Hai Phong builds ecosystem to attract high-quality workforce

Major development strategy, high demand for human resources

Hai Phong is home to three economic zones (EZ), namely Dinh Vu - Cat Hai EZ, Southern Hai Phong Coastal EZ and the Specialized EZ, as well as one Free Trade Zone, with a total area of 47,800 hectares. The city also has 46 established industrial parks covering more than 13,000 hectares, with nearly 1,400 active businesses and more than 360,000 workers.

According to the Hai Phong EZ Authority, in the first eight months of 2026, the city attracted approximately USD 3.475 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI), with nearly 90% of FDI flows concentrated in industrial parks and EZs. As planned, by 2030, Hai Phong will develop 83 industrial parks focusing on high-tech industries, green industries and clean energy. This creates a very high demand for human resources in terms of quantity, quality and occupational structure.

Ha Jil Chul, Deputy General Director of Human Resources and Administration at LG Display Vietnam Hai Phong Co., Ltd., said the company has an average workforce of around 22,000 employees each year. In 2026, the company plans to increase production output by around 10%, so recruitment activities will be further intensified to meet the production plan.

As of July 1, 2026, the city had eight higher education institutions and 47 vocational ones. Annual enrollment in vocational education averages around 96,300 students and trainees, including approximately 73,500 at elementary level and in training programs lasting less than three months.

In the new development period, the city has set the goal of continuing to improve the quality of its human resources and increase the proportion of workers with degrees and certificates. By 2030, about 87,000 businesses are expected to be operating in the city, while the proportion of trained workers with degrees and certificates is expected to reach 55%. At the same time, the city aims to ensure an adequate workforce to meet the needs of local industrial parks, EZs and enterprises.

Adaption

Identifying human resource development as one of its strategic breakthroughs, which is crucial to competitiveness and sustainable development, the city has introduced a number of breakthrough policies to attract and make effective use of talented people. At the 32nd session of the 16th People’s Council, Resolution No. 53 was adopted, providing policies to attract and make effective use of talented people and high-quality human resources in Hai Phong through 2030, with a vision to 2050.

Under the resolution, highly qualified people are entitled to outstanding incentives, including one-time support ranging from VND 150 million to VND 500 million; income support of up to three to four times the regional minimum wage; and policies covering training, housing and working conditions.

In particular, the city is also implementing a mechanism to commission experts and scientists, offering incomes of VND 30 million to VND 100 million per month, creating conditions to attract high-quality human resources to directly participate in socio-economic development programs and projects.

To meet human resource needs, universities in the city are undergoing important changes. According to Associate Professor and PhD Bui Xuan Hai, Rector of Hai Phong University, the university’s strategy of cooperation with enterprises has been a key priority in recent years, thereby improving training quality and providing human resources in line with the needs of society and businesses.

Previously, at the 3rd session, the City People’s Council also adopted a resolution stipulating criteria for foreign experts, scientists, talented people, managers and highly qualified workers working at businesses in the Hai Phong Free Trade Zone. This demonstrates the city’s proactive approach to completing mechanisms and policies to attract high-quality human resources in key fields according to the city’s development needs for the 2025-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, gradually helping Hai Phong build a high-quality workforce to serve its growth targets.

HOANG XUAN