When workers and labourers are trusted, encouraged, and given opportunities, they inevitably create breakthroughs that bring tangible value to businesses, communities, and the nation.
The creative journey of Vietnamese workers has generated millions of initiatives, contributing hundreds of trillions of VND in value to enterprises, communities, and the country. Emulation movements launched by the Trade Union have become a “springboard” to spark innovation and spread the momentum for sustainable development.
Vietnamese labourers
Patriotic emulation movements such as “Excellent Labour”, “Creative Labour”, “Higher Productivity, Better Quality”, “Good Advice, Good Service”, “Innovation, Creativity, Efficiency in Trade Union Activities”, “Excellent in Public Work, Good at Home Affairs”, and “Green-Clean-Beautiful, Ensuring Labour Safety and Hygiene” launched by the Viet Nam Trade Union have mobilised collective strength, inspired creativity, and built a skilled and disciplined workforce. At the same time, they have discovered and honoured exemplary individuals and groups, spreading inspiration and motivation for overall development.
According to the Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour, from 2018 to 2023 alone, more than 2.8 million initiatives were proposed by workers and labourers through the “Excellent and Creative Labour” movement, generating nearly 164 trillion VND in added value. In 2024, over 123,000 initiatives and nearly 3,000 creative projects were applied in practice. Notably, in 2022, the programme “One Million Initiatives – Determined to Defeat the Covid-19 Pandemic” launched by the Trade Union achieved more than double the set target, creating over 33 trillion VND in value.
Examples include initiatives generating more than 100 billion VND per year, such as: “Optimising V-101A bypass gas source”, yielding 292 billion VND, by Nguyen Dac Luan and colleagues at Vung Tau Gas Processing Company; “Saving aviation fuel”, yielding 263 billion VND, by Flight Division 919; “Increasing capital sources to ensure liquidity safety”, yielding 239 billion VND, by Tran Thi Thuy Lien and colleagues at the Trade Union of the Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam; “Improving to reduce Resolution error rates at ACT Line”, yielding 104 billion VND, by Nguyen Huy Hoang, Samsung Electronics Viet Nam; and “Improving and optimising accessory box design for printer products”, yielding 104 billion VND, by Nguyen Van Minh, Canon Viet Nam.
These initiatives were displayed at the exhibition “The Journey of Creativity – Aspiration to Rise”, a practical action in response to the implementation of Politburo Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated December 22, 2024, on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation (Resolution No. 57). This also demonstrates the determination of union members, workers, and the Trade Union organisation to join the nation in striving to achieve the socio-economic growth target of over 8% in 2025, paving the way for double-digit growth in 2026–2030.
“Springboard” of emulation movements
At the forum “Promoting Labourers’ Creative Potential”, offshore mechanical engineer Vu Van Hoan of PTSC Marine Mechanical Services Company (PetroVietnam Technical Services Corporation) said that national pride and dignity are crucial in fostering creative motivation. According to him, sometimes creativity does not require overly complex solutions; being timely and applied in the right way can generate results beyond imagination. Moreover, major breakthroughs often stem from numerous small, feasible creative solutions carried out with perseverance.
From another perspective, Lieutenant Colonel Le Thi Hang of the Viettel Aerospace Institute, Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group, stated: the biggest “barrier” to creativity is inertia. This may come from leaders failing to create motivation for workers to innovate, leaving them feeling that “every day is the same”. Inertia also comes from within each individual; without self-effort to change, people tend to rely on external conditions.
At the 2025 Creativity Festival, Tran Cam Tu, Politburo member and standing member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, emphasised that innovation is no longer a choice but the inevitable path for Viet Nam to develop rapidly, sustainably, and with identity. Over 96 years of accompanying workers, the Viet Nam Trade Union has not only been the sole legitimate representative protecting members’ rights, but also a “Midwife and Springboard” in emulation movements to foster creativity.
Innovation is no longer a choice but the inevitable path for Viet Nam to develop rapidly, sustainably, and with identity. Over 96 years of accompanying workers, the Viet Nam Trade Union has not only been the sole legitimate representative protecting members’ rights, but also a “Midwife and Springboard” in emulation movements to foster creativity.
Tran Cam Tu, Politburo member and standing member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat
The era of digital transformation, green economy, and global value chains requires building a workforce with “skills–technology–discipline”. This requires the Trade Union to act as the “focal point” and “bridge” between macro policy and labour reality, playing a key role in training and digital reskilling of workers by proactively cooperating with enterprises and the State to organise digital skills training; protecting rights and fostering creativity at the grassroots level. In the renewal process, the Trade Union must engage in grassroots consultation and feedback to ensure fairness and democracy, ensuring workers are the first beneficiaries of initiatives and innovations, and protecting their right to learn, update knowledge, promote more initiatives, and launch labour and creative emulation movements at the grassroots, continuing to serve as the “midwife” of such movements.
For this strength to truly spread, there must be strong support from the State, businesses, and the Trade Union in policies on training, labour restructuring, reward mechanisms for creativity, and protection of workers’ intellectual property rights.
