Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Bich, head of the Administrative Law Division at Hanoi Law University, says Vietnam has already established a relatively clear and consistent legal foundation for talent attraction in the public sector.

“Current legal regulations clearly reflect the consistent policy of the Party and State in attracting, identifying, utilising and rewarding talented individuals,” she says.

Policy framework expands recruitment channels

From the 2008 Law on Cadres and Civil Servants to its 2019 revision, policies have evolved from focusing primarily on attraction to a more comprehensive approach that includes talent identification and effective utilisation. Supporting legal frameworks, such as Decree 140/2017/ND-CP and Decree 179/2024/ND-CP issued by the Government, have also created mechanisms to attract outstanding graduates and young scientists.

Notably, Decree 170/2025/ND-CP introduced a mechanism allowing the recruitment of civil servants without competitive examinations for experts, scientists, legal professionals and outstanding entrepreneurs from the non-public sector. According to Dr. Bich, this marks an important step in diversifying talent sources.

The latest draft amendments further expand eligibility to include individuals with professional experience from various sectors, including public employees, armed forces personnel, private enterprises and contract workers.

“These individuals may not always be considered ‘talent’ in the narrow sense, but they bring valuable practical experience that the public sector urgently needs,” she analyses.

Persistent gaps with private sector

Despite these improvements, a significant gap remains between the public and private sectors in attracting high-quality human resources.

One major limitation lies in the recruitment process, which often lacks flexibility and can be time-consuming.

“In some cases, it can take up to six months from application to final decision. As a result, many graduates opt for other opportunities, and once they settle in the private sector, they are less likely to return,” she points out.

In addition, the public sector’s working environment has yet to become truly attractive to top talent. Administrative work is often repetitive and offers limited opportunities for significant income growth or career advancement.

“It is difficult to achieve major breakthroughs in both income and position,” she acknowledges.

The nature of public sector work, which does not directly produce marketable goods or services, also makes performance evaluation more challenging, potentially reducing motivation for innovation. This contrasts with the private sector, where performance is more clearly measured and closely tied to compensation.

Nevertheless, the public sector still retains certain advantages.

“Public sector jobs are generally seen as more stable and, in many cases, more prestigious,” Dr. Bich says, noting that these factors continue to attract a segment of the workforce, especially when combined with new incentive policies.

Retention and utilisation remain key challenges

However, Dr Bich emphasises that the biggest challenge lies not in attracting talent, but in how it is utilised and retained.

“Talented individuals need to be assigned roles that allow them to fully leverage their capabilities. If they are confined to repetitive tasks, it becomes difficult to keep them engaged,” she says.

Another key challenge is the salary mechanism. Due to strict regulatory constraints, the public sector cannot offer flexible, performance-based pay comparable to the private sector.

“In businesses, salaries for certain positions can be dozens or even hundreds of times higher than others - something the public sector cannot match,” she notes.

At the same time, personnel screening mechanisms in the public sector remain limited. While the private sector maintains competitiveness through regular performance evaluations and staff turnover, in the public sector, “as long as tasks are completed, dismissal is unlikely.”

Based on these observations, Dr. Bich stresses the need for fundamental changes in public human resource management.

First, it is essential to clearly identify positions that genuinely require high-level talent in order to design appropriate policies. “Attracting talent for routine roles would be wasteful and unsustainable in the long term,” she says.

Although Decree 179/2024/ND-CP provides a relatively comprehensive policy framework, it remains in the early stages of implementation and will require time to demonstrate its effectiveness. In the coming period, the balance between attraction and retention will be decisive.

“It is not only about finding capable individuals, but also about creating conditions for them to perform and remain committed over the long term,” she emphasises.

Finally, she calls for more proactive mechanisms to replace underperforming personnel, rather than acting only when violations occur. This, she argues, is crucial for fostering a healthy competitive environment and improving the overall quality of the public administration system.

In sum, recruitment reform is only one part of a broader challenge. For the public sector to become a true destination for talent, a comprehensive policy ecosystem is required in which capability is recognised, utilised and rewarded appropriately.

PM Chinh proposes new award to honor talented, creative and dedicated women

VOV.VN - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on March 6 met with female leaders and managers from central agencies and presented the 2025 Kovalevskaia Award at the Government Headquarters, marking the 116th anniversary of International Women’s Day (March 8) and the 1986th anniversary of the Hai Ba Trung Uprising.