9 Vietnamese Students Awarded Full Fast Retailing Scholarships for Study in Japan

Fast Retailing, the company behind the UNIQLO brand, has announced the awarding of its 2026 Fast Retailing Foundation Scholarship to nine outstanding Vietnamese high school students. The foundation provides full scholarships for students with excellent academic records who wish to pursue undergraduate studies in Japan through English-taught programs. The award ceremony, held on July 13th in Hanoi, was attended by Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam, H.E. Mr. Ito Naoki, Mr. Yusuke Nakashima, Second Secretary at the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam, Mr. Koyama Noriaki, Senior Executive Officer of Fast Retailing Group and Senior Secretary General of the Fast Retailing Foundation, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Ha, a key official from the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Education and Training, as well as representatives from high schools, parents, and students. Speaking at the event, Ambassador Ito highly praised Fast Retailing's contribution to the implementation of this scholarship fund. Recalling the saying, "Talented individuals are the vital energy of a nation," Ambassador Ito expressed his hope that these students, after their studies in Japan, will return to contribute to their country's development and serve as a bridge to promote cooperation between Vietnam and Japan. According to the Japanese Ambassador, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, headed by General Secretary To Lam, Vietnam is currently promoting reforms towards a new era. In the field of education, many reforms are being implemented, including enhancing the quality of higher education and strengthening international cooperation. Japan supports this reform path and will cooperate towards Vietnam's further robust economic development. Mr. Koyama Noriaki, Senior Executive Officer of Fast Retailing Group and Senior Secretary General of the Fast Retailing Foundation, stated that the Fast Retailing Foundation Scholarship is a full scholarship program for academically excellent students worldwide who wish to pursue an English-taught undergraduate program at quality universities in Japan. The scholarship aims not only to accompany young people on their intellectual journey but also to nurture future leaders capable of creating positive changes globally. From 2023 to the present, the Fast Retailing Foundation has awarded a total of 36 scholarships to Vietnamese students. For 2026, after reviewing applications and conducting interviews, the Fast Retailing Foundation's selection committee chose nine outstanding Vietnamese students with diverse academic orientations in fields such as science, technology, economics, and education, hailing from various regions across the country. At the ceremony, the nine scholarship recipients were invited to speak. Alongside their goals for academic and personal development, they all expressed their desire to utilize the knowledge and experiences gained in Japan to create positive value for society and contribute to solving global challenges related to sustainable development and innovation. Le Doai Phuong, a student from the High School for Foreign Languages (Hanoi), shared: "My goal is to become a bridge between culture and business by bringing traditional cultural values into everyday fashion. Based on the lessons learned from my own small projects, with the aim of commercializing everyday fashion products inspired by Vietnamese cultural heritage, and drawing inspiration from UNIQLO Vietnam's UTme! campaign, I hope to study in Japan to delve deeper into methods and approaches for integrating traditional values into modern lifestyles." Trinh Tuan Minh, a student from Nguyen Sieu School, expressed his desire to contribute to Vietnam's transition to a circular economy and promote development aligned with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With his desire to apply knowledge, skills, and passion, especially in effectively utilizing resources from waste, Minh hopes to help bring the fruits of development to communities with fewer opportunities. On this occasion, Fast Retailing announced the opening of applications for the 2027 scholarship program from July 1st to September 1st, continuing to offer opportunities for outstanding Vietnamese students with excellent academic achievements, outstanding qualities, and aspirations for self-development to study in Japan. The full Fast Retailing scholarship covers admission fees, enrollment fees, and tuition fees for each semester; a one-time living support allowance of 200,000 yen (in the first year); and monthly living expenses (including accommodation costs) ranging from 144,000 to 160,000 yen. The total scholarship value is up to 4,500,000 yen per year. According to the organizing committee, candidates must be Vietnamese citizens, under 19 years old at the time of university enrollment, and enrolled in an English-taught undergraduate program at one of the universities designated by the Fast Retailing Foundation. Candidates must not concurrently receive any other non-reimbursable scholarships and should have a desire to learn about Japanese culture and language during their studies. For academic ability, candidates must possess a TOEFL iBT score of 90 or IELTS score of 7.0 or higher; and meet one of the following conditions: SAT score of 1,450, ACT score of 33, IB predicted score of 40, or a total score of 340 for two subjects (Mathematics Course 2 and Science) in the EJU examination.