PARIS — The Overseas Vietnamese students’ Companion Scholarship Programme held a fundraising concert in Paris on Sunday to support students in Việt Nam.

The concert, titled “Journey Asia-Europe” which attracted 150 guests despite pouring rain, brought together Vietnamese and French musicians to raise over VNĐ100 million (US$4,200), which will be sent to 30 disadvantaged Vietnamese students.

The concert’s highlights included Vietnamese traditional music, an áo dài (Vietnamese traditional dress) show and performances of European classical music by Bach, Chopin and Debussy.

Diplomat Đỗ Đức Thành thanked guests and supporters of Vietnamese youth education.

Companion President Lê Hồng Thái, who received the scholarship when he was a student, said Companion’s core value is allowing older generations of Vietnamese students to support younger generations and keeping the patriotic spirit alive.  

The scholarship helped support 320 Vietnamese students last year. Besides financial aid, starting from this year, it will provide poor students with English classes in major English centres in Hà Nội and HCMC.

Companion also organised out-of-school activities and information-exchange sessions for poor students in Việt Nam.

Companion was formed in 2001 by a six Vietnamese students at the Ecole Polytechnique of Paris, who used their own scholarships to help disadvantaged students in Việt Nam.

The scholarship, whose motto is “Students for students”, has grown into a large international organisation ever since. It has branches in Singapore, Taiwan and Việt Nam with many of its recipients now studying and working in France, Germany, England, Japan and the US. — VNS