Students at a primary school in Quảng Ngãi Province. The New York-based Institute for Vietnamese Culture and Education (IVCE) has established the Rural Villages Scholarship Foundation to help poor students in rural areas of Việt Nam. VNS Photo Cao Bá Lâm

ĐÀ NẴNG — The New York-based Institute for Vietnamese Culture and Education (IVCE) has established the Rural Villages Scholarship Foundation to support poor students in rural areas of Việt Nam.

President of the Institute, American-Vietnamese Trần Thắng told Việt Nam News that the foundation plans to hand out 400 scholarships worth VNĐ200 million (US$8,700) to students in provinces of Quảng Bình and Quảng Trị later this year.

Thắng said the foundation will provide scholarships for two provinces each year stating from 2019.

Last year, IVCE presented VNĐ100 million in financing for building classrooms and fresh water projects for schools in Bạc Liêu and Gia Lai Provinces.

In 2017, total VNĐ200 million was raised to support students in the two provinces of Lâm Đồng and Quảng Ngãi.

The American-Vietnamese president also said the institute will auction precious things, including paintings by famous artists and copies of the ancient map of Hoàng Sa (Paracels), to raise money for the scholarship foundation.

IVCE, a New York non-profit organisation founded in 2000, aims to raise awareness about Vietnamese culture and expand the educational opportunities of Vietnamese students. It also promotes Vietnamese culture and education in the US and abroad.

American-Vietnamese donors have given a 150-map collection published between 1826 and 1980, which indicate the Hoàng Sa (Paracel) and Trường Sa (Spratly) archipelagos belong to Việt Nam. — VNS