In a press conference held on Tuesday in HCM City, Vogt-Roberts revealed that he will be co-operating with a US university to establish a scholarship in art fields for Vietnamese students.
Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts speaks at a press conference announcing his scholarship fund for Vietnamese art students on May 16 in HCM City
According to the director, he plans to offer four-year scholarships, each valued at USD90,000 per year which will cover study fee, materials, living expenses and travelling for Vietnamese art students to study in the US from 2018. Students can choose such majors as cinema, photography, fashion, dance or graphic design. He also stressed the need to provide opportunities for female students.
"I had a very strong grandmother and a strong mother who were a great inspiration to me," he said. "And I think that I just want to be an encouragement to all people. But I think women in general sometimes stay away from film industry because they think it's just for men. And people's telling stories to you are females not just males. And I am looking for someone like director Ngo Thanh Van. I think she can be a great inspiration to girls and youth in Vietnam. I think she's a great example."
The newly-appointed tourism ambassador of Vietnam said he partly established the fund from the revenues of his Kong: Skull Island as a way to express his gratefulness for the country which he said had an important role in the success of the film. He has also been calling for contributions from Vietnamese and international donors to support future talent.
The American director added that he will help develop Vietnamese TV shows which are still very small.
"I want to bring in many big movies and some small movies to Vietnam," he said. "I want to bring high-quality shows which are shot here. They can have some American actors and also Vietnamese cast."
In a recent meeting with leaders of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Vogt-Roberts shared that he's going to make a film to promote Vietnam's landscapes and hope to receive support from local authorities.