Attracting top talent

The goal of recruiting at least 2,000 excellent lecturers from abroad for higher education by 2030 presents both opportunities and challenges, requiring Vietnam to simultaneously address numerous issues related to remuneration policies, working conditions, financial mechanisms, administrative procedures, and the research environment.

Professor Salim S.Abdool Karim - winner of the VinFuture 2021 Special Prize - shared his thoughts at Hanoi Medical University. Photo: C. Tuyen.

Many new policies

Over the past period, the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City has recruited 69 outstanding scientists who graduated from top 100 universities worldwide to work under the VNU350 Program after the first five recruitment rounds.

Similarly, several other higher education institutions are also actively attracting talented professionals through various programs and incentive policies. At the national level, in recent years, Vietnam has implemented numerous policies to attract intellectual resources from abroad, including both international experts and overseas Vietnamese intellectuals. However, the results have not yet lived up to the potential.

In fact, many experts point out that while the Party and State currently have a very open policy of attracting foreign experts and scientists, implementation at higher education institutions still faces many obstacles. One of the main reasons is that current legal regulations are still inadequate and lack specific guidance mechanisms, making application at universities that are not financially autonomous difficult.

Recently, among the four proposed solutions to attract investment capital to Ho Chi Minh City, the Government has suggested exempting foreign experts from personal income tax for the first 12 months and reducing it by 50% for the following 29 months. This is expected to be a breakthrough policy, creating a clear competitive advantage for Ho Chi Minh City in attracting high-quality international experts, while also contributing to the formation of a more attractive working environment for highly skilled personnel to live and work long-term.

We need to create an open environment and a synchronized ecosystem.

Speaking with a reporter from Dai Doan Ket Newspaper, Professor Dr. Do Ngoc Minh from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, who also serves as Honorary Vice-Chancellor of VinUni University, said that he and many of his colleagues abroad are very excited about the many policies aimed at attracting foreign experts to work in Vietnam. Professor Minh believes that for scientists, all they need is a favorable environment to focus on research, so that they can produce products that contribute to society.

“From my experience and working with young lecturers, I've noticed that people in Vietnam are most concerned about two things. First, they need a very good working environment and opportunities to create results that serve the community. Second, everyone has a family. People may be concerned about the learning environment for their children, healthcare, etc. These are some of the things they consider when deciding where to live and work,” Professor Minh shared, adding that many experts are now willing to return to Vietnam to work. While salaries are no longer the main issue in many organizations, the environment also needs to be ensured to the best possible conditions so that scientists can feel secure and committed to working in Vietnam long-term. The government needs to have comprehensive policies to create a favorable and transparent ecosystem to attract international experts as well as Vietnamese intellectuals abroad to work and contribute to the country's development.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Huan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of HALCOM Vietnam Joint Stock Company, also agreed that in order for talented people to return and stay, Vietnam needs to create a comprehensive "talent-valuing ecosystem" that includes incentives, compensation, working environment, autonomy, and development opportunities. Only when talented individuals are truly respected and given opportunities to contribute can we build a strong intellectual workforce capable of driving the country's breakthrough in the new era.

The draft Political Report submitted to the 14th National Congress of the Party calls for special mechanisms and policies to identify, attract, train, cultivate, and utilize talented individuals; focusing on attracting excellent scientists and leading experts both domestically and internationally. Mr. Huan believes that Vietnamese experts abroad are a special intellectual resource. To attract them, the state needs more flexible cooperation mechanisms such as short-term contracts, remote work, guest lecturing, consulting, or participation in national projects in a flexible format, rather than necessarily requiring them to return to the country for long periods.

Empowering talented individuals is also a key point emphasized by many experts to truly motivate them to contribute and develop their abilities. If the research environment remains heavily bureaucratic, even with good incentives, it will be difficult to persuade experts to come and stay in Vietnam long-term.

Lam An

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/thu-hut-nguon-nhan-luc-tinh-hoa.html