Talent Development for Faculty: The Case of Vietnam

With the rise of a globalized knowledge-based economy, the Vietnamese government has demonstrated a determination to build world-class universities by making higher education development one of the top national priorities. The Vietnamese higher education system is an interesting case of a latecomer’s development in an emerging market economy regulated by a single-party socialist state espousing communism. Although they have invested in higher education for decades, the system is still in a trial phase. For example, only two national universities cracked the top 150 in the Asian region, not in the world. Although the faculty talent pool can significantly help achieve the goals of the Vietnamese higher education system, the quality of Vietnamese faculty members is a key limitation. Furthermore, literature on talent development (TD) for faculty in the Vietnamese context is rare. This study aims to explore faculty TD trends and issues in the Vietnamese higher education system. This comprehensive review of the literature (a) provides an overview of the Vietnamese higher education system; (b) presents findings on the scope, foci, activities, and outcomes of faculty TD activities, and (c) provides implications for policy, practice, and further research on TD for faculty in Vietnam. As few published reviews of faculty TD in Vietnamese universities are available, the current comprehensive literature review can set the foundation for more effective practices and further research on TD and human resources development (HRD) for faculty in Vietnam. The recommendations provided from this study will help HRD practitioners, institutional and ministerial decision makers, and faculty members in Vietnam