A key pillar of this proposal is the prioritisation of high-quality human resource development to meet the demands of a knowledge-based economy and digital transformation.

Strengthening workforce quality

Dong Nai is currently one of Vietnam’s fastest-industrialising localities, with a well-developed network of industrial parks attracting strong domestic and foreign investment. This rapid expansion has played a significant role in economic growth, job creation, and labour force restructuring.
 

Students at Lac Hong University train in a specialised laboratory equipped with pneumatic systems sponsored by SMC Corporation of Japan. Photo: Cong Nghia

However, this development also highlights a major challenge: workforce quality. The proportion of highly skilled labour with advanced expertise remains insufficient to meet the needs of high- tech industries, modern services, and smart urban governance. In this context, the move towards city status is seen as an opportunity to introduce more ambitious policies in education, training, and talent attraction.
Each year, vocational training institutions work closely with businesses to develop training programmes, offer internships, and recruit graduates. As a result, more than 80% of trainees secure employment after graduation. In certain technical fields, such as metal cutting, industrial electronics, and welding, employment rates reach 100%.
In reality, businesses continue to face a shortage of skilled labour. This challenge has created a growing mismatch: while high-tech firms struggle to recruit suitable candidates, some workers are displaced by automation. To attract human resources, long-term policies from both local authorities and the business community will require coordination.

Tokin Electronics (Vietnam) Co., Ltd. (Long Binh ward, Dong Nai province) during production hours. Photo: Nguyen Hoa

Nguyen Quoc Truong, General Director of Anh Duong Irradiation Technology JSC (Long Thanh High-Tech Industrial Park), said the company has identified sustainable production and human capital as core priorities. It has implemented competitive incentive policies to attract and retain high-quality personnel, strengthened partnerships with universities to recruit outstanding graduates, and sent staff abroad for further training to meet job requirements.

Policies to attract and retain talent

Under its development plan to 2030, Dong Nai aims to become a modern, advanced, high- growth locality, surpass the high-income threshold and rank among the country’s leading provinces. The plan emphasises developing green industrial parks and transforming existing ones into high-tech industrial parks. Three priority product groups have been identified: the aviation industry, the semiconductor industry, chip production, and artificial intelligence (AI), as well as automation equipment and information technology (IT) equipment.

A view of Dau Giay Industrial Park. Photo: Xuan Phu

Dong Nai also plans to establish innovation hubs, concentrated IT zones, digital transformation projects, and specialised education and training complexes. The province aims to attract workers from other localities, particularly in logistics, transport, trade, and tourism. A provincial education and training complex is planned near the Long Thanh Airport urban area, leveraging its connectivity with industrial parks to meet future labour demand.
Dr Nguyen Van Tan, Vice Rector of Lac Hong University, said Dong Nai currently meets all seven criteria required to become a centrally governed city. However, to meet the demands of development in the next phase, the province must position human resources as a core pillar of its economic activities. As such, investing in the training of high-quality human capital has become an urgent priority.
“In Dong Nai, with an established network of universities, defining priority fields of study for the next phase is critically important. This challenge requires close coordination between the State, businesses, and educational institutions to develop high-quality human resources that meet practical demands,” Dr Nguyen Van Tan emphasised.
Nguyen Quoc Truong, General Director of Anh Duong Irradiation Technology JSC, said that when Dong Nai attains the status of a centrally governed city, it will create more job opportunities for workers. However, both local authorities and the business community will need policies to attract and retain talent. These should include competitive compensation, modern and transparent working environments, and support policies for housing, healthcare infrastructure, education, urban services, and living conditions for experts, engineers, and highly skilled workers.
“In the long term, Dong Nai should develop high-tech zones, research and development centres, startup incubators, and innovation spaces, bringing together experts, engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs to generate new value driven by knowledge and technology,” he said.
Recently, Le Truong Son, Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, worked with the Department of Home Affairs on a draft resolution outlining policies to attract and retain talent and high-quality human resources. The

policy aims to translate the Party’s and Government’s directives into concrete measures while also serving as a unified framework to guide the attraction of high-quality human resources across the province.

High-quality human resources will form the foundation for Dong Nai’s transition toward a smart, efficiently governed, and environmentally sustainable urban model. Managers, engineers, and technology experts will play a central role in operating smart transport systems, digital government platforms, and modern public services.
Dr Nguyen Van Tan, Vice Rector of Lac Hong University

The proposal to establish Dong Nai as a centrally governed city represents a strategic turning point, opening up new opportunities for the province to accelerate its development. Prioritising investment in high-quality human resources is a key goal for economic development. Only by addressing the human capital challenge can Dong Nai evolve into a modern, innovative, and competitive urban centre in the region.