Model, partners and years
The Fulbright Economics Teaching Program began in 1994 through Harvard Kennedy School and the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City. Fulbright's Vietnamese account describes US State Department support of $1.75 million for the original facility and a move away from importing US teaching unchanged toward Vietnamese policy problems. FSPPM, Vietnamese retrospective, April 7, 2020. Last verified: October 21, 2026.
Scale and documented development
A January 2020 account reported more than 1,400 FETP alumni and described Harvard's Vietnam Program managing the school during 1995–2016; FETP concluded in 2017 as FSPPM became Fulbright University Vietnam's first academic unit. Treat the alumni number as historical. FSPPM retrospective, January 16, 2020. Last verified: October 21, 2026.
Why it worked — interpretation
The evidence suggests that a locally relevant curriculum and sustained institution-building mattered alongside the initial foreign partner. For a US university, the useful design question is what capability the Vietnamese institution should possess after several cohorts.
Limits
These are participating-institution accounts, not an independent impact evaluation. Current accreditation scope/expiry, current enrollment and causal claims about alumni influence remain unverified. Do not describe FSPPM as a Harvard branch or imply a Harvard degree.
Related: joint-program rules; why partnerships stall.
For general information only, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with qualified counsel and the relevant Vietnamese authorities before acting.