the program, but faculty members say momentum is building.
“I think Korea is now being seen as a serious alternative to Japan in Asia,” said Hwang Won-tae, a mechanical engineering professor who has led several recruitment trips. “Interest in Korean technology and culture has clearly helped.”
One of the successful applicants, Phan Thai An, 20, transferred from an automotive engineering program in Hanoi. He said he was drawn by South Korea’s global leadership in semiconductors. “The language barrier is difficult,” he said, “but the intensity of the education makes me feel I’m growing quickly.”
Looking ahead, Seoul National University plans to expand partnerships with overseas institutions through exchange programs, internships and joint research, while also reviewing whether to allow transfers for top international students.
“Our goal is to train global engineers who can contribute to Korea’s science, technology and industrial competitiveness,” said Kim Young-oh, dean of the engineering college. “To do that, we need to be more open to the world.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
