{"id":6027,"date":"2026-02-24T15:14:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T08:14:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/st4sd.vn\/?p=6027"},"modified":"2026-02-24T16:37:48","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T09:37:48","slug":"nang-tam-quan-tri-khach-san-hanh-trinh-chuan-hoa-nhan-luc-du-lich-viet-nam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/st4sd.vn\/en\/nang-tam-quan-tri-khach-san-hanh-trinh-chuan-hoa-nhan-luc-du-lich-viet-nam\/","title":{"rendered":"Bridging the Leadership Gap in Vietnam’s Tourism Sector"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Saigon Tourism College was established in 1991 and stands as a pioneer in the industry. It was one of Vietnam’s first training institutions to provide specialized, official training in hospitality and tourism. It was also one of the first private training institutions in Ho Chi Minh City, founded at the onset of the\u00a0\u0110\u1ed5i M\u1edbi<\/em>\u00a0(Renovation) era when the private sector was growing. The college has since developed alongside the country\u2019s development, becoming a vital source of human resources for the hospitality sector in Vietnam’s most vibrant economic center and its surrounding provinces.<\/p>\n

A program that demanded investment<\/strong><\/p>\n

While the college had benefited from traditional bilateral projects, the Swiss Tourism for Sustainable Development (ST4SD) project, with its Swiss Executive Hospitality Training (Swiss EHT), immediately captured the attention of Ng\u00f4 Th\u1ecb Qu\u1ef3nh Xu\u00e2n, Principal of Saigon Tourism College. Her surprise was rooted in the program’s unique approach: It was not free, which is rare in Vietnam.<\/p>\n

Xu\u00e2n said, \u201cIt was not the normal formula often used by other projects: receiving funds for free and implementing it as guided by the donors.\u201d The college was required to develop a comprehensive proposal, demonstrating their ideas, capacity and commitment to implementing the program.<\/p>\n

A dream to bridge the leadership gap<\/strong><\/p>\n

What impressed Xu\u00e2n most was the core approach and goal of the Swiss EHT: addressing the critical leadership gap in Vietnamese hospitality.\u00a0“<\/strong>I have been working in the field of hospitality training for a long time,” she explained. \u201cI observed that most of the high positions in hotel management are occupied by foreigners. I always wondered why \u2014 we are in Vietnam, and we have immense human resources. I realized it was because we lacked the capacity to provide adequate training to develop management-level talent.”<\/p>\n

Having previously visited the world-renowned EHL Hospitality Business School and been deeply impressed by their curriculum and reputation, she had long held a wish to work with them. “It was like a dream for me to know that the ST4SD project works with the EHL to bring the Swiss EHT program to Vietnam. It aims at the management level for working in hospitality \u2014 exactly what Vietnam needed at the time. I told my staff this is a great opportunity, and we have to make it work for the college.\u201d<\/p>\n

The catalyst: Introducing Swiss EHT standards<\/strong><\/p>\n

The efforts of institutions like Saigon Tourism College are addressing a critical national issue: Vietnam\u2019s tourism sector is hampered by a significant shortage of qualified human resources. Nearly 85% of new hires require massive upskilling, and 100% of surveyed 4- and 5-star hotels confirm the need for extensive retraining (six months to one year). The hospitality sector also suffers from a chronic shortage of qualified middle managers (a gap widened by COVID-19), with each manager playing a pivotal role by supervising around ten staff.<\/p>\n

While women make up most operational staff in hospitality, they hold only about 10% of top management roles. Executive training is therefore a key opportunity for inclusion, providing women with visibility, recognized credentials and flexible learning that supports their progression into supervisory roles and strengthens sustainable leadership.<\/p>\n

The Swiss EHT program, launched in early 2025, is the catalyst for immediate impact. The target audience is strategically focused on managers and aspiring managers. This includes current hospitality professionals looking to skill up, students and recent graduates aiming for international certification, and SMEs and corporations seeking to improve service quality.<\/p>\n

The curriculum focuses on essential managerial and technical skills like financial management, risk management, service excellence, and both verbal and non-verbal communication. Core modules are structured across three pillars:<\/p>\n