Co-founded by SGGP Newspaper and the HCMC Federation of Labor, this prestigious accolade has spent 25 years spotlighting 268 stellar engineers and workers. This year, the organization board is launching an extensive media campaign to further champion this culture of “creative labor.” It’s a movement deeply synchronized with the pulse of HCMC, the country’s economic engine, as it powers toward a more prosperous future.
Inside the cavernous workshops of VARD Vung Tau Co. Ltd. (situated in HCMC’s Dong Xuyen Industrial Park in Rach Dua Ward), the rhythmic scream of steel cutters and the searing glow of welding torches define the workday. Amidst this industrious hum, Nguyen Van Loc, Deputy Head of Hull Fabrication Department, points toward the assembly area for offshore wind propeller clusters. He recalls a time when welding these intricate components was a logistical nightmare.
Teams used to struggle in cramped quarters, hemmed in by a chaotic web of power cables and hazardous fumes. “It was grueling work,” Loc notes, highlighting the inherent health risks. His solution? He proposed shifting the entire assembly to the sub-fabrication stage where the air is clearer and the space more manageable.
Once finished, the massive clusters are simply hoisted into place. It’s a move that might seem elementary at first glance, but it’s proven to be a masterstroke, slashing 250 to 300 man-hours per vessel and shielding workers from toxic gases. More recently, his overhaul of the 80-tonne SOV unit fabrication process has drastically cut down on tedious scaffolding work. As one worker put it, “We don’t have to climb as much or redo tasks anymore. At the end of the day, it’s about staying safe and not burning out.”
A similar drive for excellence can be found at Intel Products Vietnam Co. Ltd. Here, Engineer Nguyen Van Dung has become a household name for optimizing complex systems. His automated gripper and conveyor solutions, fueled by real-time data analytics, have significantly trimmed operating costs.
These weren’t ideas born in a vacuum; they came from Dung sitting down with the floor crew and genuinely listening to their frustrations. He admits the path wasn’t easy, especially when it came to integrating entirely new software. “It took a lot of late nights and self-teaching,” he says, though he’s quick to credit his team’s solidarity and management’s unwavering backing for the success.
The organizers of the Ton Duc Thang Award have always believed that true genius should be inherited, not hoarded. Dung, for instance, has personally mentored over 300 technicians, ensuring they’re ready to take the reins. “I wouldn’t be where I am without the guidance of my mentors,” he explains. “I feel it’s my duty to pay that forward.” Beyond the factory gates, he’s a regular fixture in community projects, from refurbishing local schools to organizing blood drives. For him, being an engineer isn’t just about machines; it’s about communal value.
Meanwhile, Huynh Truong Khoa, Production Engineering Director at Nissei Electric Vietnam, exemplifies two decades of steady dedication. His most impactful project addressed a deceptively simple problem: heat.
When workshop temperatures soared to 38°C, Khoa didn’t just tell his staff to toughen up. He redesigned the ventilation systems to boost oxygen levels and slash emissions. Between 2020 and 2025, his energy-saving tweaks saved the company over VND6.6 billion ($260,000) annually. But perhaps more importantly, he’s helped 12 of his protégés climb the ranks into management.
Creativity through the specific cases above shows that industrial creativity is formed from daily labor reality. When every engineer and worker is concerned with doing their job better, those individual initiatives will resonate into great strength, blowing a new breath of life, making practical contributions to the process of industrialization and modernization of the country.
Chairman Le Van Minh of the Labor Union of HCMC Power Corporation commented that the Ton Duc Thang Award acts as an important launchpad for emulation movements at the unit, bringing positive impacts, promoting and spreading the spirit of “Good Labor, Creative Labor,” helping to increase added value and economic efficiency.
Many daily work improvement solutions help benefit billions of VND for the unit and the corporation. That encourages the unit to invest more strongly in creative labor, increase labor productivity, and promote the digital transformation process.
At the unit, through vibrant emulation activities launched by trade unions at all levels, unit leaders have created maximum conditions to nurture initiatives, creating an environment for laborers to promote creativity and excellently complete tasks.
For the corporation, the award is a pride and evidence for the high-quality human resources team of the unit, creating motivation for laborers to strive, especially young people, and helping them confidently pursue breakthrough creative ideas, striving to become “master craftsmen.”
Deputy General Director Tran Thanh Binh of VARD Vung Tau Co. Ltd. shared that for many years, VARD Vung Tau Co. Ltd. has implemented improvement and creativity programs as a pillar in its sustainable development strategy.
The enterprise has both invested in modern machinery, equipment and focused on professional training, creating conditions for engineers to contact foreign experts, while building an open working environment and coordination between departments. Initiatives are only truly valuable when originating from the production site and measured by specific efficiency.
With more than 1,700 skilled workers and engineers, every year, VARD Vung Tau receives hundreds of improvement ideas. Many initiatives have been effectively applied, helping to increase productivity, save costs, and improve labor conditions. Engineer Nguyen Van Loc is a typical example, a person who rose from the production workshop, creating for the sake of laborers and the development of the enterprise.
