[CITYLAND EDUCATION] DEVELOPING A HIGH-QUALITY TOURISM WORKFORCE

As part of the seminar on “Developing Tours, Routes, and Signature Tourism Products of the Mekong Delta Region,” many delegates emphasized that in order to effectively shape the region’s tourism development strategy, it is crucial to address the current shortage in both the quantity and skill level of the tourism workforce.

Tourism Workforce: Insufficient in Quantity, Limited in Skills

1. Lack of Qualified, Skilled Personnel

Human resources play a vital role in the sustainable development of the tourism industry. However, the current state of Vietnam’s tourism workforce presents many challenges. The country is facing a serious shortage of professionally trained individuals who meet international standards and possess the passion and dedication needed to thrive in the tourism sector.

Vietnam’s Tourism Industry Faces a Shortage of High-Quality Human Resources

According to experts, the overall quality of Vietnam’s tourism workforce remains low—both lacking in numbers and insufficient in capability—falling short of meeting the growing demands of the tourism sector, especially in the Mekong Delta region.

However, the opportunity is still within reach. As tourism continues to be a key economic driver, the industry’s workforce has long been recognized as a crucial factor contributing positively to the sector’s development and achievements over the years.

Overview of the seminar “Developing Tours, Routes, and Signature Tourism Products in the Mekong Delta”.

Mr. Mai Ngoc Thuyet, Deputy Director of the Center for Tourism Development – Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Can Tho City, stated that the current tourism workforce is not yet meeting the sector's development needs after a prolonged period impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The quality of trained labor remains inconsistent. While management agencies, training institutions, and travel companies report a 100% rate of formally trained staff, only 26.1% of workers at tourism sites and attractions have received formal training – the lowest rate in the sector. Many garden sites, homestays, and local destinations are self-managed family operations with mostly untrained or informally trained staff.

According to Mr. Nguyen Phuc Vien Dong, a representative of CityLand Education, high-quality human resources must meet international standards. This means receiving training from internationally accredited programs and being fully equipped with the knowledge and skills to perform effectively in a global working environment.

2. Shaping a High-Quality Tourism Workforce

Mr. Nguyen Phuc Vien Dong emphasized that to build a workforce with both quality and quantity, it is essential to cultivate internationally oriented qualifications and mindsets from high school level onward. This must go hand-in-hand with the implementation of tourism workforce training programs in Vietnam that meet global standards.

Developing high-quality human resources for tourism is a key focus for domestic enterprises

Training activities must be closely aligned with the practical needs of businesses. In addition to professional knowledge, tourism personnel should be equipped with soft skills, self-learning capabilities, management skills, technological literacy, and foreign language proficiency. It is equally important to foster lifelong learning habits, responsible thinking, and a mindset oriented toward community and continuous development.

Mr. Nguyễn Phúc Viễn Đông – Representative of CityLand Education – presented his remarks at the seminar.

In addition, the seminar emphasized the importance of creating opportunities for students to engage in exchange programs, site visits, and hands-on experiences with tourism-related businesses in manufacturing, services, and hospitality. Various platforms such as extracurricular clubs, knowledge-sharing groups, vocational skill competitions, and tourism knowledge contests were proposed—featuring the participation of professionals, experts, and managers currently working in the tourism industry to share insights and real-life career stories, thereby inspiring the next generation.

Meanwhile, Mr. Mai Ngọc Thuyết stressed the need to connect training institutions and collaboratively build training frameworks that align with regional tourism demands. This approach would help avoid an imbalance between theory and practical skills and contribute to improving service quality in local tourism development.