On July 28, 2026, the Party Central Committee issued Resolution No. 19-NQ/TW on renewing Vietnam’s development model. The resolution is of particular significance, seeking to establish a new development model built on knowledge, technology, data, people, culture and national governance capacity.

A key new point set out in Resolution 19 is the requirement to renew the development model, rather than simply the growth model as in the past. This also provides a basis for addressing the challenge of renewing Dak Lak’s development model, with a focus on restructuring development space, advancing science and technology (S&T), developing human resources (HR) combined with culture, improving quality of life, and narrowing disparities between regions.

Notably, Dak Lak’s development orientation and practical experience have recently been moving in the direction set out by Resolution 19. Following the reorganisation of administrative units, the development space linked with the coastal region has given Dak Lak an additional strategic advantage: direct connectivity from raw-material areas to the sea alongside international markets.

A class session for students at Buon Ma Thuot Medical University.

Simultaneously, the province is focusing on a strong shift from exploiting raw resources towards applying S&T and developing a circular economy. Four priority areas have been identified: high-tech agriculture along with deep processing; processing and manufacturing industries; renewable energy; as well as logistics and infrastructure services.

In particular, the Dak Lak Provincial Planning adjustment for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision towards 2050, marks a shift from development based on administrative boundaries towards development organised around economic corridors, value chains and growth-driving areas. In other words, the province is moving from exploiting geographical alongside natural-resource advantages towards strengthening its role as a connectivity hub, promoting innovation, deep processing, logistics and a green economy.

The high-quality human resources challenge

To attract and retain investors, Dak Lak needs high-quality HR coupled with efforts to improve planning, invest in infrastructure, accelerate administrative reform as well as enhance the investment and business environment.

PPC Vice Chairman, comrade Truong Cong Thai said that as localities increasingly share similar advantages and investment-attraction efforts, high-quality HR are becoming an important competitive advantage. Developing HR not merely improves labour productivity but also serves as a “key” to attracting investors to Dak Lak.

From the perspective of local training, Dak Lak has identified HR development as one of its three strategic breakthroughs and allocated substantial resources to the sector. The province currently has eight higher education institutions, seven colleges, four intermediate schools together with 43 vocational education institutions, helping raise the proportion of trained workers to 70 % and gradually meet businesses’ recruitment needs.

Moreover, the Provincial People’s Council has introduced policies to attract talent in fields involving IT, high-tech agriculture, tourism services, urban planning and construction, along with public policy formulation, creating further incentives for highly skilled workers.

Resolution 19 sets a target for the economy by 2035 to shift decisively from growth driven primarily by capital, labour, natural resources and contract manufacturing towards growth based on S&T, innovation, digital transformation combined with high labour productivity. The green economy, digital economy, data economy alongside circular economy are expected to become important components of the economy. Against this backdrop, developing high-quality HR has become an urgent requirement, calling for a more long-term, comprehensive and substantive strategy in the years ahead.

Translated by HAI LOAN