JOINT CIRCULAR NO. 68-LB/TC-KH GUIDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EXPENSES FOR TRAINING LAO AND CAMBODIAN STUDENTS STUDYING IN VIETNAM

CIRCULAR

JOINT MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND PLANNING INVESTMENT DECREE NO. 68/LB/TC-KH DATED SEPTEMBER 4, 1996 ON GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF TRAINING COSTS FOR STUDENTS FROM LAOS AND CAMBODIA STUDYING IN VIETNAM

- BASED on the opinion of the Prime Minister in Circular No. 3923/QHQT dated August 14, 1996 regarding the adjustment of training costs for students from Laos and Cambodia studying in Vietnam.

The Ministry of Finance and Planning Investment guides specifically the implementation of training costs for students from Laos and Cambodia studying in Vietnam as follows:

I. OBJECTS

The subjects to which the training cost applies are the number of students from Laos and Cambodia studying in Vietnam, recorded in the annual agreements signed between the Government of Vietnam and the Government of Laos, and between the Government of Vietnam and the Royal Government of Cambodia concerning economic-cultural-scientific and technical cooperation.

II. STRUCTURE OF TRAINING COSTS

1. Training costs are defined according to each level of education: Secondary, University or equivalent, Postgraduate, Senior Cadres, and short-term training programs (under 12 months).

2. Training costs consist of two parts:

- The part directly received by the student.

- Part managed, expended, and invested by the school to support learning and living facilities for students.

Specifically defined as follows:

2.1. Directly received by the student:

Includes scholarships and initial personal allowances:

a. Scholarships:

Students from Laos and Cambodia studying in Vietnam directly receive monthly scholarships in Vietnamese Dong for food, clothing, and pocket money at the following levels:

Unit Vietnamese Dong

b. Initial personal allowances (provided in kind):

- Students from Laos and Cambodia when first arriving to study long-term programs receive an initial allowance once for the entire course worth 1,000,000 dong per person.

- Short-term students (under 12 months) receive an initial allowance once for the entire course worth 330,000 dong per person.

- Students in Defense, Internal Affairs, Cryptography, based on military uniform standards and quantities, receive an additional allowance for uniforms worth 25,000 dong per person per month.

(See detailed content in Appendix 1 attached to this Circular).

2.2 School management and expenditure funds:

Includes: Regular monthly expenses, incidental expenses during the year, and incidental expenses throughout the entire period of study in Vietnam calculated on a monthly basis for each level of education, defined as follows:

Unit of measurement: Vietnamese Dong

- For Defense, Internal Affairs, Cryptography, Physical Education, Arts, Circus, and specialized schools training students from Laos and Cambodia, an additional 10% of regular monthly expenses for each level of education will be provided to increase support for learning and teaching for students.

- Based on the annual excellent student criteria set by the Ministry of Education and Training, students from Laos and Cambodia who are rated as excellent will receive an additional one-month scholarship for that year.

- Based on the actual facilities of units responsible for training students from Laos and Cambodia, investment and improvement of facilities will be supported to ensure each student has a minimum area of 15 square meters for living, eating, and daily activities according to the annual plan allocation.

(See detailed content in Appendix 2 attached to this Circular).

III. PLAN AND DISTRIBUTION

1. Based on the annual agreement signed between the Government of Vietnam and the Government of Laos, and between the Government of Vietnam and the Royal Government of Cambodia, and reports from relevant ministries, the Ministry of Planning and Investment will announce the annual plan for the quota of training students from Laos and Cambodia.

2. Based on the annual announcement of the quota for training students from Laos and Cambodia, based on the current number of students and the training cost quota specified above, relevant ministries will compile and prepare quarterly budget plans for funding needs according to specific items of the training cost quota to send to the Ministry of Finance for approval.

3. Based on the specific nature and characteristics of training and the number of students, relevant ministries will compile quarterly budgets according to the contents of the expenses defined in Appendices 1 and 2 attached to this Circular to send to the Ministry of Finance for approval, units may flexibly allocate funds for appropriate purposes but not exceeding the total amount specified for each item.

4. The Ministry of Finance will base on necessary requirements and the content of each task to approve quarterly funding for specific units as follows:

4.1 Items approved immediately based on actual needs:

- Airfare for the trip to Vietnam when students first arrive to study.

- Return airfare and airport fees, plus 20kg baggage fee.

(Items 3.1.1 and 3.2.1 in Appendix 2)

- Awards for students rated as excellent.

4.2 Items approved once when students first arrive to study in Vietnam:

- Initial personal allowances for students:

1,000,000 dong per person per course, if it is a long-term student.

330,000 dong per person per course, if it is a short-term student.

- Initial equipment for the school: 1,300,000 dong per person per course.

(Item 3.1.2 in Appendix 2)

4.3 Plan for investment and upgrading of facilities: (Items 3.1.11 and 3.2.9 in Appendix 2) will be based on the standards mentioned above and the actual conditions of units training students from Laos and Cambodia to formulate annually and be approved for distribution according to the annual plan allocation, funded centrally from the State Budget.

