Vietnamese talent abroad will return if they can contribute to major causes: academic

The chairman of the Association of Vietnamese Scientists and Experts (AVSE Global) has just returned from hosting the 2025 Vietnam Global Innovation Connect conference, which brought together 100 Vietnamese innovators and 50 delegates from global corporations at Google’s Singapore headquarters.

He shares with VnExpress what he hears from Vietnamese academics and other talent living abroad about Vietnam’s new push for a developmental breakthrough.

AVSE Global was founded in 2011 with the aim of connecting expatriate Vietnamese experts and intellectuals with programs that aid Vietnam’s development. It has over 10,000 members, many of whom are "elites in their field," according to Nguyen.

Speaking of AVSE’s members, "what is great is that wherever these academics are, they are tracking every change in their home country, but it is not always easy to persuade them to join," he says. "Some of them needed to be convinced three or four times, but they then turned out to be the most passionate in their work and became important parts of our operations.

"You can see that wherever they are, Vietnamese intellectuals are always willing to help the country; what is important is to facilitate that."

Prof. Nguyen Duc Khuong takes an interview with VnExpress, days after returning from a Singapore forum. Photo by VnExpress/Tung Dinh

He lists three issues in particular on which Vietnamese professionals abroad are currently focused: administrative reform, talent attraction and the Politburo’s Resolution 57 passed last year on science and technology development, innovation and national digital transformation.

Passed on Dec. 22 last year it sets the tone for the next 20 years of science and technology development in Vietnam. "Resolution 57 is allaying our previous concerns and giving scientists hope."

He reports that AVSE members are "completely on board" with the government’s push for administrative reform.

On talent attraction, "academics are interested in how our talents will be leveraged. "Not everyone is proactive enough to find a good position for themselves though they might not be looking for high incomes. Some people are outstanding but live solely within their work. They want to be found and facilitated.

"Generally, I am getting the sense that everyone feels this is a fantastic time to give back. We have been talking more about what we can do."

When asked what will drive Vietnamese talent to repatriate, Nguyen thinks the question should not be framed around repatriation but instead approached in terms of more general contributions. "Contributions can happen from overseas and in many ways. Repatriation is more complicated."

An empirical study done by AVSE Global on Vietnamese talent from 31 countries found that income was not at all a contributing factor to their intent to return, Nguyen says.

Among those surveyed, the most common answer was "an interesting problem" with 40.2 percent of participants saying they want to be tasked with solving interesting and difficult problems.

Nguyen refers to the child of an executive at one of the largest corporations in Vietnam: "They finished their studies abroad but did not want to return though a high position was waiting for them at home and all of their material needs were fulfilled.

"They simply were in such a strong innovation ecosystem, and they were being tasked with huge problems that felt influential on a national and global scale."

Thus, what would bring talent back are problems that contribute to transforming the nation or even just a single region, he says. "We are ready to solve the country’s major problems together."

Prof. Nguyen Duc Khuong shares about bottlenecks in talent attraction with VnExpress. Photo by VnExpress/Tung Dinh

One concern for them is whether their work will be allowed to be finished without interruption, he says.

"For example, at the local level, when the leadership changes, strategies once thought to be set in stone change; even the methods and processes can change. Thus, a project cannot always be implemented all the way through or in the most efficient way.

"In other words, for a nation to develop and truly rise, the major problems must be defined by the top national leadership."

Nguyen also cites other bottlenecks. First is the reliability of information, especially regarding policies. In many cases, experts around the world are not getting the full information or the right information, he says. "Even now we meet people who think Vietnam is still impoverished, that our government is full of corruption, or that their talents have no space here though we know this is not the case."

Secondly, being top scientists who are highly respected where they are working or who have very little free time after juggling between work and family, when they want to reach out about making contributions, they want to look for real contacts, he says.

Third is proper recognition within the Vietnamese academic system, which needs to become more compatible with systems elsewhere, he says, pointing out that professors at leading universities in France, the U.K. or the U.S. may be recognized abroad for their research and leadership, but may not earn the same title in Vietnam due to the latter’s requirements vis-a-vis teaching hours.

In the immediate term, to attract talent, he recommends establishing an expert network in all sectors, starting with the top 10 sectors that will transform the country and finding leading experts in each with complementary capabilities. "In future, if Vietnam wants to develop high-speed rail, nuclear energy, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, biotech, you need to look for scientists and tech experts that can help enhance the country’s standing in the global value chain.

"However, I want to emphasize that searching for talent is only a short-term solution. To maintain one’s position in the medium and long terms, education is the deciding factor that creates real intrinsic strength for a nation."

As Resolution 57 aims to earmark at least 3% of total government spending on science and technology, innovation and digital transformation, indicating Vietnam’s "run for the big leagues," Nguyen says higher education must change to keep up with the times, emphasizing the need for a highly skilled workforce.

If he could ask for one commitment from the government on behalf of the academics and intellectuals in his network, he says he wants to see "strong action that shows willingness to act, to break down all the barriers, thus instilling motivation and trust in others."

To him, that action could be appointing expatriate Vietnamese to suitable positions.

He cites the decision of Singapore’s Nanyang and NUS Business Schools to appoint non-locals as leaders "where they truly needed a breakthrough" because "they understood that is how to achieve international standards most quickly.

"In Vietnam’s case, I believe that besides industries that need to break through, in the long term, you need leading universities that can train top talent for the country, region and world."