Developing high-quality human resources
Mr. Hoang Van Duong - Director of Lien Minh Maritime Joint Stock Company (Hai An ward, Hai Phong city) - is witnessing a clear recovery of the maritime industry after the period of heavy impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.Mr. Duong said that along with the recovery momentum of maritime transport, the demand for officers and crew members - who are important links in operating the fleet - has increased again.
In 2025 alone, the number of crew members trained and supplied by businesses increased by about 20-25% compared to the previous year.
If in previous years, maritime human resource training still faced many difficulties and shortages in both quantity and quality, the current human resource picture has "changed". This change is associated with the Party's major policy in the period 2021-2030 on fundamental and comprehensive innovation in education and training, and the development of high-quality human resources.
From a business perspective, Mr. Duong believes that the company prioritizes recruiting graduates from maritime schools, then continuing to train, especially improving foreign language proficiency, before being transferred to work on international fleets.
Over the past 17 years, the company has actively participated in the Project to Improve the Quality of Vietnamese Sailors (VSUP), jointly operated and managed by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, the Japan Shipbuilding Union and the Vietnam National Shipping Lines Trade Union. 4-month training courses help workers improve their foreign language skills, expertise and professional ethics before working on ships.
Looking at reality, Mr. Duong affirmed that the quality of Vietnamese crew members has now met the requirements of Japanese and Taiwanese ship owners (China) from health, professional ethics, foreign language proficiency to professional competence.
Labor market flourishes with economic recovery momentum
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Dr. Nguyen Quoc Viet - Deputy Director of the Institute for Economic and Policy Research (VEPR) - said that the recovery of the labor market in 2025 stems from the positive and comprehensive changes of the macroeconomy.
Mr. Viet believes that the labor picture is strengthened when observing from the perspective of the total demand of the economy, especially investment capital flows.
If previously the private enterprise sector mainly focused on service, real estate, wholesale and retail or some key agricultural sectors, in the past 5 years, the trend has changed significantly. Many private enterprises have shifted to key sectors of the economy such as infrastructure construction, manufacturing industry, steel, mechanics, automobiles, machinery manufacturing, as well as the maturity of a series of enterprises in supporting industries and high-tech industries.
The trend of structural shift will lead to a large recruitment demand for highly qualified, skilled and skilled labor, and is compatible with the shift of foreign direct investment (FDI) capital into Vietnam in recent years.
In 2025, Vietnam's total registered FDI capital exceeded the threshold of 38 billion USD, which reached the highest level in 5 years, while import and export turnover approached the 930 billion USD mark, reflecting the resurgence of the manufacturing - export sector and the increasingly clear role of FDI in economic growth and international integration.
