This is an issue raised within the framework of the signing ceremony of the Cooperation Agreement between VICA Association and HTMi Switzerland and LetaxGroup (Australia) in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 24.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Andri Meier - Deputy Head of the Development Cooperation Department - Swiss Embassy in Vietnam said that tourism is one of the key sectors in Vietnam's economic development strategy to 2030.
For the tourism industry to grow positively, it is indispensable to have high-quality human resources. Mr. Meier believes that cooperation in human resource training for the tourism, restaurant and hotel industry between Vietnam and Switzerland does not stop at individual training, but also opens the door for development for the whole industry.
Agreeing with this view, Mr. Nguyen Thuong Quan - Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Vocational Education and Cooking (VICA) said that those who are chefs, hotel administrators, and tourism in Vietnam now not only need professional skills, practice and experience but also need to access international standard training programs.
Among the countries with a long history of hospitality education (restaurance, hotel, tourism services...), Switzerland has become an important strategic partner of Vietnam. This is an ideal destination for Vietnamese students to have the opportunity to study in an international standard environment, combining theory and practice, tradition and innovation.
That is the reason why VICA has joined hands with HTMi - one of the leading Swiss academies in hotel management, tourism - and the prestigious study abroad consulting group Letax.
HT Mi (Hotel and Tourism Management Institute) Switzerland has been ranked in the Top 20 globally in the field of Hotel and Tourism Management according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025. Here, students are well-trained through each semester, with at least 6 months of internship per year. This is an opportunity to bring in a significant source of income for students to cover their study and living expenses.
The main goal of this cooperation is to enroll and improve the quality of vocational training for Vietnamese human resources, especially in the fields of services, chefs, and tourism - hotel management.
In the first phase, the two sides will coordinate to select capable students, bringing the first generations of Vietnamese students to Switzerland to study at HTMi. After completing the European standard program, students will not only have the opportunity to work in Europe but can also return to contribute to the development of the market and training industry in their hometown, said Mr. Nguyen Thuong Quan.
In the long term, through strategic cooperation, the parties will move towards building training academies right in Vietnam. This model allows students to study on-site but still access international standard training programs, thereby meeting the demand for high-quality human resources in the country and exporting skilled labor to international markets.
The President of VICA hopes not only to improve the competitiveness of domestic human resources in the hotel and restaurant industry but also to gradually build an international standard education and vocational training ecosystem right in Vietnam.
