Thu Ngân

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Chí Dũng has praised Vietnamese youths as talented, intelligent, and ambitious, highlighting their strong passion for mathematics -- a key foundation for technology, innovation and digital transformation.

He offered the praise during the inauguration of SAP Labs Vietnam in HCM City in August.

At the event, the German software corporation announced an investment of 150 million euros (US$176 million) in SAP Labs Vietnam which will play a key role in supporting SAP’s product development in core areas, including sustainable digital supply chains and intelligent enterprise solutions, enabled by AI.

Having recruited over 200 employees since September 2024, SAP Labs Vietnam intends to expand the payroll to 500 by 2027 by hiring predominantly Vietnamese talent.

The strategic factors influencing SAP's decision included an abundant talent pool and robust education system.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Chí Dũng (front left) at the inauguration of SAP Labs Vietnam in August in HCM City. This new hub plays a significant role in supporting SAP’s product development in core areas. Photo courtesy of SAP Labs Vietnam

"When we decided to set up the lab, it was based on research as well as discussions with many companies and academic institutions in Việt Nam,” Manik Saha, managing director of Labs Singapore & Vietnam, said.

“In the past year, the 220 engineers we’ve hired have already delivered outcomes and products that are now part of our global portfolio. This validates our initial hypothesis that Việt Nam’s talent pool can play a significant role in developing our core products.”

The recruitment efforts by a prominent global technology group underscore the fact that Việt Nam possesses a strong and high-quality human resource base capable of meeting the demands of major industry players.

The country has been proactively preparing its human resources to support advancements in science, technology and innovation.

Việt Nam's top priority now is to achieve its strategic targets by 2030 and 2045, which are to become a developing upper middle-income nation with a modern industrial base by 2030 and a developed high-income socialist country by 2045.

Science, technology development, innovation, and digital transformation are key to reaching the goals as is an accessible, high-quality talent pool.

An IT class at Tống Văn Trân High School in the northern province of Ninh Bình. Currently, all students in the province have individual learning accounts. VNS/VNS Photo by Nguyễn Lành

General Secretary Tô Lâm of the Communist Party of Việt Nam signed a resolution late last year aimed at advancing science and technology development, innovation, and digital transformation. Known as Resolution 57, it prioritises training initiatives and the implementation of special policies for attracting talent.

These measures are pivotal to enabling Việt Nam to catch up with and even outpace other nations in the global race for technological and innovative excellence.

The targets for 2030 include having 12 people per 10,000 population engaged in scientific research, technological development and innovation and 40-50 sci-tech organisations recognised regionally and globally.

Other targets include a 10 per cent annual rise in published international scientific papers and 16-18 per cent growth in the registration of patents and intellectual property rights.

In an interview with Việt Nam News, Ngô Thị Ngọc Lan, regional director of Navigos Search Hà Nội, highlighted the country’s advantages, including a golden demographic structure with its young, growing labour force, Government support, quality higher education and an emerging innovation ecosystem.

“Việt Nam’s technology startup ecosystem is thriving, with numerous initiatives by young entrepreneurs in fields like AI, fintech and e-commerce. The increasing number of incubators and accelerators is nurturing and developing innovative projects while training skilled experts and technologists," Lan said.

“Developing high-skilled personnel is one of the Government’s top priorities. It has been actively investing in STEM education, providing scholarships, improving and adding new university curricula, and promoting international cooperation."

Furthermore, the Government’s push for new initiatives has contributed to the development of the workforce in line with future technological trends.

Under Resolution 57, actions to develop human resources will include strengthening investment and innovation and enhancing the quality of education and training to ensure the requirements of science and technology development and national digital transformation are met.

It seeks to implement favourable mechanisms related to credit, scholarships and tuition fees to attract talented students to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, engineering and technology, especially at the postgraduate level.

In addition, it will help establish advanced schools, centres for training in AI and create mechanisms for public-private cooperation in training people in digital technology.

