A representative from Loyola University Chicago (R) in the US talks to Vietnamese students during a US higher-education fair in Hanoi

Vietnam ranks ninth among the top ten countries and territories sending students for higher education in the US, moving up from the 13th place last year, according to a report released on Monday.

The report indicates that the number of Vietnamese students studying in the US in academic year 2008-2009 increased by 46.2 percent from the previous year.

The total is now roughly 12,800 students, according to the report.

The report noted that Vietnam’s increase was “dramatic” as the country was in only 20th place two years ago.

Of the total Vietnamese students in the US, 72.1 percent are enrolled in undergraduate programs, 15.2 percent in graduate programs and the remainder in other types of study or training programs.

According to a US Department of Homeland Security visa update from January 2009, there were more than 15,000 Vietnamese students in the US enrolled not only at universities but also high schools and vocational schools, making the US the world’s second leading host of Vietnamese students after Australia.

Some US campuses seeing declines in the number of international students cited reasons such as students’ concerns about the H1N1 virus and various effects of the current economic conditions.

But the report noted that the findings do not reflect the full impact of the past year’s economic downturn since “the decisions to come to the US to study were made before the financial effects were fully felt in the sending countries.”

India is now the leading country for international students in the US, followed by China and South Korea.

Reported by Huong Le