Mon. Jan 13th, 2025

Co May Dormitory on the campus of Nong Lam University in Thu Duc District this year will provide free accommodations for 100 poor students with high scores on the National High School Graduation Examination (Photo: VNA)

HCM City (VNS/VNA) – A number of dorms at
universities in Ho Chi Minh City have set up programmes to offer free or
low-cost dormitory rooms for eligible students.

Students from poor families such as Nguyen Minh Nghia from the
Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap are given first priority. 

“My brother and I study at university, but my family is too poor
to afford the costs for our tuition and accommodation,” Nghia said.

Nghia, a second-year student at the HCM City University of
Architecture, studies at a branch campus in the outlying district of Thu Duc
near Binh Duong province.

During his freshman year, he stayed at one of the 44 dorms
belonging to the Vietnam National University-HCM City at a discounted rate. He
took a bus every day to his university.

Nghia is now living at Co May Dormitory, founded by the late Pham
Van Ben, a humanitarian and businessman whose mission was to help the
disadvantaged attend university.  

The dormitory is located on the campus of Nong Lam University in
Thu Duc district. This year, free accommodations will be given to 100 new
students at universities in HCM City.

To qualify, the students must have a high score on the National
High School Graduation Examination and show that their family is unable to pay.

The 44 dormitories belonging to the Vietnam National
University-HCM City have a total of 52,000 spaces in a variety of rooms. They
also have yards for playing sports and green outdoor areas, as well as canteens
and outside food areas.

The Management Centre for Dormitories said the monthly price for a
room containing eight students in the 2017-2018 academic year is 130,000 VND (5.7
USD) per student.

Students who share rooms with five others pay 175,000 VND a month
each. Four students sharing an air-conditioned room pay 540,000 VND monthly,
and 325,000 VND for an un-air-conditioned room.

Besides these dorms, the HCM City University of Technology and
Education has two dorms that can accommodate 2,800 students in districts 9 and
Thu Duc.

Priority is given to children of families covered by State
policies, or to those whose families are poor, or to female students. The
prices are 230,000 VND to 340,000 monthly per student.

The University of Transport and Communication’s branch in District
9 has a dormitory that provides accommodations for 1,024 students.

Students at universities in the city’s inner districts can apply
for one of the 1,000 spaces at 135A Tran Hung Dao Dormitory in District 1 for 150,000
VND per month

Priority is given to children of families covered by State
policies. For students who are not given priority, the cost is 200,000 VND per
month.

Other dorms that follow the low-cost policy are in District 5. A
seven-storey dormitory at 43-45 Nguyen Chi Thanh Street houses 800 students,
while HCM City University of Technology has a modern dorm with more than 2,500
rooms in District 10.

Do Thi Minh of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, whose son attends the HCM
City University of Technology and Education, said the dorm was a safer option
than a rented room.-VNA

By vivian