Beauty of Vietnamese workers in a new era honoured

Politburo Member and Standing Vice President of the National Assembly Do Van Chien attended the event and delivered keynote remarks.

In his opening remarks, VGCL President Nguyen Anh Tuan said the national programme recognising outstanding workers was being organised for the first time to honour and spread the values of labour.

From nearly 18 million workers nationwide, the VGCL had selected 10 of the most outstanding individuals for recognition following nominations by trade unions at various levels and a thorough, objective, and impartial assessment. They embody the beauty of Vietnamese workers in the new era: professional skills, creativity, resilience, responsibility, and solidarity.

Nguyen Anh Tuan said that although General Secretary and President To Lam — despite being away on an overseas mission — took the time to send a gift to the 10 outstanding workers nationwide in the form of portraits of President Ho Chi Minh. The gesture served as a reminder for Vietnamese workers to actively study and put into practice Ho Chi Minh’s thought, ethics, methods, and style, enabling them to overcome difficulties, work creatively, and contribute more to their enterprises and the country.

Speaking at the event, Do Van Chien expressed his deep emotion, saying that in listening to their stories and following the journeys undertaken by these 10 workers, one thing particularly impressed him: it was not merely the achievements they had attained, but more importantly, their ability to awaken aspirations among millions of peers. An initiative can improve a single stage of a process, but an exemplary individual can inspire an entire team. Therefore, today’s recognition must not mark the end of a path; it must be the starting point for new momentum, he said.

The Standing Vice President of the National Assembly said the country was entering a new stage of development in which growth would increasingly depend on productivity, science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and green transition. The Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress and Politburo Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW had clearly identified these new growth drivers.

Modern technology was essential, but people remained the decisive factor in determining its value. The future of Viet Nam’s industrial sector would be shaped not only by the machines the country possessed, but also by the capabilities, qualities, and aspirations of those who operated, innovated with, and mastered them.

Drawing on the significance of the recognition programme, Do Van Chien called on authorities at all levels, sectors, businesses, and trade unions to build a modern working class while simultaneously fostering civilised, safe, and humane workplaces. Every worker should be given opportunities for lifelong learning and to updating their digital, foreign-language, and green skills, as well as their ability to work alongside artificial intelligence. They should be at the forefront of, and central to, the digital transformation process.

The Standing Vice President of the National Assembly urged businesses to turn every workshop into a space for innovation and every production team into a problem-solving group. They should establish mechanisms to receive, test, and recognise workers’ initiatives, and ensure that the benefits are shared fairly. Enterprises should also pay greater practical attention to workers’ housing, childcare, healthcare, cultural life, and learning opportunities, while introducing measures to support career changes as technology evolves.

Do Van Chien called on trade unions to become a truly reliable source of support for workers and responsible partners in the sustainable development of businesses. They should take the lead in skills training, legal advice, workplace dialogue, and the application of data and digital technology to provide better services to their members.

He also called for research into establishing a nationwide network of outstanding workers, highly skilled tradespeople, and innovators, linking them with training institutions, experts, and businesses so they could pass on their expertise, guide innovation, and support their colleagues.

“After this programme, each exemplary individual must become a nucleus for wider progress. Every good initiative should have an opportunity to be replicated, paving the way for a movement in which the achievements of today’s 10 honourees can inspire thousands or even tens of thousands of more tomorrow,” Do Van Chien emphasised.

Alongside these orientations, the Standing Vice President of the National Assembly pledged that the National Assembly would continue to listen to workers’ voices, refine legislation, and strengthen oversight of its implementation.

Do Van Chien also called on the Government, ministries, sectors, and local authorities to give greater attention to policies on employment, wages, social security, vocational training, occupational safety, and workers’ legitimate rights and interests.

For the 10 workers being honoured, the Standing Vice President of the National Assembly expressed his hope that, while taking pride in their achievements, they would not become complacent, but would preserve their passion, eagerness to learn, compassion, and sense of responsibility.

He urged businesses to regard workers not merely as human resources, but as co-creators of value and of their enterprises’ future. Trade union officials, he said, should always remember that wherever workers need support, the trade union must be there in a meaningful and practical way.

Do Van Chien expressed his confidence that if every worker gained an additional learning opportunity, every initiative had a greater chance of being applied, and every labourer received a further source of social security support, the collective strength of millions of Vietnamese workers would grow enormously.