On April 24, about 5,000 students from high schools in 5 northern provinces and cities were present in Hanoi, participating in Future Fest - a festival to learn and explore the picture of 64 majors and occupations organized by Phuong Dong University.
The event gathers many experts, businesses, and training units to bring a more comprehensive and realistic view of careers to the younger generation in the context of artificial intelligence (AI) and the rapidly changing labor market.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Huu Cuong, Rector of Phuong Dong University emphasized: The core goal of Future Fest is not "choosing a school", but "choosing the right major". When learners understand themselves clearly, have a correct understanding of the profession and have practical experience, the ability to make appropriate decisions will be much higher.
We do not aim for how many students come here to register for the school. More importantly, students find a major that suits their abilities and passions, thereby having a sustainable future, avoiding wasting time and social resources" - Mr. Cuong said.
Every year, after the end of the first phase of enrollment, statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training show that there are still candidates who, although admitted to university, do not enroll in university. In 2025 alone, this rate is 19.1%.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Huu Cuong said that this reality shows that career orientation in Vietnam still has "disparaencies".
A part of students are passively accessing information, not understanding the nature of the major, or are heavily influenced by family orientation. This leads to choosing the wrong major, causing waste of time, costs and affecting learners' psychology.
For students who have "accidentally" chosen the wrong major, Mr. Cuong recommends that they should proactively recognize the problem and boldly change; and should share with their families and teachers to find suitable solutions.
At Phuong Dong University, students are supported to change majors after one semester, and are also recognized for equivalent modules so as not to be prolonged in study time.
From a training perspective, the school also changed its approach in the direction of closely linking with the needs of the labor market. Businesses are invited to participate in building training programs, and students are facilitated to intern and train early. Thanks to that, the rate of students getting jobs in the right major reaches over 90%, and many students are recruited immediately during internships.
Self-oriented from what you really love
Sharing at the program, painter and translator Trinh Lu said that orientation is a big issue, not everyone can identify it right from the beginning. Each young person, to orient themselves, the first step is to understand themselves by asking the question: When I have time, what do I really like to do most?
He believes that a clear hobby can completely become a direction. However, for fields with a short career cycle, such as sports, young people need to soon consider longer-term options, preparing for the post-stage when they no longer pursue their core expertise.
More importantly, young people should not wait for guidance from others. Looking back at the journey from childhood to adulthood, identifying what you love is the foundation for making appropriate choices.
From personal experience, he shared that he once wanted to study architecture but did not have the opportunity to choose, but was assigned to the field of mining engineer. Initially, it was a foreign field, difficult to imagine.
However, when directly experiencing the working environment, from people to working space, he gradually realized the beauty of the profession. It was the change in his perspective that helped him find interest, study passionately and even have creativity in his work.
Each profession has its own beauty. If you find beauty and attractiveness in your work, you will be able to do it with passion, going beyond factors like salary or position" - translator Trinh Lu said.
