Therefore, Vietnam is required to renew itself in terms of mechanisms, policies, ways of thinking and education and training in order to raise the quality of human resources and meet the labour market and international economic integration’s needs.

According to the General Department for Vocational Training, Vietnam had a total of 1,900 vocational training centres including 262 vocational schools in 2006. In recent years, high-quality vocational schools have been established to provide highly skilled workers for key economic regions, industrial parks and meet the export labour market’s demand for high-quality human resources.

The effective development of a vocational school network helped raise the number of trained workers from 13.4 percent in 1998 to 19.2 percent in 2006. Meanwhile, the number of trainees at vocational schools in 2006 was double the 1998 figure with more than 1.27 million of which 230,000 were long-term trainees, a three-fold increase compared to 1998.

Qualified teachers, and improved teaching methods and facilities met the labour market’s various demands for higher qualifications. In fact, a segment of Vietnamese workers can replace foreign workers to manage a production line using advanced technology.

However, there remains some certain snags. Though vocational training centres have increased in number, they continue to operate on a small-scale and with low efficiency. Just between 60 and 70 percent of graduates from vocational schools find a job. Some occupations, including mechanics, mine exploitation, information and technology, and wood processing, are in dire need of qualified labourers. There remains an imbalance in labour supply and demand, particularly the demand for highly skilled labourers and professional staff in key economic areas.

2007 is the second year of the five-year socio-economic development plan in the 2006-2010 period. The country is experiencing a new period of development with many advantages and many economic sectors receiving a boost to attract investment, creating basic material prerequisites for social equality.

Apart from advantages, there are also many challenges, particularly the quality of the labour source in the wake of the country’s economic integration process. Therefore, the General Department for Vocational Training and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs set a target of providing vocational training for 1.4 million people in 2007.

To meet the target, the two administrations have figured out a number of measures, including finalizing policies on vocational training in line with the market-oriented economy and the country’s integration process, improving the quality of vocational training, reforming the management of labour training, and mobilizing human resources for vocational training.

The Law on Vocational Training submitted by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs was ratified by the National Assembly in 2006. The law contains many important articles which will help develop human resources to meet the demand for integration. An important content of the law is the legalization of regulations on evaluating the quality of vocational training and the granting of certificates for vocational training. It is a prerequisite for the recognition of vocational training at a regional and international level.