What South Korean firms expect from Vietnamese graduates

This sentiment was shared during the Vietnam–South Korea Cultural and Recruitment Day 2025, organized by the Vietnam–Korea Institute of Technology at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology on Thursday.

The event brought together South Korean enterprises, graduates, and students, featuring a series of cultural activities including Vietnamese-Korean food stalls, taekwondo performances, and a contest titled ‘South Korea in Me.’

Nguyen Hong Duc, a representative of SR AI, an IT firm headquartered in Seoul, stated that Vietnamese IT professionals are highly sought after in South Korea.

“Vietnamese IT workers are skilled and many are very talented,” he noted.

He added that South Korean employers praise the Vietnamese workforce for their diligence.

“Vietnam’s education system, especially in IT, is highly regarded," he explained.

“Vietnamese IT graduates meet high quality standards while offering a more cost-effective solution compared to other maảkets."

Lim Mina, founder of Korean wedding shoe brand Irostyle, appreciated the creativity and dynamism of young Vietnamese workers, especially new graduates.

However, she stressed the importance of improving foreign language proficiency to work effectively with international companies.

She also highlighted the need for better awareness of corporate culture.

“Understanding the people, the region, and the values that shape a company’s culture is essential, even for new graduates,” she added.

Tran Thuy Tien, representative of the Vietnamese branch of Likeion, an education technology firm, said that many Korean companies participating in the K-Tech College program are eager to recruit young Vietnamese talent.

K-Tech College is a high-quality overseas IT training initiative sponsored by South Korea’s Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

Tien emphasized that South Korean firms highly value Vietnamese workers for their technical expertise and soft skills.

“The soft skills are often decisive when employers choose between candidates,” she said.

Ngoc Trinh, HR manager at Vietnam Nextway Company, stated that while the company provides technical training for new hires, their top recruitment priority is enthusiasm and a positive work attitude.

“For new graduates, we look for discipline, compliance with safety and technical standards, punctuality, and good communication skills,” Trinh emphasized.