Vietnamese workforce strong in knowledge but weak in soft skills

Speaking at the ‘EduGrowth – Powering Leaders Together with upGrad’ event held in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday, Vu Le, country head at upGrad Vietnam, emphasized that the Vietnamese workforce can indeed compete globally in terms of knowledge and analytical ability.

However, soft skills, which have traditionally received insufficient attention in formal education, remain a limitation.

Among these, three competencies are increasingly critical for the future workforce.

The first is presentation and communication skills, often referred to as storytelling.

Many individuals have strong knowledge, but struggle to articulate their ideas clearly and persuasively.

Secondly, Vietnamese employees often struggle with research and critical thinking.

Gathering information should go beyond a simple Google search and requires the ability to analyze, evaluate sources, and delve deeply into issues.

The third is teamwork, a cornerstone of modern organizational success.

Online education offers significant opportunities to develop these skills.

Yet, Vu noted that the greatest challenges for Vietnamese learners are discipline and the capacity for self-directed learning.

Effective online teaching requires suitable pedagogical approaches, robust technological support, and continuous guidance from educational providers.

Sharing her perspective on Vietnam’s workforce challenges, Thai Van Linh, founder and CEO of Skills Bridge, highlighted the substantial gap between academic learning and practical job requirements, which can persist for a decade or more without appropriate support.

“In reality, university knowledge proves most valuable at senior management levels, even CEO positions,” she said.

“However, for today’s young employees, reaching such roles may require navigating through multiple jobs.

“After graduation, what they need are practical skills: data analysis, report writing, presentation, critical thinking, persuading superiors, project implementation, and effective organizational collaboration."

She believes that an effective collaborative model must connect two elements: a strong academic foundation and the ability to apply knowledge to real-world business settings.

To help learners bridge this gap, upGrad announced a strategic partnership with Skills Bridge.

Under the deal, Skills Bridge contributes deep academic insight and foundational thinking, while upGrad brings practical implementation experience aligned with corporate needs.

They aim to deliver clear, tangible value to learners.

Vu said that for employees with 10-15 years of experience, the mode of learning – online or offline – is no longer the primary concern.

What matters is whether the learning aligns with personal goals, enhances workplace performance, and supports career growth.

With a growing economy and ongoing demand for learning, online education is expected to continue expanding alongside traditional training methods.

“If we look closely at the corporate training market today, a clear trend emerges: companies no longer want training just for the sake of training," he said.

“They seek programs that deliver real impact."

Learners should not just listen, take notes, and forget once the session ends or the screen goes off.

The crucial point is that they must be able to apply what they learn as application drives meaningful change, Vu said, reflecting on the current landscape of postgraduate programs.