This is part of the Vu A Dinh Scholarship Fund project to grant 3,000 scholarships, each worth VND500,000 for ethnic minority students in 2007.

Vice State President Truong My Hoa, who is also chairwoman of the Vu A Dinh Scholarship Fund, said the fund will strive harder to give more support to ethnic minority students.

The Vu A Dinh Scholarship Fund, named after a young liaison officer killed in the French resistance war, was set up in 1999 by the Youth Union to support poor students from mountainous regions in their studies.

So far, the fund has granted 10,650 scholarships, worth a total of VND5 billion. In 2008, the fund will also provide financial support to teachers who are facing difficulties in mountainous regions.