3.2 Recruitment to public sector appointments in Vietnam 3.2.1 Key elements of the Vietnamese public sector recruitment process The pathway to leadership and management in Vietnam’s political system is a sequential process. To be recruited into the pipeline, the person must first be a Party member. Second, they must obtain the Political Theory degree offered by the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics. Third, they must be selected into the leadership pipeline to a designated position. They must also have sufficient leadership experience. Finally, they must meet age conditions. Specifically, when a cadre is first appointed and nominated for leadership and managerial posts, they must have enough time before retiring to serve two or more terms. (with each term being five years). In Vietnam, the Politburo and the National Assembly oversee the allocation of positions and personnel across all public sector organisations. Based on allocated slots, each organisation develops their own recruitment plan. Each organisation needs to make a written request to the Party Committee for approval. Upon approval by the Party Committee and the organisation’s leadership, a recruitment notice will be posted. The recruitment procedure is organised into two examination rounds. The first round is undertaken online, consisting of language and computer skills and background knowledge about Vietnam’s political system and structure of the State. The second round is either an oral exam or a paper-based exam, consisting of questions on expertise and skills. Across the Vietnamese public sector, there exists a priority points-based recruitment scheme. Certain categories of people are given additional points on top of entrance test results to boost their opportunity for appointment. Bonus points are awarded for those in specific categories such as:
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Heroes of the Armed Forces
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Labor Heroes
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War Invalids
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Ethnic minorities,
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Military Officers
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Police Officers
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Professional Military Personnel
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Children of Martyrs
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Revolutionary Activists before the uprising (earlier than August 19, 1945)
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Offspring of Resistance War Activists infected with toxic chemicals
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Vietnamese Pioneer Young Union members
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Young intellectuals who have volunteered to participate in rural and mountainous development.
The policy outlining recruitment of public employees also indicates that priority should be given to “talented people, people who contributed to the revolution, and ethnic minorities”. Further, the formal policy decrees that where two people have equal exam results, the head of the recruiting agency will decide the winner in order of priority.23 There are 11 priority categories, including Heroes of the Armed Forces followed by Labor Heroes, and (at the bottom of the list) female candidates in Decree 29 in 2012. However, women candidates were removed from the list of priority in 2018 under Decree 161. As a general rule, all members of the public sector and Vietnam’s political system are (or have been) members of the Youth Union and are (or will become) members of the Party.
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