Students of Vietnam Maritime University in Hai Phong receive training that combines theory with practical experience. (Photo: VNA)
A high-quality workforce in maritime services and shipbuilding is a crucial factor for the northern port city of Hai Phong to successfully implement the Politburo's Resolution No. 20-NQ/TW dated July 28, 2026, on building and developing Vietnam into a strong maritime nation.
Hai Phong is a key marine economic hub of Vietnam, thanks to its strong shipbuilding capacity and high-quality maritime training system. Alongside its capacity for new shipbuilding and ship repair, the city is also a leading provider of maritime workers for domestic and international businesses.
According to Shinya Hitomi, a representative of NYK Energy Ocean Corporation, the company operates in the maritime transportation of energy resources and raw materials, while also providing ship management services. It has maintained cooperative ties with Vietnam for more than 30 years, beginning with the recruitment of Vietnamese seafarers in 1995. In 2007, NYK Energy Ocean established a representative office in Hai Phong. Vietnamese seafarers currently account for around 40% of the total working on vessels managed by the company, making Vietnam one of its most important seafarer-supplying countries.
Kazuma Yamanaka, a representative of NS United Kaiun Kaisha, said the company began recruiting and training graduates of the Hai Phong-based Vietnam Maritime University in 1996. The sides have maintained close cooperation for around 30 years. Vietnamese seafarers' outstanding professional expertise and integrity are highly valued by the company and widely recognised in the international maritime transport industry.
Alongside the development of other marine economic sectors, Hai Phong's shipbuilding industry is gradually recovering and making important contributions to the development of the city and the country as a whole. However, enterprises in this sector are currently facing considerable difficulties in recruiting workers.
According to a representative of the leadership of the local Pha Rung Shipyard Company, young, well-trained workers are not particularly attracted to heavy industries such as shipbuilding. The company proposed that the State and the city consider preferential policies, including those related to retirement age and social insurance for workers, while the city should study ways to provide vocational training funding for students enrolling in shipbuilding-related programmes.
According to Do Hong Hai, Vice Rector of the city’s Maritime and Waterway College 1, Hai Phong is entering a new development phase with the goal of becoming a modern marine economic centre, a national logistics hub, an international trade gateway and an important growth pole of the Red River Delta.
In this context, vocational education must not only train workers with occupational skills but also proactively forecast workforce demand, work closely with businesses and adapt to rapid changes in technology and the labour market, he noted.
Associate Professor PhD Pham Xuan Duong, Rector of Vietnam Maritime University, the university always attaches particular importance to close and organic links with businesses and State management agencies.
Many graduates of the university currently hold key positions in major national corporations and businesses in areas including seaport management and operations, maritime transport, shipbuilding, oil and gas rigs, offshore wind power, logistics, seaport and continental shelf construction, and the marine environment, including numerous major enterprises under the Ministry of National Defence.
VNA
