Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son signed Decision No. 2229/QD-TTg in October, approving the Strategy for the Development of Vietnam’s Logistics Services for 2025-2035 and Orientation towards 2050. It positions import-export activities, with logistics at their core, as a central pillar in the country’s push for sustained double-digit economic growth.
Talent crunch
Under the strategy, logistics services are expected to contribute 5-7 per cent of GDP by 2035, while the annual growth rate of Vietnam’s industry sector should average 12-15 per cent. It also aims for 70-80 per cent of enterprises outsourcing logistics services, and seeks to bring logistics costs down to 12-15 per cent of GDP. Achieving these goals will not be easy, however, as one of the most pressing challenges lies in securing a workforce that is both large enough and sufficiently skilled to match the rapid expansion of the logistics industry.
In Hai Phong, the import-export powerhouse of Vietnam’s northern region, businesses are increasingly struggling to recruit the workers they need. Mr. Nguyen Huy Truong Giang, General Director of the Minh Giang Import-Export International Co., Ltd., said that while demand is rising across the board, companies are finding it especially difficult to hire mid-level staff or vocationally-trained workers capable of operating specialized machinery such as forklifts and cranes.
Such workers are critical in keeping logistics and import-export operations running smoothly. Mr. Giang noted that even with attractive starting salaries, ranging from VND20-25 million ($770-$960) a month, the sheer demand in Hai Phong results in many companies being unable to secure the qualified staff they require. Companies must also often retrain new hires during their initial months on the job.
Mr. Nguyen Minh Duc, Vice Chairman of the Hai Phong Logistics Association, echoed this concern. He said logistics is an industry defined by high levels of internationalization and integration, yet local logistics, transport, and port operators find it increasingly challenging to recruit workers who possess modern skillsets, from navigating digital environments to ensuring cybersecurity and supporting the economy’s sustainability requirements.
Aus4Skills program
As Vietnam’s logistics industry grapples with a widening shortage of skilled workers, Australia has been working behind the scenes to help bridge the gap. Since 2016, the Australian Government has rolled out the A$86 million ($56 million) Aus4Skills program, designed to build a workforce capable of supporting Vietnam’s socio-economic development.
A key pillar of the program is the Promoting Industry Linkages with Vocational Education and Training Project (Aus4Skills VET), which aims to strengthen vocational training policy through an industry-driven skills development model that is high quality, sustainable, and scalable.
Logistics has been one of the initiative’s priority sectors. Aus4Skills has focused on helping Vietnam build a training ecosystem that matches the realities of logistics operations and business needs. Over the past several years, the program has partnered with 16 vocational institutions to update curricula and modernize teaching methods in line with industry expectations. One of these institutions is the Maritime - Inland Waterways College No. 1 (MIC1).
MIC1 became one of the first three colleges in Vietnam to pilot the Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) model, in 2018. The approach, widely applied in Australia, brings logistics companies directly into the training process, from curriculum design to student assessment.
Since adopting the model, MIC1 has updated 436 modules and 29 training programs to Australian standards and built a core teaching team trained in CBTA. The college has also expanded its influence by supporting technical transfer, establishing industry advisory councils, and working with seven non-project schools. More than 15,000 students and teachers have benefited from Aus4Skills-supported training sessions, workshops, and site visits.
According to Mr. Do Hong Hai, Vice Principal of MIC1, the shift to CBTA has transformed the college from a newcomer in logistics training into a model vocational institution. The number of logistics companies signing MoUs with MIC1 has climbed from 12 in 2019 to 21 in 2025. Logistics enrollments have surged, rising 285 per cent compared with the project’s first year, while graduate employment rates in recent years have hovered near 100 per cent.
Ms. Tran Thi Phuong Anh, Director of the Greenport Co., Ltd., said the college benefits from this rapid knowledge transfer from industry. Working regularly with major global partners gives her company access to new insights, which it passes on to MIC1. “Students are trained based on what businesses actually need, not just what appears in the school’s curriculum,” she explained. “When we need to hire urgently, they can start working immediately.”
Mr. Quach Minh Dung, Head of Supply Chain Management at the Bee Logistics Corporation, said the program works because it focuses squarely on real business needs rather than traditional classroom content. “Graduates meet more than 80 per cent of job requirements,” he added. “It used to take three to six months to train a new employee, but for students in this program it takes just over a month. That saves money, but more importantly, it ensures companies can mobilize workers quickly and seize business opportunities.”
The impact of Aus4Skills is especially critical, he continued, as Hai Phong faces an acute shortage of qualified logistics workers, estimated at more than 30,000. Looking ahead, the industry will continue to evolve, and two major trends - digitization and green transition - must be integrated into training programs to maintain competitiveness.
Lingering gaps
After nearly five years of working with MIC1 to train students for the logistics industry, Mr. Tran Minh Duc, Deputy Director of the GoldenLink JSC, said the partnership is delivering clear results. The company has taken on more than 300 MIC1 students as interns in recent years and has hired eight standout graduates, including two now holding key roles in documentation and warehouse management. It is, he noted, a strong example of how effective school-industry cooperation can be.
Still, even with support from international programs and local businesses, institutions like MIC1 face significant challenges in delivering training that fully reflects real-world logistics operations. Mr. Cao Van Duong, Project Management Team Leader and Deputy Head of Administration at MIC1, said it is extremely difficult for colleges to finance simulated warehouses and specialized equipment on their own.
“Public investment is tightening, making it even harder to secure funding for logistics equipment that keeps pace with industry trends,” he said, adding that not all logistics schools receive the same level of equipment support as MIC1. For that reason, State authorities should expand the list of logistics-related equipment eligible for public investment, to better meet the needs of a modern transport sector and help training institutions justify procurement requests and access government funding more easily.
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