The August 26 ceremony was attended by Professor Patrick Aurenche, vice president of Rencontres du Vietnam in France, and Esperan Padonou, director of the Vallet Scholarship Fund.

The programme presented 125 scholarships, each worth VND16 million (or US$608), an annual increase of VND1 million, to outstanding students from specialised high schools, ethnic boarding schools, high schools, and students who overcome their challenging circumstances.

In addition, 30 students from Tay Nguyen, Da Lat, and Nha Trang universities, along with several other disadvantaged students, received the Vallet scholarships worth VND32 million each, an increase of VND3 million from last year.

This year marks the 25th year that the Vallet Scholarships have been granted in Vietnam, with both the number and value of scholarships steadily increasing.

So far, more than 55,000 such scholarships totaling over VND500 billion have been awarded to students nationwide.

The Vallet scholarships are named after the Vallet family, represented today by Dr. Odon Vallet, a renowned legal scholar and professor of religious history at the University of Sorbonne. Inheriting a substantial fortune worth ẺU100 million, he chose not to spend it on himself. Instead, he placed the money in a bank and annually uses the interest to fund scholarships for outstanding students in France, Benin, and Vietnam.

Each year, Prof. Odon Vallet and Prof. Tran Thanh Van, founder of Rencontres du Vietnam, travel from Paris to personally award the scholarships to students in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat, Da Nang, Hue, Dong Hoi, Vinh, Hanoi, and many other localities in Vietnam.

Vallet scholarships granted to more than 120 students in Nghe An

The scientific and educational organisation “Meeting Vietnam” presented 126 Vallet scholarships worth VND1.9 billion (US$80,750) in total to outstanding students in the central province of Nghe An on September 7.