VietNamNet Bridge – Thousands of Vietnamese young intellectuals leave Vietnam every year to attend training courses overseas. Very few of them return to Vietnam after finishing the training courses.

Nguyen Huu Hoa (right) and his family members

The total monthly income of Nguyen Huu Hoa, a young lecturer of the Hanoi University of Civil Engineering was VND1.2 million, or $60.

During the four years working as a lecturer at the school, Hoa was a member of the teams conducting 5-6 ministry-level research works, 3-4 university-level works, wrote several books. He could only have 3-4 hours a day to sleep, and no time to meet friends and join parties, until October 1, 2010, when he left Vietnam for the UK to follow a training course for doctorate.

Hoa feels satisfactory about the learning environment in the UK, which, in the eyes of Hoa, is serious, professional, and open. Hoa and other postgraduates like him do not have to worry about what to do to earn their living. A postdoc there receives 2,000 pounds a month, or VND60 million.

Therefore, Hoa said, many Vietnamese want to stay in foreign countries to look for jobs or continue their studies after the training courses. They can see the great opportunities to get promotion there. Most of those who return to Vietnam, are the ones who can be sure about their bright future in the home country with their good relations with state’s officials.

Vietnamese intellectuals not only need the jobs which the incomes high enough for them and their families, but also need a good environment for them to continue their studies and prove their ability.

According to Hoa, in foreign countries, workers are paid in accordance with their abilities and contributions. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, salaries and positions are given to workers based on their length of service. As a result, young talented people do not receive reasonable salaries and don’t have their voices at the offices. The current wage mechanism obviously does not encourage the creativeness of workers.

Under the current mechanism, intellectuals can stay in foreign countries to continue studying or working for three days since the day they finish training course. This has given the “key” to many Vietnamese to stay abroad and not to return to Vietnam.

Phi Thi Huong Thao, a lecturer of the Hanoi University of Mining and Geology, has to give 280 teaching hours a year in order to receive the basic salary. Besides, she receives VND51,700 for every extra teaching hour. In general, she receives VND12 million a year for the 200 extra teaching hours, or VND5-6 million a month. She is also looking for the opportunities to go studying abroad.

Nguyen Van Quoc, who is successfully defending his doctor dissertation in Japan, has been working as a teacher of the High School for the Gifted under the Hanoi National University for 10 years. Quoc has a wife and two children, and they have been living in a rented house.

Quoc said that he receives VND5 million a month for the job at the school. Meanwhile, the rent alone costs him VND7 million a month. In order to earn enough money for him and his family, he has been working as private tutors. He has teaching shifts all day.

When asked about the scientific research works, Quoc admitted that he doesn’t have time to do that, because he has spent most of his time on earning money. Scientists can only succeed in their research only if they don’t have to spend time to think about what to do to make money.

A lot of Quoc’s friends, who were his colleagues, have taken other jobs to earn more money.

Tien Phong