Vietnamese group gives scholarships to Lao students

Hanoi (VNA) - The Saigon Investment Group (SGI) will grant SGI friendship
scholarships to 110 Lao students at an inauguration of a pre-university
course held in Hanoi on Nov. 10 by SGI, the Lao embassy and the Foreign
Languages College under the Hanoi National University .

The SGI Friendship Scholarship Programme is the first and largest
scholarship programme for Laos sponsored by a Vietnamese business. It
coveres almost one fifth of the Vietnamese government's annual scholarships
for Lao students in recent years.

With the programme, SGI has provided nearly 2 million USD as scholarships
for almost 110 Lao students to attend university and pre-university training
courses in Vietnam during the 2008-2013 period.

According to SGI, the group has disbursed more than 18 billion VND for
different social projects in Laos , to which it committed several
millions of US dollars.

SGI has helped many Lao localities, including Xieng Khoang, Hua Phane and
Luang Prabang provinces, overcome difficulties and promote socio-economic
development through its aid programmes such as food supply, construction of
bridges and rural roads, equipment for schools and financial aid.

In Vietnam , SGI is also a pacesetter in implementing social and
charity programmes. The business has so far this year contributed about 100
billion VND to these activities.-Enditem