Remuneration framework of 80-300 million VND ‘creates motivation for scientists to concentrate on research’

The draft, drafted by the National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (Nafosted), proposes to increase remuneration for research teams, based on Singapore’s experience and adjusted to suit Vietnamese reality. According to the new mechanism, researchers can receive a maximum of 80 million VND per month, main researchers 100 million VND, and research team leaders 120 million VND. The highest level, 300 million VND per month, is for the position of general engineer of strategic technologies.

Previously, according to Circular 39/2025 of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the maximum monthly remuneration for the leader of science, technology and innovation tasks is currently 70 million VND, while other positions enjoy a maximum of 0.8 times this level.

As the head of a cooperative project between Vietnam and Japan on semiconductors and sponsored by Nafosted, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thuy, working at the Department of Physics – Hanoi University of Education, believes that offering this level of compensation will help scientists feel more secure with their research work, allowing them to focus on their expertise.

“The income of Vietnamese scientists is quite basic, while the cost of living is increasing. If the compensation is too low, they have to find another job to make a living, which is a waste of resources,” she said.

She said that the maximum level of 80 million VND per month for researchers and 120 million VND for team leaders is “relatively good”. Having worked in the country for many years, she shared that she only needs to earn an income of about 100 million VND per month to “feel satisfied”.

As for the position of general engineer, Associate Professor Nguyen Thi Thuy believes that the remuneration level needs to be competitive enough to attract good experts from abroad. “Income should be equivalent to what they are currently enjoying, but must still be suitable for Vietnamese conditions,” she said.

Income is actually not the only difficulty for strategic technology research groups like semiconductors. Returning to Vietnam in 2018 after spending time abroad, Associate Professor Thuy encountered many obstacles due to limited research conditions in Vietnam, especially in terms of facilities and simulation tools for research. “We have to cooperate with foreign partners, both in research and manufacturing,” she shared.

According to her, in the long term, Vietnam needs a semiconductor research center strong enough and at international level for domestic scientists to participate in research and development.

Having contributed to IoT research projects in Italy and Finland before returning home, Dr. Ngo Trung Kien, from the Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology, also assessed that the remuneration framework in the draft is somewhat competitive, compared to the income of researchers in Europe.

From practical experience, he said, researchers in EU countries often receive 3,000-4,000 Euros (about 100 million VND) per month, while postdoctoral positions can be over 6,000 Euros, depending on the region and project.

However, according to him, high income is not enough to attract scientists who have worked abroad to return. This decision also depends on the research environment, life and family.

“For people who have worked abroad, money alone is not enough to convince them to return home,” he frankly commented.

According to Dr. Ngo Trung Kien, many scientists choose the research path for comfort and freedom. Therefore, Vietnam needs to reduce procedures, increase freedom in research, and have policies to support housing and children’s education so that scientists can focus on their expertise. He believes that the new policy should pay more attention to young researchers, creating conditions for them to access strategic technology programs and long-term development.