VOV.VN - Vietnam’s efforts to attract talent must go beyond recruitment, with effective deployment, competitive incentives, supportive working environments and responsible leadership essential to enabling talented individuals to fulfil their potential and contribute to national development.
Talent is a vital national resource, underpinning a country’s strength and competitiveness. Yet attracting talented people is only the first step; enabling them to fulfil their potential and make meaningful contributions is an even greater challenge. Alongside competitive incentives, this requires a supportive working environment and, above all, a strong commitment from leaders to identify, deploy and recognise talent effectively.
The 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, held early this year, has set the goal of turning Vietnam into a developed, high-income country by 2045. To achieve this ambition, the Party Central Committee and the Politburo have introduced a series of strategic resolutions designed to drive breakthroughs in key sectors. These identify talent as a particularly important national resource, capable of spearheading scientific and technological development and strengthening the country’s competitiveness.
The Vietnamese saying “Hiền tài là nguyên khí quốc gia” (Lit. talented and virtuous people are the nation’s core vitality) reflects a long-standing recognition of the value of talent. However, true talent must be accompanied by integrity, strong ethical standards and a sense of responsibility. Attracting and making use of talent, therefore, is not simply about recruiting capable individuals; it also involves identifying the right people, matching their abilities to suitable roles and giving them the conditions to contribute.
Nguyen Duc Ha, former director of the Party Organisation Department under the Party Central Committee’s Organisation Commission, argues that identifying and selecting talented people requires selectors themselves to possess professional competence, integrity and the ability to bring talented individuals together.
He also cautions against equating the recognition of talent with appointing gifted individuals to leadership or management positions. Everyone has different strengths and career paths, and the priority should be to help people develop their abilities in areas where they can make the greatest contribution.
“Some experts could make a greater contribution to the country and its people if they continued working in their specialist fields and developed their particular strengths. However, when placed in management positions without sufficient experience, they may encounter difficulties or even commit violations,” Ha explains.
For this reason, he believes that making effective use of talent should focus on creating opportunities for individuals to develop in line with their abilities and expertise, rather than automatically steering them towards management roles. Allowing talented people to pursue appropriate specialist careers can deliver more practical benefits for the country’s rapid and sustainable development.
Sharing this view, Associate Professor and Doctor Bui Hoai Son, deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Publicity, notes that not every talented individual needs to become a leader or enter the public payroll.
A scientist, for instance, needs suitable research facilities and academic freedom. A technology expert requires access to practical challenges and relevant data, while young talent needs opportunities to test their abilities, earn trust and receive guidance. For Vietnamese intellectuals living overseas, collaboration could be expanded through projects, specific assignments and expert networks, without necessarily requiring them to return to work in Vietnam full-time.
At the same time, incentive policies for newly recruited talent should ensure fairness towards those who have been quietly contributing their expertise and dedication within the country.
“If attracting talent is still viewed primarily as recruiting additional people to fill existing positions, assessing them through qualifications and seniority, or expecting everyone to follow the same career path, we may overlook individuals with genuine capabilities,” Son observes.
He advocates a different approach, by identifying the major challenges facing the country, seeking out people capable of addressing them, assigning responsibilities commensurate with their abilities, granting them the necessary authority and resources, and evaluating them based on their contributions.
“Policies can attract talented people, but retaining them and enabling them to fulfil their potential depend first and foremost on trust, respect for professional expertise and opportunities to create meaningful value,” he says.
Alongside a fresh approach to talent deployment, appropriate incentives and a supportive working environment are essential to an effective talent strategy.
Former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Nguyen Tien Dinh suggests a more comprehensive, practical and attractive policy framework for attracting and making effective use of talent, in line with the country’s new requirements and development priorities.
In his view, such policies should go beyond salaries and income to cover housing, workplace facilities and other conditions necessary for people to perform their duties. More importantly, talented individuals should be given the autonomy and resources to carry out programmes and projects they propose.
Their initiatives, contributions and proposals should be properly recognised and assessed, forming a basis for training, professional development, career progression and promotion.
An open and transparent working environment is equally important. Unnecessary administrative procedures should be reduced, and institutional barriers that prevent talented people from concentrating on their work and making contributions should be removed.
Dinh points out that even the best policies are only a starting point. Equally important is the responsibility of agencies and organisations employing talented people, particularly their leaders, to create favourable conditions for them to demonstrate their abilities.
“Leaders must be willing to work with people whose professional expertise exceeds their own. When deputies or junior staff possess stronger specialist capabilities, their leaders must acknowledge and recognise those strengths and create opportunities for them to excel. A good leader is someone who knows how to make effective use of talented people,” he emphasises.
This requires leaders to demonstrate not only management skills but also integrity, impartiality and an open-minded attitude. They must be capable of recognising the strengths of their colleagues and subordinates, rather than allowing personal prejudices or narrow-minded practices to stand in the way of talent.
Attracting talented people is only the beginning; deploying them effectively and retaining them are the real tests of a successful talent policy. Beyond financial incentives, the decisive factors are a working environment built on trust, respect for professional expertise and opportunities to take on responsibilities suited to individual strengths.
A good leader is not necessarily someone who excels in every field, but someone capable of identifying talent, recognising its value and enabling others to fulfil their potential. Only when talented people are placed in the right roles and given genuine opportunities to contribute can their capabilities become a driving force for the country’s rapid and sustainable development.
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