Ho Chi Minh City authorities have proposed covering vocational training costs of up to 4.5 million dong per person per course for some workers before they leave Vietnam for jobs abroad under contract and after they return.
On October 29, at the sixth session of the 11th-term Ho Chi Minh City People's Council, the city People's Committee submitted a proposal for a support policy for certain workers before and after working abroad under contract.
The policy is intended to improve workers' skills so they can meet recruitment requirements overseas and find jobs more easily after returning.
Under the proposal, eligible workers would receive support for vocational training and skills improvement before leaving to work abroad. The support would be based on the tuition charged by the vocational training institution, settled against valid documents, and capped at 4.5 million dong per person per course.
For workers taking a training course required under a supply contract between a Vietnamese company and an overseas partner, the support would cover 70% of the course cost, up to 4.5 million dong per person per course.
Workers covered by the policy who complete an overseas employment contract and return to Vietnam would also be eligible for support to improve their vocational skills. The support would be based on the training institution's tuition, with valid documents required, and capped at 4.5 million dong per person per course.
The policy would apply to Ho Chi Minh City residents in seven groups. They include people who have rendered services to the revolution and their relatives, members of ethnic minorities, people from poor and near-poor households, and people whose land has been acquired and who are eligible for support with training, job conversion and employment under land regulations.
The other groups are people who have completed military service or service in the People's Public Security force, young volunteers who have completed assignments under socioeconomic development programs and projects, and young intellectual volunteers who have completed work in economic and defense zones.
According to the city People's Committee, workers seeking jobs overseas must meet requirements for education and skills and prepare for costs such as vocational training, language courses, health examinations, services and living expenses. These costs are a difficulty for some people who want to work abroad.
A survey and feedback collected from 20 companies that provide services for sending workers abroad found that vocational training costs ranged from 2 million to 10 million dong per course, with an average of about 6 million dong. The cost depends on market demand and the requirements of overseas partners.
The proposal cited Decree 338/2025/ND-CP, which sets support for vocational skills training and improvement at up to 4 million dong per person per course. After reviewing actual costs and relevant regulations, the city People's Committee proposed raising the maximum support to 4.5 million dong.
For workers returning after completing their contracts, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee said that some lack a clear plan for finding work or have skills that do not match domestic recruitment needs. The training support is intended to help them add skills, adapt to the labor market and find suitable jobs.
According to figures reviewed in the proposal, 5,786 people in Ho Chi Minh City went abroad to work under contract between 2023 and 2025 after the city's administrative reorganization. The figure was 2,514 in 2023, 1,455 in 2024 and 1,817 in 2025.
The estimated annual cost of the policy is 16.353 billion dong. Support for training before departure and support after workers return would each account for an estimated 8.1765 billion dong per year. The estimate is based on the 1,817 workers who went abroad in 2025 and the maximum support of 4.5 million dong per person.
The policy would be funded from the state budget under the budget decentralization system.
Sources: Thanh Niên
