The "playful" old teacher - Tran Anh Tuan

(NLDO)- Among career guidance experts, Mr. Tran Anh Tuan, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Vocational Education Association, is a person with admirable seniority.

U70 still diligently "running shows"

Mr. Tuan's "show" is not a stage with flashy lights but an old podium, a sunny school yard of a village school. The more remote and isolated the place is, the more Mr. Tuan wants to go there. His sweaty back, white hair and inspiring stories spread throughout the provinces and cities.

Mr. Tuan enthusiastically guides each student's career.

When he took the microphone, his words were very decisive.

In April 2019, Mr. Tuan retired, ending a 40-year journey with the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City. Of which, he spent 10 years as Deputy Director of the Center for Human Resource Demand Forecasting and Labor Market Information of Ho Chi Minh City.

One journey has just ended, another journey has begun. Immediately after retiring, Mr. Tuan quickly continued to contribute to the Ho Chi Minh City Vocational Education Association. In July 2020, as Vice President of the association and career guidance consultant, he became an indispensable figure in the consulting programs of Ho Chi Minh City and provinces and cities across the country.

As always, among many consultants, the U70 teacher's consulting area always attracts the most students. What Mr. Tuan shares is close and easy to understand, occasionally interspersed with a few "rough" words, but the children's eyes are wide open, heads nodding, grinning, attentively listening without missing a word.

In 1987, Mr. Tuan began participating in career guidance activities. At that time, he was the Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Job Consulting and Introduction Office under the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs (now the Department of Home Affairs) and established by the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union.

At the age of 67, the teacher said in a very enthusiastic voice: "I am old but I still have strength, if I can do it, then younger people must also be able to do it. Career counseling is not difficult but it is a long-term matter and requires dedicated people to stick with it for a long time."

Having worked with Mr. Tuan for more than 16 years in career guidance, Mr. Nguyen Van Diep, representative of the Job Connection Company, jokingly calls Mr. Tuan a "playful" teacher. According to Mr. Diep, career guidance, especially in disadvantaged and remote areas, is a challenging journey and requires great dedication from those who carry it out.

Mr. Diep still remembers the memory of 2019, when the group had a career counseling trip in the Central Highlands, lasting half a month. In one day, they counseled at 4 high schools, each school was dozens of kilometers apart, the road was dangerous and muddy. At night, the group slept temporarily at the union house, the toilet had no door, the roof was leaky, on a day when it rained heavily, they were sure to lose sleep all night.

"But the "teacher" never complained. No matter how late he stayed up, he was the one who woke up the next morning, urging everyone in the group to check everything before moving. That spirit made young people like us very respectful" - Mr. Diep recalled.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, despite having to wear a mask, Mr. Tuan still diligently did career guidance work.

I don't go to everyone who invites me!

During his consulting sessions in Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Tuan likes to ride his motorbike to school, drink coffee in the morning and chat with his students. Although he is nearly 70 years old, his optimism and love for work have never "cooled down".

He said he really appreciates invitations to participate in consulting from schools, partners, colleagues... however, he usually only accepts career guidance programs in remote areas.

Students surrounded the teacher to listen to him share about his career.

The Vice President of the Vocational Education Association said that in Ho Chi Minh City, students have easy access to technology and experts, and career guidance only needs to be correct to achieve 70% success. In the countryside, students lack many things, and need people who have time to talk about each group of general majors, then orient each specific major.

"The further away, the more clear career guidance is needed. If career guidance is correct, students may not be sure to succeed, but without career guidance, they will certainly fail. There are many cases where after finishing junior high school or high school, they have to work as factory workers, "running around" for every meal, with unstable jobs..." - Mr. Tuan worried.

The "number 1" career expert today

That is the affirmation of Dr. Nguyen Duc Nghia, former Vice President of Ho Chi Minh City National University, when talking about his long-time colleague.

According to Dr. Nguyen Duc Nghia, that position is created from a rare combination. It is a nearly exclusive data platform, a vision that covers the entire education system, especially a passionate heart, a passionate fire with the mission of orienting the future for the young generation.

Dr. Nguyen Duc Nghia, former Vice President of Ho Chi Minh City National University and Mr. Tran Anh Tuan participated in career counseling for Ho Chi Minh City students in October 2025.

Having worked at the "headquarters" of labor data in Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Tuan's advice is built on a huge source of data and scientific analysis capabilities.

Mr. Tuan does not "guess" the future, but rather "predicts" it. Instead of following short-lived career "trends", he always presents a realistic picture with telling numbers.

"The work of student orientation after secondary school (grade 9) is a difficult area, many experts avoid it, but Mr. Tuan is especially interested, because this is the most important "bottleneck" in the national human resource orientation. He not only focuses on advising grade 12 students during the admission season but also advises along the entire development journey of a student from grade 9 to university, creating a continuous and consistent career orientation ecosystem" - Dr. Nguyen Duc Nghia shared.

Talking about his old friend and long-time colleague, Dr. Nguyen Duc Nghia smiled and said that Mr. Tuan had a habit of taking photos of all the places he went to consult. "That journey map recorded his tireless footsteps over the years.

Despite his busy work schedule, Mr. Tuan always makes time for his family.

The habit of taking photos anytime, anywhere has become a characteristic of the U70 teacher.

After many years of career guidance, Mr. Tuan is still very worried when seeing many students fall into a state of virtual thinking, thinking wrongly about careers, not choosing according to their abilities and passions but always following "hot" trends. Others just choose a major, as long as they can get into the school their family wants. Or choose too many university wishes and then cannot determine their goals for the future, do not know who to become.

"I really hope that students understand that there is no "hot" major. Only when students choose the right major and love the right profession can they create their own value, that is "hot". Career guidance not only guides students but also helps parents and teachers have a more positive and appropriate perspective for the times" - Mr. Tuan emphasized.

Mr. Tran Anh Tuan has received the title of Emulation Fighter at the grassroots level and Emulation Fighter at the city level many times. He was awarded the Ho Chi Minh City Badge, Certificate of Merit from the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs (now the Department of Home Affairs), Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee; Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister (2010); Third-class Labor Medal (2016).

Source: https://nld.com.vn/ong-giao-gia-chiu-choi-tran-anh-tuan-196251118084246969.htm