5. Remaining items not included in points 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3 above will be allocated and approved every quarter.

6. Ministries and sectors will report on the implementation of the first half-year plan and the full-year plan to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and submit final accounts of training costs for students from Laos and Cambodia to the Ministry of Finance at the end of the first quarter of the following year.

IV. IMPLEMENTATION

This Circular takes effect from September 1, 1996, and replaces all previous documents on training costs for students from Laos and Cambodia studying in Vietnam.

During the implementation process, if there are difficulties or obstacles, relevant ministries, sectors, and units shall promptly report to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Investment for examination and resolution.

APPENDIX 1

ATTACHED IS THE JOINT CIRCULAR OF THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND INVESTMENT NO. 68 LB/TC-KH, DATE OF 04 NOVEMBER 1996.

STUDENT ALLOWANCES TO BE RECEIVED DIRECTLY:

Includes: Scholarships and initial personal allowances necessary.

1. Scholarship:

Laotian and Cambodian students studying in Vietnam from which month shall receive scholarships from that month onwards in Vietnamese dong for regular food and clothing expenses and monthly expenditures, as specified for each level of education and according to specific contents as follows:

Unit: Vietnamese Dong/person/month

(1) Regular clothing expenses, including: 1 suit, 1 shirt, and 2 sets of undergarments valued at 24,000 dong, to be used over one year.

(2) Miscellaneous expenses: Laotian and Cambodian students shall bear their own expenses for personal travel, holiday celebrations on national days (national day, traditional festivals), and costs related to final graduation internship, the school will not directly cover these items but will create favorable conditions and assist students when needed.

The school will contact and organize insurance purchases for students (funds taken from scholarships for this purpose), medical examination and treatment costs are borne by the students.

(3) Senior officials: refers to leaders at the deputy minister level and above.

2. Initial Personal Allowances:

(For long-term courses averaging 5 years = 60 months).

- Laotian and Cambodian students when first arriving to study long-term programs in Vietnam shall receive an initial allowance once valued at 1,000,000 dong/person to purchase essential personal items for the entire course period, non-renewable upon transfer to another school or return home, specifically: 1 personal quilt (including cover and stuffing), 1 personal mosquito net, 1 suit, 1 sweater or warm coat, 1 pair of leather shoes or sandals.

- Students coming for short-term supplementary training (under 12 months) shall receive an initial allowance once valued at 330,000 dong/person to purchase essential personal items such as: 1 personal quilt (including cover and stuffing), 1 personal mosquito net, and 1 wash basin, to be used throughout the training period, which can be taken back home upon completion.

- Students in defense, internal affairs, and cryptographic departments shall base their allowances on military uniforms according to their respective fields, specifically: in addition to the clothing allowance and initial personal allowance like other student categories, they also receive additional uniform differential allowance valued at 25,000 dong/person/month.

ANNEX NO. 2

ATTACHED IS THE JOINT CIRCULAR OF THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND INVESTMENT NO. 68 LB/TC-KH, DATE OF 04 NOVEMBER 1996.

EXPENSES MANAGED AND INCURRED BY THE SCHOOL:

These are expenses directly serving teaching activities and student life, specified for each level of education as follows:

Unit: Vietnamese Dong/person/month

Including the following specific expenses:

1. Monthly recurring expenses:

- Teaching and learning support expenses = 35%

Includes: Teaching stipends, textbooks and materials for teaching and learning, laboratory and fieldwork expenses within and outside the school, and tutoring expenses outside regular hours.

- Regular administrative expenses = 65%

Includes: Electricity (70 Kw), water, office supplies, correspondence, cultural, sports, fuel, health care at the institution, hiring contract staff, and purchasing inexpensive consumables.

2. Annual incidental expenses:

Includes: Opening and closing ceremonies of the academic year, national day celebrations, traditional festivals, and minor repairs to fixed assets. The expenditure level is uniformly set for university levels at: 300,000 dong/person/year = (25,000 dong/person/month).

Based on the annual excellent student criteria set by the Ministry of Education and Training, students who are rated as excellent shall receive a one-month scholarship bonus for that academic year.

3. Course-related incidental expenses:

3.1. Regulations for long-term courses:

Includes the following expenses:

From item 3 to 10 will be allocated and reviewed quarterly = 125,000 dong/person/month.

Total standard for item 3.1 is: 560,000 dong/person/month.

3.2. Regulations for short-term courses (under 12 months):

Includes the following expenses:

From item 2 to 8 will be allocated and reviewed quarterly = 158,000 dong/person/month.

Total standard for item 3.2 is: 730,000 dong/person/month.

ANNEX NO. 3

ATTACHED IS THE JOINT CIRCULAR OF THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND INVESTMENT NO. 68 LB/TC-KH, DATE OF 04 NOVEMBER 1996.

SUMMARY OF TRAINING COSTS FOR LAOTIAN AND CAMBODIAN STUDENTS

Unit: Vietnamese Dong/person/month