Cooperation to develop Hai Phong's tourism workforce

Proactive workforce training

In the first six months of 2026, Do Son welcomed 2.72 million visitors for sightseeing and vacations. Meanwhile, Cat Ba Island (part of the Cat Hai Special Zone) received more than 2.5 million visitors, including over 583,300 international tourists.

Revenue from accommodation and food services was estimated at more than VND 2.77 trillion, demonstrating the strong appeal of Hai Phong's tourist destinations and highlighting the need for corresponding growth in tourism workforce development.

According to forecasts, by 2030, accommodation establishments across the city will require more than one million employees, excluding those needed by travel agencies and food and beverage businesses. As a result, the tourism sector will need to recruit an average of approximately 60,000 additional workers each year.

Mr. Nguyen Quyet Thang, Deputy Executive Director of Tre Viet International Travel Company (361 Tran Nguyen Dan Street, Tran Hung Dao Ward), said that the company plans to recruit nearly 200 employees for tourism-related positions, including operations staff, sales executives, and tour guides.

He noted that the company's biggest recruitment challenge is finding candidates with solid professional knowledge, extensive practical experience, and a high level of professionalism. Consequently, tourism businesses have had to provide in-house training for newly recruited staff, sponsor employees to attend professional development courses, and organize retraining programs for their existing workforce.

Hai Phong currently has five major institutions that provide tourism education and training: Hai Phong University, Hai Phong University of Management and Technology, Sao Do University, Thanh Dong University, and Hai Phong Tourism College. Together, these institutions enroll and train more than 1,000 students annually.

In addition, Hai Phong also benefits from tourism graduates and certified professionals trained at educational institutions across Vietnam. According to Mr. Ta Hong Phong, Head of the Quality Assurance Office at Sao Do University, the university's Tourism and Travel Service Management program is offered under the Faculty of Tourism and Foreign Languages. As a result, students receive a strong foundation in foreign languages—particularly English and Chinese—giving them a competitive advantage when communicating with and guiding international visitors.

Promoting multi-stakeholder cooperation

Currently, Hai Phong Tourism College collaborates with more than 30 enterprises and organizations operating in the tourism, travel, and hospitality sectors, both within and outside the city.

According to Ms. Mai Thi Hue, Vice Principal of Hai Phong Tourism College, students complete two internship placements totaling three to four months at partner enterprises during their studies.

These internships also provide employers with an opportunity to gain a clear understanding of the college's training programs and to assess the professional skills and competencies of prospective employees before recruitment.

In addition to participating in the evaluation of training quality, the college's strategic business partners regularly support vocational skills competitions, helping to identify and nurture highly skilled students who will contribute to the future development of the tourism industry.

A number of long-term, systematic, and sustainable cooperation initiatives have also been implemented. Since 2016, the Hai Phong Department of Tourism (now the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism) has organized annual professional training programs and legal awareness workshops for tourism employees, contributing to the standardization and professionalization of the workforce.

At the end of 2025, the Hai Phong Tourism Association and Hai Phong University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation in several areas, including: Tourism education and workforce development; Scientific research and technology transfer; Joint organization of conferences, forums, and tourism development projects; Market research, tourism promotion, market forecasting, and destination branding; Development of new tourism products and services; Providing students with internship opportunities and opportunities to participate in the city's tourism promotion and marketing activities.

The Hai Phong Tourism Association also serves as a bridge between businesses and Hai Phong University—particularly its Faculty of Tourism—by mobilizing sponsorship from member enterprises and relevant organizations to support education, research, academic conferences, skills competitions, student exchange programs, and international cooperation activities.

Hai Phong City has approved a plan to allocate more than VND 4.5 billion from the 2026 municipal budget to support workforce training and development for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The program covers businesses operating in the tourism sector, as well as entrepreneurship and business management, with a total of 119 training courses scheduled throughout the year.

In June 2026, the Hai Phong People's Committee issued Plan No. 235 to implement Directive No. 24 of the Prime Minister on strengthening national security protection and ensuring public order and safety in tourism activities.

The plan provides an important legal framework for sustainable tourism development. It calls for strict enforcement against tourist scams, price gouging, fraudulent businesses, illegal tour operations, unlicensed tour guides, unlawfully operated low-cost tours, and other practices that could damage Hai Phong's tourism reputation.

Through these coordinated efforts, Hai Phong aims to enhance the quality and competitiveness of its tourism industry while strengthening its image through a tourism workforce that is friendly, professional, and modern.

Huy Dai

Huy Dai