New opportunities for high-quality human resources

The education and training sector plays a leading role in improving the quality of Dong Nai’s human resources in the new phase.

Leaders of SMC Corporation (left) share information about automation equipment donated to Lac Hong University. Photo: Cong Nghia.

With a forward-thinking mindset, the education system from general to tertiary education is entering a strong restructuring process to align with the wave of high-tech investment and key national projects in the locality.

Need for a strategic human resources vision

As Dong Nai City enters a new phase of breakthrough development, a long-term vision for high-quality human resources development has become more urgent than ever. This is evidenced by the shortage of high-quality personnel at the Long Thanh International Airport project, which is preparing for operation but still lacks workers, even though local residents are given priority. In the near future, a series of new industrial zones, namely  Bau Can - Tan Hiep, Xuan Que, and Long Duc will also begin to welcome high-tech enterprises into operation, requiring a large number of high-quality workers.

To build a synchronized training ecosystem and avoid passivity in high-quality human resources, Dong Nai is decisively implementing solutions to reorganize public vocational education institutions at the intermediate and college levels, associated with strategic investment in training sectors aligned with demand. At the same time, the city advocates establishing breakthrough preferential policies on land and simplifying construction procedures to attract reputable domestic and international universities to establish campuses.

Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training Do Dang Bao Linh said that Dong Nai is among the leading localities nationwide in education socialization from preschool to higher education. Non-public schools currently have good training quality, proving that the direction of attracting investment into education is correct. Currently, the city continues to promote investment attraction in education with nearly 20 projects, including two university education zones in Long Thanh Ward (formerly Long Thanh Commune) with an area of 200 hectares and in Suoi Tre Ward with an area of 300 hectares.

At present, many universities in Ho Chi Minh City have come to Dong Nai to build campuses or survey suitable locations to seek investment approval. Among them, Ho Chi Minh City Open University officially opened a branch in Long Hung Ward in 2026, while Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Engineering opened a branch in Binh Phuoc Ward in 2025. Meanwhile, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City is also proposing investment in Phuoc Thai Commune. University of Transport Ho Chi Minh City is expected to continue investing in campuses in Binh An Commune and Suoi Tre Ward to implement the Ministry of Construction’s plan for a high-speed railway and aviation training center.

Students of A Chau Bilingual Primary-Secondary-High School at a graduation ceremony.

Reaching international standards

Training high-quality human resources requires close coordination among schools, businesses, and the State. This is considered a “three-legged stool” to thoroughly solve the supply-demand problem of highly skilled labor. Chairman of the Korean Business Association in Dong Nai Kim Young Hwan expressed his expectation that the locality will provide a stable supply of elite human resources so that companies can optimize and improve investment efficiency. This thorough preparation is the condition for more Vietnamese workers to master modern production technologies, and build sustainable value chains together with foreign enterprises.

The emergence of key large-scale transport projects is creating strong attractiveness for leading educational institutions nationwide to come to Dong Nai and establish strategic linkages. Notably, University of Transport Ho Chi Minh City aims to open a training facility in Binh An Commune to train personnel for the Long Thanh International Airport project and the North-South high-speed railway project in Suoi Tre Ward.

Sharing the same aspiration to reach a new height, universities in the locality are also accelerating efforts to achieve breakthroughs with flexible training strategies closely aligned with global education standards. Associate Professor Dr. Lam Thanh Hien, Rector of Lac Hong University, said: “The university is striving to standardize international training levels across disciplines, closely linking with enterprises to promote research and technology transfer.” At the same time, the university hopes to participate more deeply in supplying high-quality human resources for the city’s key projects.

Another bold step in upgrading education is the policy of “importing” high-quality human capital from developed countries to fundamentally improve teaching and learning quality, aiming toward international integration standards. Dr. Phan Ngoc Son, founder of Dong Nai Technology University, said that the university is actively bringing in foreign lecturers to teach in key disciplines to improve quality and reach international standards. Recently, the university appointed Professor Charl Villiers from University of Auckland (New Zealand) as Dean of the Faculty of Economics, thereby guiding the institution in training graduates in economic management to meet global standards.

Recognizing that the quality of general education is a solid foundation for tertiary education, the Department of Education and Training is promoting in-depth, substantive development from foundational levels to create comprehensive change. In particular, introducing English and artificial intelligence (AI) into schools is a priority step so that students can use English at basic and advanced levels and apply AI for communication in learning environments and work processing.

By Cong Nghia - Translated by Diec Quyen, Thu Ha