VietNamNet Bridge - The dispute between Da Nang City authorities and professionals who have studied abroad with city funding reveals the problems with the program on attracting talented experts. 

Da Nang City

Da Nang authorities, in an effort to attract talented workers to the city, launched 10 years ago Project 922 which sent excellent researchers and university lecturers to overseas training courses with city funding. The trainees promised to come back to Da Nang and work for city agencies.

It is estimated that about VND600 billion has been disbursed in the last 10 years to fund the studies of Project 922. 

However, many researchers did not return and stayed overseas to seek better job opportunities or continue studying. As a result, Da Nang City has sued the trainees, asking to reimburse the training cost.

A question has been raised if Da Nang and other cities/provinces should continue running the program.

The dispute between Da Nang City authorities and professionals who have studied abroad with city funding reveals the problems with the program on attracting talented experts.

In September 2010, Huynh Van Long was sent abroad to study civil construction at Nottingham University in the UK for four years.

Long and city authorities signed a contract which stipulates that Long would receive 100 percent of the training cost, including tuition, healthcare insurance, air tickets and a stipend of $1,000 a month. 

The total training cost, estimated at VND2.6 billion, was paid by the city’s budget, while Long had to promise that he would return to Da Nang to work for the city’s agencies for at least seven years. 

If Long broke the contract, Long and his family would have to offer compensation five times higher than the money paid by the city.

However, Long has not returned, though he finished studying in July 2014.

Huynh Buu, Long’s father, said Long wants to stay in the UK for three more years to continue studying for a doctorate with his own money, and would return to Da Nang three years later than initially planned.

In a similar case, Le Tuan Anh left Da Nang for France to study at Compiegne Technology University (UTC) in 2006, but did not return. The total amount of money Anh received from the city was VND919 million.

However, Anh, citing financial problems, decided to terminate the training course early and returned to Da Nang. 

In February 2012, Anh was hired by the Da Nang City Information and Communication Department. However, in September 2013, Anh decided to voluntarily leave to attend a training course in France for a master’s degree.


Thanh Mai