Developing a qualified workforce of lecturers and scientists to teach basic science, semiconductor technology, microcircuits, and key areas of engineering and technology will be a priority.

Furthermore, it will seek to enhance cooperation with reputable foreign universities, create international standard training programmes and modernise teaching methods.

Young people in the southern province of Tây Ninh are exploring visual technology. VNA/VNS Photo Đức Hạnh

Kiên Nguyễn, head of Industry Solutions at German digital consultancy Gradion, said Việt Nam had a young, dynamic and abundant workforce, which would be a major advantage in the process of industrialisation. However, the gap in high-tech skills remained significant.

"The biggest challenge today is not only the shortage of manpower, but also the mismatch between the capabilities of the current workforce and the requirements of smart manufacturing, where engineers need to be proficient also in data literacy, system integration and cross-functional operations," Nguyễn said.

“We believe this is also a tremendous opportunity. If Việt Nam invests in the right approach to education and workforce development, the country can accelerate rapidly in its digital transformation and Industry 4.0 journey.”

Collaborative endeavours

Both the Government and the private sector have organised various programmes and initiatives to develop human resources in science and technology development, innovation and digital information.

University student group NIION, with their project to turn garlic peels into biomass pellets, prepares to mass-produce and commercialise the product as an environmentally friendly alternative to coal. Photo courtesy of the NIION Team

At a meeting in June, Minister of Science and Technology Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng said developing a high-quality workforce in science, technology development, innovation and digital transformation would be a crucial factor for progress.

The Ministry of Science and Technology plans to co-ordinate with localities to assess practical needs, thereby developing and implementing training programmes and workshops that are suitable, practical and responsive to the requirements of labour force development to serve digital transformation and digital economic development.

Thomas Saueressig, executive board member of SAP SE, commended Việt Nam's dedication to science and technology, particularly its focus on STEM education and research essential for emerging technologies like AI.

“Front-running research is essential to stay ahead, and that’s why a strong government commitment to the digital economy, science, and technology is so important,” Saueressig said.

A number of collaborative efforts between the Government, companies, universities, and organisations are underway to develop and attract people for science, technology, and digital transformation.

SAP, beyond its recruitment efforts, is striving to accelerate market and ecosystem development by partnering with a number of Vietnamese universities through the University Alliances programme.

They offer online SAP courses through learnings.sap.com, providing accessible and often cost-free ways to obtain certification in SAP technologies.

Nguyễn of Gradion said that it opened the Vietnam Automation Centre of Excellence in Bình Dương Ward of HCM City to help accelerate the use of robotics, AI and automation, contributing to the realisation of Việt Nam’s industrial digital transformation strategy.

“We consider human development one of our core missions. The centre is designed as a ‘learning by doing’ environment where students and young engineers can practise directly on real production lines with robots, manufacturing execution system and warehouse management system, and AI solutions," Nguyễn explained.

“At the same time, through partnerships with universities such as Eastern International University and industry associations, the centre contributes to shaping a new generation of engineers, those who not only understand technology, but also master and implement it in real manufacturing."

To advance its aim of becoming a leading research university system in Asia, the Việt Nam National University Hồ Chí Minh City (VNUHCM) has launched the VNU350 programme to draw in and develop 350 exceptional young scientists before 2030.

The university shared with Việt Nam News that it had implemented training programmes to develop human resources across all educational levels.

All programmes are designed to meet international standards, including three advanced ones, 36 taught in English, and 82 developed in cooperation with reputable universities in the US, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Europe, and other countries, according to VNUHCM.

Currently, VNUHCM has nearly 100,000 undergraduate students and over 10,000 postgraduate students.

Each year it produces nearly 20,000 graduates with bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in fields such as engineering, architecture, medicine, and pharmacy. Its alumni include many successful entrepreneurs and leading scientists, recognised both nationally and internationally.

It also plans to provide vocational transformation training programmes for 80,000 people in microelectronics technology, digital transformation and AI. VNS