Developing high-quality human resources - driving force for Dong Nai’s breakthrough

Following the provincial merger on July 1, 2025, and officially becoming Vietnam’s seventh city on April 30, 2026, Dong Nai City is entering a new era of opportunities for modern development while positioning itself as a key national growth engine.

Students of LILAMA 2 International Technology College practice on modern CNC machines.

However, to realize the Politburo’s strategic vision for Dong Nai City's development, the issue of high-quality human resources requires more coordinated solutions, more decisive actions, and stronger breakthroughs than ever before.

High-quality human resources are indispensable

The merger of the former Binh Phuoc Province into Dong Nai and the city’s elevation in administrative status have created a vast new development space for Dong Nai. This transformation is not merely a change in administrative boundaries, but a turning point for the locality to become an economic hub and an international gateway for the Southeast region. The guiding principle for this journey, as defined by the Politburo, is to build a dynamic, civilized, and happy model city.

Strategic infrastructure systems such as Long Thanh International Airport, Phuoc An Port, and an expanding expressway network have attracted strong interest from global investors. Le Nu Thuy Duong, Vice Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and General Director of KN Holdings Group, said the corporation is urgently developing two next-generation industrial parks to welcome the world’s leading core technology corporations. According to her, in addition to modern infrastructure and favorable policies, attracting technology corporations also requires a readily available workforce with high qualifications and professional working skills.

In Phuoc An Commune, planned as a major logistics and industrial service center associated with Long Thanh Airport, pressure for highly specialized labor is becoming increasingly urgent. Do Huy Khanh, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People’s Council of Phuoc An Commune, said the locality is actively inviting major universities from Ho Chi Minh City to establish training campuses in the area. He emphasized that without high-quality local human resources, Phuoc An could miss its opportunity for breakthrough development, despite its “golden” advantages from the airport, seaport, and expressways.

Although development opportunities in Dong Nai are entering a mature phase, reality shows that the local workforce still falls short of the scale and demands of national key projects. For example, Long Thanh Airport is preparing for operations, yet many local skilled workers have not fully seized employment opportunities “on their own doorstep.” This situation calls for a well-structured training strategy to ensure local young people are not left behind amid the city’s rapid development.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Su Dinh Thanh, former Director of the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, said Dong Nai City’s goal of sustaining double-digit growth in the coming years shows the very strong political determination of the city’s Party Committee. Therefore, the city needs a contingent of highly qualified officials and a skilled workforce with creative thinking and strong implementation capacity. The city can no longer continue relying on labor-intensive industries but must make a strong shift toward the digital economy, green economy, and high technology. This requirement is the greatest challenge compelling Dong Nai City to act decisively to prepare a human resources foundation capable of shouldering its new mission.

Building breakthrough policies

To develop high-quality human resources for urban governance and socio-economic development, the Resolution of the Congress of the Dong Nai City Party Committee for the 2025–2030 tenure identified human resource training as one of the city’s breakthrough tasks. Among the key directions is developing Dong Nai University into a high-quality human resource training center for the city and the Southeast region.

Dr. Dang Anh Tuan, Rector of Dong Nai University in Tam Hiep Ward, said the institution is focusing on modernizing facilities, accelerating digital transformation, and developing a second campus in the northern part of the city. Attracting highly qualified lecturers and promoting international cooperation will provide the university with leverage to become a cradle of regional talent development.

Dong Nai has long possessed strengths and experience in the socialization of education. As a result, the city has developed a comprehensive educational system at all levels, from preschool to university. Private educational institutions currently account for around 18% of the system, among the highest proportions nationwide. In particular, private institutions are rapidly adopting international training programs and quality accreditation standards to train human resources for the city.

Dr. Do Thi Lan Dai, Chairwoman of the Council of Lac Hong University in Tran Bien Ward, described this as an unprecedented “golden period” for the university, marking its nearly 30 years of operation. The university, she said, will prioritize key training fields to meet the demanding needs of high-tech foreign-invested enterprises.

Vocational training must closely follow the practical needs of the labor market, especially in key technical sectors such as aviation, semiconductors, electronic chips, automation, and robotics. Nguyen Khanh Cuong, Rector of LILAMA 2 International Technology College in Long Phuoc Commune, stated that the college is striving to become a leading aviation workforce training center serving Long Thanh Airport. Developing strengths in electronics and precision mechanics will help students confidently secure important positions in the city’s new-generation green industrial parks.

Dong Nai’s education sector is focusing on implementing a comprehensive strategy for education and training development. Its core orientation is to put quality at the center and make a strong shift from mainly equipping learners with knowledge to comprehensively developing their competencies and personal qualities. In particular, to best prepare younger generations for international integration, the sector is stepping up training and capacity-building in digital competencies and international-standard foreign-language skills for teachers, school students, and university students. This endeavor is seen as a foundation that enables students in the city to confidently adapt to the digital economy, master technology, and be ready to embrace job opportunities in key local projects of global stature.

Truong Thi Kim Hue, member of the City Party Committee, Director of the Department of Education and Training

According to experts and scientists, Dong Nai City is adjacent to Ho Chi Minh City, one of the nation’s largest education and talent centers. Therefore, Dong Nai needs strong, competitive talent-attraction policies to compete with neighboring localities. Administrative reform and the establishment of a high-quality human resource development fund are important prerequisites for the growth of private educational institutions, enabling Dong Nai to become a university education and innovation center that supports breakthrough development.

Establishing a close relationship among the “three stakeholders”, the State, investors, and educational institutions, is regarded as the core factor ensuring the effectiveness and sustainability of the human resource development strategy. Enterprises should be encouraged to establish training centers directly at factories or to participate in the city’s workforce training chain through land incentives and government tax support. At the same time, personnel appointments must be based on professional competence, with regular qualification standardization and mechanisms to replace individuals with weak capabilities or a lack of professional dedication. Fairness and transparency in evaluating officials and civil servants will strongly motivate the public workforce to maximize creativity and effectiveness.

By Cong Nghia – Translated by Mai Nga,Minho