Hanoi (VNA) - As digital transformation is accelerating across every industry, the need for elite cybersecurity professionals is spiking just as fast.
Yet as cyber threats grow more sophisticated, Vietnam’s training capacity lags far behind. The mismatch is severe, and the country urgently needs a workforce capable of defending its digital space.
Wide gap between demand and training
According to the National Cybersecurity Association (NCA), cyberattacks are rising in both frequency and severity. Attackers are targeting critical infrastructure, personal data, and public services with increasingly advanced methods. This isn't just a technical glitch, but a systemic vulnerability requiring a workforce that can analyse and respond in real time.
Experts forecast that Vietnam will experience a shortfall of over 700,000 cybersecurity professionals in the coming years, showing a substantial mismatch between market demand and the current supply of qualified talent.
The Government has rolled out several strategies, including a cybersecurity workforce training scheme to 2025, with a vision to 2030, and a national cybersecurity strategy through the same horizon. But cybersecurity is no longer just a concern for tech, finance, and banking. Every sector now needs it. The public sector and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remain especially exposed, fueling demand for hands-on skills and rapid incident response.
Explaining the talent shortage, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Huu Hieu, Rector of the University of Science and Technology under the University of Da Nang, said the problem has shifted from too few personnel to too few standardised competencies.
Many agencies and companies have set up cyber task forces. But the country still lacks a unified professional competency framework, clear learning outcomes, or practical skill assessment mechanisms up to global standards like ISO/IEC 27001, NIST Cybersecurity Framework, and globally recognised professional certifications.
Meanwhile, AI-generated malware, personalised phishing, and identity spoofing are spreading fast, posing serious information security risks.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Truong Thang, Director of the Institute of Information Technology at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, pointed to several root causes. Cyber training courses are popping up at key universities, but the pool of qualified instructors, who can blend research, teaching, and real-world experience, remains tiny.
Specialised labs and training facilities remain inadequate. Integrating AI, big data, and cloud computing demands big investment. The result is a persistent gap between what the market needs and what Vietnam’s universities can deliver.
Tightening triple helix partnership
The Politburo’s Resolution 57-NQ/TW affirms cybersecurity and data security as foundational to digital transformation, spotlighting information security, cyber sovereignty protection, and digital data protection.
Building cyber talent isn’t just about filling jobs, but a strategic imperative for safeguarding national digital sovereignty over the long haul.
Over the next 5-10 years, demand for cyber professionals will surge, not just in volume, but in specialisation and cross-disciplinary expertise.
“Students should be trained with a ‘security-by-design’ mindset. That means embedding security from the earliest stages of system, algorithm, and data design. Academic courses will also place greater emphasis on hands-on training, attack-defence simulations, and real-world cybersecurity challenges”, said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hai Dang, Vice Rector of the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi.
Experts agreed that building a cyber workforce ecosystem that meets both quantity and quality requires close collaboration among the State, academia, and industry.
Specifically, the State must act as chief architect by setting strategic policies, establishing a national competency framework, standardising certifications, and offering competitive pay and career tracks.
Universities, especially those major in engineering and tech, must evolve from educators into creators of national digital capability. They should also increase international collaboration with leading universities and organisations in countries with advanced cybersecurity education systems.
Companies, for their part, must be treated as strategic partners, not just end users of talent. Tech corporations, cyber firms, banks, and major data centres should co-design curricula, share real attack-defence scenarios, support faculty development, and invest in applied research./.
