The aim is to foster fair competition and attract and retain high-quality human resources amid globalization.

Nguyen Thi Nga, Deputy Director of the Personnel and Organization Department, Ministry of Science and Technology, released the decree information at the regular August press conference held on September 4.

According to the draft, talents would receive income negotiated directly with the employing organization, based on their contributions and aligned with market standards. This addresses a long-standing issue where salaries for scientists in the public sector are significantly lower than in the private sector, causing many to move to private companies or abroad.

The issue has been a concern for many experts. At the seminar “Making space technology a new development driver” on July 24, Associate Prof Pham Anh Tuan, Director General of the Vietnam Space Center, said young space industry engineers in the public sector earn only VND7-8 million a month, despite training costs of VND5-6 billion, with no significant incentives.

He noted that due to low salaries, these talents leave the public sector when private companies or international organizations offer salaries up to 10 times higher.

The new mechanism is not just about salaries. According to the draft, the state will provide financial support to talents during their science and technology activities, including publishing research in international journals, registering intellectual property for inventions, publishing monographs, and attending or organizing international conferences.

Particularly, if a talent is the author of a science and technology task, they would receive at least 30 percent of the profits from selling, transferring, or exploiting research results. This percentage is unlimited and can increase based on the commercial value of the product.

Alongside the market-based salary mechanism, the new policy includes tax incentives. Income from salaries, remuneration for science and technology tasks, and income from intellectual property rights when commercializing research results would be exempt from personal income tax. This is a significant incentive, encouraging talents to stay committed long-term.

In addition to financial incentives, non-financial benefits include housing policies, visa exemptions for foreign scientists entering Vietnam, and support for social welfare, social insurance, and health insurance.

Nguyen Thi Nga also mentioned three pillars of the policy to attract talent in science, technology, and innovation. These include having specific tasks, suitable working conditions, and receiving deserved rewards from science, technology, and innovation activities.

The Ministry of Science and Technology (MST) is also creating a legal framework to accept risks in scientific, technological, and innovation activities. If a scientist fully complies with procedures, they will be exempt from administrative and civil liability in case of controlled experimental damage. This policy encourages talents to pursue groundbreaking research and reduces fear of failure.

At the MST’s July regular press conference held on August 5 chaired by Deputy Minister Bui Hoang Phuong, the ministry provided important information, including talent utilization policies in science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation; national digital transformation evaluation criteria; development policies for strategic technologies and products; digital economy growth; artificial intelligence development; and overall solutions for science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation.

“These are all extremely important policies aimed at promoting the development of science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation in line with resolution 57,” stated deputy minister Bui Hoang Phuong, affirming that “beyond-frame” mechanism is a minimum condition for attracting talent.

The Ministry of Home Affairs is working with MST and other relevant ministries to develop and issue special incentive policies aimed to attract at least 100 top experts to to work in Vietnam by August 2025. At the same time, the ministry has been tasked with implementing the talent attraction strategy through 2030, with a vision to 2050, expected to be completed by September 2025.

Regarding this policy, Mai Anh Hong, Deputy Director of the Personnel and Organization Department, stated that the legal framework is nearly complete. The Law on Science, Technology, and Innovation 2025 and the Law on Digital Technology Industry 2025, recently passed by the National Assembly, are expected to create a truly attractive environment, serving as a crucial foundation for attracting, retaining, and maximizing the potential of talents.

“High-quality human resources and talents are decisive factors, and they cannot be attracted with rigid policies. “Going beyond salary frameworks, providing housing, and ensuring working conditions should not be seen as a favor, but as the minimum conditions for those capable of creating breakthroughs to work with peace of mind,” Hong said.

Thai Khang