The campus of the Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. — XINHUA/VNA Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Vietnamese foreign ministry on Thursday addressed the abrupt order from United States Government asking its embassies abroad to pause new visa applications for international students, an issue that has attracted great concerns from parents and students alike.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Việt Nam and Vietnamese representative missions in the US are currently working with relevant US authorities to look into this information," spokesperson for the foreign ministry Phạm Thu Hằng told reporters at the regular press conference in Hà Nội.

"This is currently the time when many students from many countries, including Việt Nam, are currently working on the procedures to apply for a visa to the US to study, either self-funded or on scholarships," Hằng remarked.

"We hope that the interview and application for student visas for Vietnamese students will continue to go smoothly so that education can maintain itself as a pillar of cooperation in the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries," Hằng said.

According to the cable sent by US State Secretary Marco Rubio to the US missions abroad, the US State Department is "conducting a review of existing operations and processes for screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor (F, M, J) visa applicants and based on that review, plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants.

“Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consulate sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor visa appointment capacity," the cable noted.

Most international students are going to the US on F-1 student visa which is for full-time academic students enrolled at an accredited US institution (e.g., college, university, high school or a language training programme). The J-1 visa is granted to students in exchange or scholarship programmes such as the Fulbright fellowship or teachers and researchers. The M-1 visa is granted to students participating in vocational or technical training programmes in the US.

A question was also raised over Trump's administration to ban Harvard University from enrolling international students and all international students currently studying there will need to transfer to other institutions or they will need to leave the US.

In response, Hằng said Việt Nam hopes that the US will "continue to provide favourable conditions for Vietnamese students, lecturers, scholars and experts to attend education and training courses organised in the US, including a prestigious and high quality universities, in accordance with the Việt Nam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace, Cooperation and Sustainable Development." — VNS