The only Vietnamese to receive the UK and ASEAN STEM Scholarship for Women 2025

According to the British Council, Vietnam has just had a representative receive a STEM master's scholarship for women in 2025, along with 10 other scholars from Southeast Asian countries.

Ms. Ngo Phuong Trang, the only Vietnamese person to receive the 2025 ASEAN-UK SAGE STEM Master's Scholarship for Women. PHOTO: BRITISH COUNCIL

The UK and ASEAN, through the ASEAN-UK Girls' Education Advancement Programme (ASEAN-UK SAGE), have just announced the list of individuals receiving STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) master's scholarships for women in 2025. Vietnam has a representative, Ms. Ngo Phuong Trang, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer science and information from the University of Science (Vietnam National University, Hanoi).

The ASEAN-UK SAGE Women in STEM Scholarship Programme was launched last year to help address gender inequality in access to STEM education and careers in ASEAN countries and Timor-Leste, and empower the next generation of women in STEM. Each scholar will receive a full scholarship to study a master’s degree.

Surpassing hundreds of applications from 10 countries, Ms. Trang and 10 other female scholars from 8 other countries will travel to the UK to study next September. "They all share the same passion and vision of making a difference for their country through STEM," the announcement shared. Last year, Vietnam had two representatives: Ms. Lam Ngoc Ngan (Can Tho University) and Ms. Nguyen Ha Phuong Thao (University of Natural Sciences , Vietnam National University, Hanoi).

ASEAN Secretary-General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn said that ASEAN hopes to close the gender gap and promote a more inclusive and innovative future by supporting girls and disadvantaged communities to access education and improve basic education. Amanda McLoughlin, Director of the UK Development Programme in Indonesia and ASEAN, said that investing in women's education is not only about equality, but also the key to unlocking economic potential and promoting inclusive development in ASEAN.

The ASEAN-UK SAGE programme is promoting integration among ASEAN member states by closing the education gap through collaboration with policymakers and key stakeholders. The programme focuses on improving girls’ education, supporting out-of-school girls and disadvantaged groups, as well as addressing gender barriers to accessing digital skills and employment.

In ASEAN countries, girls often outperform boys in math and science in primary and secondary school. The gender gap begins to appear in university STEM education, with only 19.3% of women having a university degree in STEM compared to 39.8% of men. According to the United Nations 2022 report, women participate in only 20% of STEM jobs globally. Many other studies also highlight the disparity in scientific publications, income and career advancement of women in the STEM field.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nguoi-viet-duy-nhat-nhan-hoc-bong-stem-cho-nu-gioi-2025-cua-anh-va-asean-185250828194652011.htm