Participants in the workshop are representatives from Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, VNAT, Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Ministry of Education and Training, tourism schools, accommodation providers, travel agencies, tourism associations and other donor’s tourism projects.

Follow the opening speech by Madame Hoang Thi Diep, Vice Chairwoman of VNAT, Mr. Tran Phu Cuong, Head of Vietnam Tourism Certification Board Office introduced the MRA implementation mechanism on Tourism Professionals which comes into force on formulation of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015. The MRA will enable the mobility of labour, with tourism professionals from Vietnam to take qualified positions in other ASEAN member states. Vietnam will also be able to attract well-qualified staff to meet high-demand, skilled positions in Vietnam where there are labour shortages – such as for executive chefs and sommeliers.

Next, the ESRT Programme presented the new VTOS (Vietnam Tourism Occupational Standards) system which has been developing by EU experts. The expanded VTOS system aims to meet the needs both of small and medium enterprises as well as five-star hotels by providing occupational standards and training for tourism and hospitality staff front line to senior management with a new range of tailor-made qualifications for most jobs in the tourism and hospitality industry. 

In order to facilitate the implementation of the MRA – TP, VNAT with support from the ESRT programme, has produced an ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals Handbook, which was endorsed by the ASEAN Tourism Ministers Meeting in Vientiane, Laos in mid-January 2013. In addition, a series of User Guides for Tourism Professionals, Employers and Training Organisations have also been prepared and put online to answer questions about how MRA – TP works, and the requirements and implications for tourism employees and employers (http://mra.esrt.vn).

The MRA on Tourism Professionals is an important driver in raising standards of tourism and improving qualifications of the tourism workforce in the ASEAN region. Tourism and hospitality professionals in Vietnam who have a VTOS Certificate will be able to have this accredited through a mapping of their qualification to the ASEAN Common Competency Standards for Tourism Professionals (ACCSTP).

The Vietnam Tourism Occupational Standards will be a key component in helping tourism professionals gain recognition under the MRA – TP as well as for tourism companies to support their staff in gaining the qualifications needed by 2015. Tourism and hospitality educators and training providers will also need to review their curriculum to ensure this aligns with VTOS and the ACCSTP, and can seek advice and support from the Vietnam Tourism Certification Board (VTCB).