A new era and human resource development

Without proactively renewing our vision, mindset, and training methods for comprehensive human resource development, and without having strategies to identify, value, treat, and protect talents as we would defend strategic territories, the “soft borders” of a nation, no desired development can be achieved. Human resources and talent must be considered as a scientific pillar and a decisive factor in shaping a new era for the country.

Institutional reform made to pave the way for human capital and talent

Vietnam does not lack high-quality personnel or talents. What is missing is an effective, standardized, and motivational system for identifying, utilizing, recognizing, and protecting them  in a way that aligns with proper standards and motivation. We have wasted not a few talented individuals due to narrow-mindedness, prejudice, factionalism, parochialism, and even envy.

The reality where “positions outweigh competence” and that “mediocre officials are granted undeserved opportunities” has led to stagnation and eroded public trust in the system of utilizing human resources and talent. The brain drain is not solely due to the appeal of foreign countries but also because not a few places within the country stifle, suppress, and even encircle talented individuals.

Human resources and talents must be regarded as a scientific pillar and a decisive strategy in shaping Vietnam’s new era. In photo: Officials and civil servants of Dong Nai province attend 2025 training course on foreign affairs skills and diplomatic protocol.

Therefore, it is essential to  firmly uphold the following three-pillar approach:

First, there’s a need to recruit the right people for the job, not acquaintances with low competence. This must be done through public examinations and various forms of comprehensive assessment in terms of capacity, ethics, and ideals.

Second, assign people according to their strengths and to the right positions. Do not "plant the wrong tree in barren soil," nor force highly skilled individuals to work outside their expertise. Build an ecosystem where talent can live and thrive.

Third, choose people based on their necessity and suitability, not for the role, but for the mission. Use people as you would apply the law, based on merit, not status. Institutionalize mechanisms that truly listen to talent and protect them from bureaucratic stagnation, jealousy, and destructive internal politics.

More than ever, now recruitment must be reformed through transparent competition.

Remove rigid credential barriers and instead focus on qualities such as practical competence, civic ethics, and a spirit of public service.

Recruitment, critical feedback, and evaluation should be conducted by multi-dimensional councils with societal participation. This approach fosters collective intelligence and builds public trust in personnel selection. Open and competitive recruitment must be promoted across both the public and private sectors. Public, competitive recruitment should be applied to leadership and managerial positions, particularly those  working in public administration, education, science, and culture.

Additionally, social criticism  should be seen as an informal yet valuable channel for recognizing potential talents.

It is encouraged to pilot unique mechanisms in certain regions or sectors with strategic advantages, such as a transparent and fair “headhunting” model.

It may be time to consider the establishment of a National Talent Academy, an institution dedicated to identifying, training, and nurturing strategic human capital over the next 30 to 50 years, along with creating a  Global Vietnamese Intellectual Development Fund to connect domestic and overseas Vietnamese minds?

A National Talent Council, independent and advisory in nature, should be formed to assess strategic human resources. This council should operate cross-sectorally and be free from bureaucratic interference or personal connections, ensuring truly independent evaluations.

Refining mechanisms to attract, develop and retain talent

High-quality human resources  are needed to untangle the “knots” of development; talented individuals are not meant merely to attend ceremonies, but to shape the nation’s destiny.

They must be allowed to work as dynamic forces, not as symbolic figures in administrative systems. We must believe in and empower those who dare to think, act, and take responsibility. Assign them meaningful work and real authority. They deserve decision-making power, not auxiliary roles.

Put the right people in the right place at the right time. Talented individuals must be placed at the heart of the nation’s most pressing challenges, not based on seniority but on their ability to innovate. If necessary, use contract-based talent systems. Grant a “Green Card for Talent” to Vietnamese people around the world willing to return and contribute to the homeland. Assigning talented individuals the roles is a way of killing their potential.

Progress should combine both steady advancement and merit-based acceleration. Advancement must be based on capacity, not seniority or  degrees. We must abandon the mindset of “waiting for age” and assign based on mission instead. Prioritize young talents, trust in non-traditional intelligence, and break the habit of selecting people who resemble ourselves.

Task assignment must be tied to resources, budgets, and independently measured performance indicators..

Recognizing and utilizing talent is not merely about financial incentives. It is about treating them as national treasures.

Treating intellectuals with respect for their intellect and freedom of thought. Do not doubt them — honor their creative freedom. When talented individuals are forced to live in fear, a nation loses its innovative edge.

Creating an environment where people can leverage their strengths and overcome their limitations. Don’t force talented individuals to conform to outdated systems, instead, institutional reforms must be made to unlock their creativity. Treating talent with trust, autonomy, and room to act, not just with salaries and bonuses. What matters most is respect, absence of prejudice, and meaningful delegation of authority.

It is necessary to break the “closed circle” in personnel recruitment and build mechanisms that ensure open, fair, transparent, and scientific selection. Do not make personnel selection based on region, family ties, or background, but on merit, contributions, and the ability to solve complex problems.

Trusting and assigning tasks. Knowing how to assign the right people, at the right time, to the right tasks is not just an invitation, it is the act of empowering and entrusting them to solve systemic bottlenecks. Talented individuals from private enterprises, research institutes, or even non-Party intellectuals can be placed in public administration roles, as long as they meet the standards. Choose the right person- assign the right tasks- give the right rewards.

Comprehensive incentives are essential. Talent retention requires a creative environment and a competitive compensation system that includes income, working conditions, and growth opportunities. Yet above all, what truly matters is sincere trust, genuine respect, and fair recognition of contributions.

There must be policies for treating talent as a matter of national philosophy, not merely as administrative privilege.

A mechanism on protect talent, human resource

To effectively protect talent, three priorities must be pursued:

First and foremost, retain talented individuals as one would  keep the nation's fire alive..

What destroys talent is not the lack of money, but suspicion, suppression, political and cultural pressure.

A protection mechanism must be in place to shield talent from corrupt power, group interests, and narrow-mindedness. Internal feedback mechanism should be safeguarded; at the same time, those who dare to think, act, and take responsibility must be honored and empowered.

Second, protect human capital and talented individuals through compassion, wisdom, integrity, and courage.

Employing people is about employing the heart. Human resource, especially high-quality individuals do not seek lavish rewards, they need to be recognized, trusted and protected. Treatment of talent should not be based on rhetoric or formality, but on granting autonomy in creativity and management.  Talents must be protected from administrative barriers, prejudice, and envy. It is necessary to create space for critical feedback and anticipate acceptable margins of error in innovation.

Third, protect those who dare to speak the truth and voice criticism.

Talented individuals have the right to to critique, give feedback, and speak the truth — even when the truth is painful. They are not threats but the greatest asset of a political regime. Talent must be honored, not treated with suspicion.

Therefore, beyond mere encouragement, concrete actions must be taken through institutional reforms in talent utilization, incentives, and protection, guided by the principles of fairness, transparency, and healthy competition.

In general, a bold breakthrough in talent development strategy is crucial.  This includes purifying and cultivating the integrity of the public workforce through refining legal framework, individualizing accountability, and institutionalizing power control. This also entails ensuring good national governance aligned with ethical and cultural advancement, measuring the effectiveness of public service performance through regular and unscheduled evaluations, opening multiple recruitment paths, primarily through merit-based selection, and establishing fair reward and strict disciplinary mechanisms. If we are to avoid stagnation and decay, this is a path that we must pursue without hesitation or half-hearted efforts in this new era.

Dr. Nhi Le, former Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Communist Review

Translated by Minh Nguyet- Thu Ha