For 9 in 10 Gen Z students and parents in Vietnam, face-to-face engagement is key for study abroad decisions – INTO survey

INTO’s University Access Centres in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are offering a complete study abroad solution under one roof as students and parents look for in-person interaction and a seamless enrollment experience

(HO CHI MINH CITY / HANOI): Over 9 in 10 Gen Z Vietnamese students who intend to pursue global higher education and their parents — 92% — think it is important to discuss their study abroad options with a locally based university representative or education agent in person, a recent survey from INTO University Partnerships shows.

The survey was carried out in May and June 2022, and it captured feedback from 1,000 Gen Z prospective international students and 500 parents, a majority of whom were from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

“Our research makes clear that students and their parents are after a streamlined study abroad experience from discovery to enrollment,” said Ms. Bich Ngoc Vu, INTO’s senior country director for Vietnam. “Face-to-face engagement with university representatives and recruitment agents enables them to make the best study abroad decisions when faced with overwhelming amounts of information.”

INTO’s University Access Centres (UACs) in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are making this possible. More than access to program information, the UACs host activities that enrich students’ experience and prepare them for the future study journey, such as seminars from visiting university staff and real-time broadcast video conferencing sessions with Vietnamese students overseas.

“The UACs bring recruitment partners, counselors and institutions under one roof to offer a complete study abroad solution for students in a world-class facility right in their city,” said Ms. Vu. “We believe international student mobility can be best enabled through a perfectly balanced approach of in-market presence supported by local expertise and advanced technology driving a seamless enrollment process.”

The Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi UACs are part of INTO’s bold new market-facing strategy to create a network of 14 hubs supporting students, parents, university partners and education agents worldwide by 2023.

Vietnam is one of the world’s fastest growing markets for international student mobility. It constitutes the 4th largest international student market for Australia, 6th largest for the US and 15th largest for the UK outside the EU.

When gathering information about studying abroad, 91% of students and 88% of parents surveyed identify online content as one of the most useful resources in their study abroad research, including internet research, official university websites, online course finder websites and social media.

Despite being digital natives, Gen Z students in Vietnam value face-to-face engagement as much as their parents when making decisions about studying abroad. The survey finds that 62% of students and 60% of parents identify meeting and speaking with university representatives as one of the most useful resources when gathering information about study options, making it the second most useful resource in study abroad research.

According to the survey, improving English language skills and the related benefits for enhancing career prospects constitute the greatest motivations for Vietnamese students between 16 and 25 years of age who intend to study abroad. A total of 17% of students identify this as their top reason for pursuing an international degree, with nearly half — 47% — reporting it as a top-three reason. In addition, 14% of students surveyed say gaining critical skills and knowledge they could apply to help Vietnam prosper is their top reason to study abroad, while 12% cite increasing opportunities for living and working abroad as their top reason.

The survey further shows that parents are a key influence in Gen Z Vietnamese students’ study abroad choices. More than 4 in 5 — 83% — consider their parents to be influential in the decisions they make about what and where they will study abroad.

“As the ones who typically support their children to pursue an international degree, parents play a very significant role in the choices Gen Z students make around studying abroad,” said Ms. Vu. “We in the international education sector must understand that, at least in the context of Vietnam, we are oftentimes communicating with a multi-generational audience, and figure that into our approach to better serving students.”

When it comes to studying abroad, 43% of Vietnamese students and their parents identify cost of study and living expenses as a top-three concern. Around one third — 33% of students and 36% of parents — say safety is one of their top-three concerns, especially as it relates to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on destination countries.

Almost half of parents — 48% — see the importance of a safe and supportive environment for their children. University reputation also has strong influence in the decision-making process, with 41% reporting this is very important to them.

Highlights from the survey:

• 92% of Gen Z Vietnamese students who intend to pursue global higher education and their parents think it is important to discuss their study abroad options with a locally based university representative or education agent in person.
• 91% of Gen Z Vietnamese students and 88% of their parents identify online content as one of the most useful resources when gathering information about studying abroad.
• 62% of Gen Z Vietnamese students and 60% of parents identify meeting with university representatives as one of the most useful resources when gathering information about studying abroad.
• 17% of Gen Z Vietnamese students identify improving English language skills and the related benefits for career prospects as their top reason for pursuing an international degree, 14% say it is gaining critical skills and knowledge they could apply to help Vietnam prosper and 12% say it is increasing opportunities for living and working abroad.
• 83% of Gen Z Vietnamese students consider their parents to be influential in the decisions they make about what and where they will study abroad.
• 43% of Gen Z Vietnamese students and their parents say cost of study and living expenses is a top-three concern for studying abroad; 33% of students and 36% of parents say safety is a top-three concern, especially as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 48% of parents see the importance of a safe and supportive study abroad environment for their children.
• 41% of parents report university reputation is very important to them.

Read the full report on our 2022 Vietnam student and parent survey.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Davinder Kumar
VP, Corporate & Public Relations
davinder.kumar@intoglobal.com