A Voice of Vietnam Radio reporter interviewed Deputy Head of the Vocational Training Department Duong Duc Lan who led the Vietnamese delegation to the competition.

Reporter: What is your assessment of the results obtained by the Vietnamese delegation?

Mr Lan:  Vietnamese contestants competed against other rivals in 12 occupational jobs. The competition was rather tough as all contestants made thorough preparations with strong determination to win. The Vietnamese delegation tried its best and won the first prize. This achievement was a great pride for Vietnam.

Reporter: Was it a great surprise to you?

Mr Lan:  In fact, it was difficult to foresee the results of our competition. However, we expected that Vietnam would among the top three at the competition. We felt very anxious before the results were announced since other contestants’ skills were relatively equal this year.  We were all thrilled with joy when receiving the first prize. Many other delegations shared the joy with us and said they want to learn experiences from Vietnam's highly-skilled contestants whom they regard as capable teachers.

Reporter: Vietnamese contestants won the first prize despite having to compete in a foreign country. What would you think about this?

Mr Lan: Winning the award this time, Vietnamese contestants showed their outstanding skills in comparison with other rivals in the fields of electronics, carpentry, and graphic design on the computer. Although the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand had tried very hard, Vietnam still got the three gold medals.

Reporter: What have we learnt from the contest, in your opinion?

Mr Lan: We have learned a lot from regional countries. Most contest questions were based on the World Occupational Skills Contest 2005 for countries successfully involved in applying the latest technology and using new materials. We have learned how to use new materials, tools, and more importantly, new skills. Our experts have also learned how to evaluate the quality of our own products, which is important for Vietnam to enhance the quality of products and labour productivity. This is considered a prerequisite for us to take part in the coming World Occupational Skills Contest.

Reporter: What is your assessment of other rivals in the contest?

Mr Lan: They all made thorough preparations for the contest. Indonesia made more progress this time than on previous occasions. Sometimes, we thought that we could never defeat Indonesia, not to say that Thailand was always a tough rival. They had experienced many World Occupational Skills Contests and gained a lot of medals. Vietnam’s strongest rivals at the contest were Thailand and Malaysia. They did a great job at the contest. Psychologically, we were anxious about the competitions, but what finally came to us as a great surprise was that we won the first prize.

Reporter: Thank you.