Veterans' Affairs Minister, Rick Barker, has announced two New Zealand Government scholarships for Vietnamese post graduate students.

The announcement of the scholarships comes after a meeting with Viet Nam’s Foreign Minister and yesterday's news of a $32,000 grant for the Vietnam Friendship Village in Ha Noi.

“This is a further step in broadening the people-to-people relationship between Viet Nam and New Zealand. To mark this visit, the New Zealand Government is delighted to offer two fully-funded post-graduate scholarships in environmental studies worth NZ$265,000 in total," Mr Barker said

"The scholarships are offered under the New Zealand Development Scholarships programme. They can be applied to areas such as cleaning up toxic waste, reducing pollution and addressing the environmental impact of rapid industrialisation in Viet Nam.

"The world today is increasingly aware of environmental factors which can impact on the health of individuals and communities. With better science and improved knowledge we can make sure the world tomorrow is a better safer place as well as address historical issues.

"Viet Nam aims to achieve middle income country status in 2010 and become a modern industrialised country by 2020. The country faces a major challenge in achieving rapid and sustainable development while protecting the natural environment.

“These scholarships will showcase the quality of New Zealand’s tertiary education and our research capability in environmental management and sustainability,” Mr Barker said.

Vietnamese researchers and officials from Government ministries are eligible to apply for a scholarship under the Development Scholarships programme.

Mr Barker is currently in Viet Nam with an official delegation of six New Zealand veterans. The delegation will be retuning to New Zealand 29 February 2008.

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