According to data from the General Statistics Office, in April 2026, Vietnam welcomed 2.03 million international visitors, bringing the total number of international visitors in the first four months of the year to 8.8 million, achieving 35% of the 2026 target.
Notably, this marks the first time in four consecutive months that the tourism industry has set a record of welcoming over 2 million international visitors each month. In the domestic market, Vietnam's tourism sector also recorded positive growth, with 51 million visitors in the first four months of the year, a 7.4% increase compared to the same period last year.
These figures demonstrate the growing appeal of Vietnamese tourism, but at the same time, they place considerable pressure on the tourism workforce, which is considered to be lacking and weak.
According to the 2024 report of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, preliminary statistics show that the tourism industry in Vietnam has approximately 2.5 million workers, with 800,000 direct employees. However, only 45% of them have received specialized tourism training, 55% are workers who have transferred from other industries (35%), and 20% are untrained.
Notably, among the 42% of tourism-trained workers, only 10% have university or postgraduate degrees, 50% have primary, secondary, or college-level qualifications, and 40% have received training through short-term courses.
Meanwhile, the tourism system plan for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2045, aims to create approximately 10.5 million jobs by 2030, including about 3.5 million direct jobs. This represents a significant gap in tourism human resources that needs to be filled if the industry is to keep pace with its rapid development.
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duc Thang, Vice Rector and Head of the Tourism Faculty at Dong A University of Technology, said: "Previously, tourists simply visited destinations while listening to explanations, but now, the trend of experiencing firsthand at cultural 'touchpoints' with local characteristics is becoming increasingly popular."
This requires tourism professionals to not only possess strong professional knowledge but also storytelling skills, the ability to apply technology, creative thinking, and interdisciplinary knowledge of the cultural industry and creative tourism to meet the practical demands of the market.
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duc Thang, as tourism enters a phase of competition based on quality, the problem with tourism human resources is not a shortage of unskilled labor, but a shortage of high-quality labor that meets international standards and can work immediately in a professional environment.
To cultivate this workforce, in addition to the training efforts of educational institutions, close collaboration with businesses is also necessary, from curriculum development and practical training to creating a civilized work environment with fair compensation and benefits so that employees can feel secure and committed to their profession.
According to Mr. Cao Tri Dung, Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, in the context of the strong development of the 4.0 revolution and digital transformation, Vietnam's tourism workforce is being shaped into two main groups: the group that embraces technology platforms, focusing on data digitization, product development, innovation in communication methods, and customer engagement; and the group that directly serves customers, focusing on direct interactions and providing in-depth experiences for tourists.
Regardless of their group, workers need to be equipped with core skills such as digital technology, foreign languages, and specialized knowledge to meet the demands of integration.
In particular, for direct service providers, the ability to personalize services is increasingly becoming a crucial competitive advantage.
According to Mr. Dung, it is necessary to innovate the training model towards strengthening networking capabilities, bringing students to internships and jobs at businesses as early and as often as possible.
Businesses can conduct their own training or commission customized training programs, ensuring that trainees meet the required output standards in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitudes, especially in information technology and foreign language proficiency. This is a key factor in preventing the tourism workforce from falling behind in the era of integration.
Many experts believe that it is time for the tourism industry to conduct research and statistical analysis to provide accurate forecasts of human resource needs in the medium and long term, thereby developing a synchronized training strategy that closely matches actual needs.
Recently, the Hanoi Department of Tourism organized a special training course at a hospital for tour guides and staff at tourist accommodation establishments, equipping them with basic first aid skills and how to handle situations promptly and correctly to minimize risks and ensure the safety of tourists before professional medical personnel arrive.
The department also organizes professional training and communication skills development for various other groups of personnel, such as cyclo drivers, chefs, and local residents at tourist destinations, to improve the quality of service for visitors.
Ho Chi Minh City also plans to organize training courses on skills promotion, consultation, and support for tourists; training on tourism knowledge, communication skills, and situation handling for forces directly serving tourism such as taxi drivers and service staff in the city…
These are practices that need to be replicated so that every force involved in tourism activities becomes part of a safe, civilized, and friendly destination ecosystem.
Ultimately, investing in tourism human resource training is not only about meeting the demands of the industry's development, but also a strategic solution to affirm Vietnam's quality and competitiveness on the regional and global tourism map.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/dao-tao-nhan-luc-du-lich-thich-ung-thi-truong-post964401.html
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