Vietnam's Ministry of Home Affairs has opened a draft resolution on special mechanisms and policies to attract and develop talent. The proposal is intended to support strategic tasks, key programmes and projects, and help address major challenges facing the country, sectors and localities.
Removing barriers
The ministry said national competitiveness increasingly depends on scientific and technological capabilities, innovation, mastery of strategic technologies and the quality of governance.
Strategic tasks are often new, complex and cross-sectoral, requiring the rapid mobilisation of suitable experts. Existing mechanisms for recruitment by job position, professional rank and title, staffing quota, spending procedures and remuneration have not provided enough flexibility to select the right people, assign suitable tasks, quickly form implementation teams and assess performance by delivered value.
Talented people from businesses, universities and research institutes, overseas Vietnamese and international experts need mechanisms to contribute to State-led tasks without necessarily moving into full-time public-sector employment.
The ministry therefore said personnel, resources and accountability should be linked to specific tasks and deliverables. Incentives would be limited to defined assignments, while conflicts of interest, confidential information, data and intellectual property would be managed and protected.
The draft would apply to talented Vietnamese citizens, overseas Vietnamese and foreign nationals. It would also broaden participation to agencies, organisations, public service units and businesses across all economic sectors.
The resolution aims to remove barriers involving entry criteria, staffing quotas, selection methods, professional and personnel autonomy, financial procedures, remuneration, commercialisation of results, taxation, visas and work permits. Deliverables and outcomes would form the basis for task assignment, payment, performance evaluation and continued engagement.
The new mechanisms would be accompanied by accountability, oversight and strict action against violations.
Proposal for a "Vietnam talent visa"
The draft resolution contains 16 articles and several changes compared with current legislation. One of its main proposals is to shift from formal entry requirements to selection based on capabilities and deliverables.
The Law on Cadres and Civil Servants, the Law on Public Employees and sector-specific rules already provide measures to attract certain groups of experts, scientists, talented people and highly qualified workers. These measures usually depend on specific requirements, positions or fields.
Under the draft, academic titles and degrees, professional titles, seniority and formal recognition as a talented person would not be mandatory, except where the law requires them for professional practice.
The draft also makes strategic tasks the basis for mobilising talent and decentralises the identification of needs. Existing mechanisms for civil servants, public employees, science and technology are administered under separate frameworks.
Other proposals include flexible selection methods, such as direct appointment and commissioned assignments, genuine autonomy, the ability for talented people to work with several organisations at the same time, and a shift towards financial management based on deliverables and outcomes.
The draft would also expand remuneration, tax incentives and the commercialisation of results beyond certain specialised sectors. It includes measures to attract foreign talent linked to immigration and work with multiple organisations, broader protection against risks arising from objective circumstances with clearly defined exclusions, a dedicated budget framework and special legal mechanisms.
The draft resolution is expected to be submitted to the 16th National Assembly for consideration and approval at its second session.
Sources: VietnamPlus / Vietnam News Agency
