Not a reckless dance
Ms. Chu Thi Thu (36 years old, in Hanoi) wrote a resignation letter in March 2025, right after the Tet holiday. That was the decision that surprised both colleagues and relatives when she was working in the right profession, had a stable environment, a comfortable sleep schedule, and was in charge of the department.
She said that after 11 years of working in the public sector, she has been majoring in geology, hydrology and water resources since graduation. The job is suitable, less economic pressure, and time for family and young children.
But the later it got, the more she felt the sluggishness and stagnation of herself in an environment that was considered safe. The salary coefficient of 3.33 after many years of striving is still not enough to match the responsibility, especially during the period when she had to concurrently manage the department when there was a lack of a head teacher.
The decision to leave the public sector, for Ms. Thu, was not a reckless leap. During her time as a state employee, she still took on additional outside projects to earn more income. That experience helped her gain confidence when starting to become an independent consultant in the field of water resources - a profession that few people pursue and requires high expertise.
Currently, as an independent consultant, her job is to support underground or surface water mining units such as water supply stations, well mining companies, etc. When exploiting at the prescribed water level, businesses must apply for a license from a competent authority.
And she acts as an intermediary to support the business in completing this procedure. Income fluctuates monthly, but on average is about 30 million VND, many times higher than the old salary.
Last July, she and two colleagues established their own consulting company. The company quickly has customers thanks to her reputation and professional experience in the industry.
When sharing her story, Ms. Thu clearly understood the concerns of many cadres, civil servants, and public employees who wanted to leave the public sector. They are afraid of difficulty in finding a job, afraid of wasting time with their children, afraid of working overtime, afraid of competitive pressure...
For Ms. Thu, quitting is not an adventurous turning point, but a journey to restart her career according to her ability. "As long as you areprofessional and willing to learn, you can survive anywhere" - Ms. Thu confided.
Maintaining and attracting talent in the public sector
Ms. Thu's story also partly reflects the reality that the 2025 Draft Law on Civil Servants is aiming for: Creating a flexible mechanism, encouraging expertise and creativity, while opening up more opportunities for those who dare to try their hand in the public sector.
According to the summary of the Draft Law on Public Employees (amended), the Draft Law focuses on three orientations: Innovation in civil servant recruitment, creating public-private human resource connectivity and reforming the assessment mechanism; expanding civil servant rights and classifying job positions. The draft emphasizes encouraging creativity and protecting cadres who dare to think and dare to do for the common good.
Dr. Doan Van Tinh - Deputy Head of the Department of Human Resources Management at the Academy of Public Administration and Management - commented: To maximize the potential of "unleashing resources" of public service units and promote the role of experts, the synchronization of the document system under the law (including the legalization of detailed job position mechanisms and the completion of capacity frameworks, assessment mechanisms, and treatment) must be given top priority.
Moreover, the State needs to establish a mechanism for "legal insurance" for risky innovations and strengthen risk management of conflicts of interest according to international standards.
At that time, the new 2025 Civil Servants' Law can create a positive, long-term impact, turning public service units into high-performance organizations, effectively serving the public and social interests, while truly retaining and attracting high-quality human resources and talents of the country.
