Standardizing training to develop a team of professional financial consultants
Speaking at the 2025 Personal Finance Planning Annual Forum, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Phuong - Deputy Director of the Banking Academy - affirmed that the profession of personal finance planning is increasingly playing an essential role in the modern financial ecosystem. However, for this profession to truly be effective, Vietnam needs to soon standardize training programs, build a capacity framework according to international standards and form a team of professional consultants.
We clearly identify the goal of not only equipping learners with an extensive professional knowledge base on personal finance, but also focusing on developing necessary soft skills, autonomy, independent thinking and professional ethics core factors to become a professional financial planner, Mr. Phuong emphasized.
The Banking Academy is currently one of the pioneers in training in Accounting and Personal Financial Consulting. According to Mr. Phuong, the program has been compared with prestigious domestic and foreign models, while updating international standards such as CFP certification (Certified Financial Planning). We continue to improve the content and teaching methods to ensure practicality, helping learners to immediately meet the job requirements after graduation, he said.
He also emphasized that in the context of people increasingly paying attention to asset management, effective investment and personal financial protection, the financial planning team is an indispensable "guide". They not only provide optimal solutions, but also accompany customers long-term throughout the process of cash flow management, investment planning, savings, retirement, insurance and credit.
It is necessary to establish a legal framework and a systematic professional capacity framework
However, one of the major bottlenecks at present is that Vietnam does not have a clear framework for professional capacity standards towards international access. Dr. Le Minh Nghia - Chairman of the Vietnam Financial Consulting Association (VFCA) - said that in order for the personal financial planning profession to develop professionally, it is necessary to establish a system of ethical, professional and practical standards according to the orientation of the World Financial Planning Standards Council (FPSB).
From a practical perspective, MSc. Ngo Thanh Huan - CEO of FIDT - said that Vietnamese people are currently easily "hit" by lack of thinking and personal financial management skills. The psychology of wanting to get rich quickly, lacking investment knowledge and not having a long-term financial plan puts many people at great financial risk, especially in the context of increasing social security pressure as the population ages rapidly.
According to Mr. Huan, to meet the increasingly clear needs of personal financial management, Vietnam needs a team of consultants trained according to international standards, capable of consulting from cash flow, investment, tax, retirement to insurance. The prerequisite is to establish a legal framework and a professional capacity framework in a systematic manner.
Meanwhile, from the perspective of the banking industry, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoai Thu - Director of HDBank Priority Customer Center - recognizes that personal financial planners will be the center of the sustainable development strategy of banks. According to her, the thinking of bank staff is shifting from "selling products" to "financial companionship" with customers, and the financial planning team is the core of this shift.
