On August 16, at Garco 10 Corporation – JSC, the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group and the Vietnam Textile and Garment Trade Union solemnly held the ceremony of the 7th Vietnam Textile and Garment Skilled Workers Contest 2026 and presented awards in the Woven Garment Sewing category category. The ceremony was attended by Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Member of the Party Central Committee and President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL); Mr. Vu Anh Duc, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of VGCL; Mr. Le Van Nghia, Member of the Standing Committee and Vice President of VGCL; and Mr. Le Tien Truong, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex), together with leaders of the Group’s Executive Office and functional departments. Representatives of the Vietnam Textile and Garment Trade Union included Ms. Pham Thi Thanh Tam, Member of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour and President of the Vietnam Textile and Garment Trade Union, along with standing members and chairpersons of grassroots trade unions in the system. Representatives of the host units included Mr. Than Duc Viet, General Director of Garco 10 Corporation – JSC, and Ms. Nguyen Hong Lien, General Director of Hue Textile Garment Joint Stock Company; and 21 teams from 14 units, with more than 100 contestants competing in the Woven Garment Sewing category.
Mr. Le Van Nghia, Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, acknowledged and highly appreciated the coordination between the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group – Union in organizing the contest. He also commended the sense of responsibility shown by units, enterprises, grassroots trade unions and, especially, the contestants who made great efforts to train and compete, contributing to the success of the contest.
He noted that, as the country accelerates industrialization, modernization, digital transformation and international integration, requirements for the quality of human resources, labour productivity and vocational skills are increasingly high. For the Textile and Garment industry — a labour-intensive sector that plays an important role in the country’s export turnover, building a workforce of highly skilled workers with industrial discipline and an innovative spirit has become even more urgent. In this process, technological innovation must go hand in hand with human development. Workers with solid vocational skills, who master equipment and production processes and continuously improve working methods, will be a direct factor in enhancing productivity, quality and the competitiveness of enterprises.
The Vietnam Textile and Garment Skilled Workers Contest is not only designed to test and assess vocational skills, but also serves as a practical emulation movement to identify, honor and replicate skilled workers; encourage employees to learn and practice their craft; and improve productivity and product quality, helping concretize the “Good Labour – High Productivity – Good Income” campaign launched by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, linking emulation activities directly with each job position, production line and production stage.
The Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour requested that – Vinatex, the Vietnam Textile and Garment Trade Union, enterprises and grassroots trade union continue to renew the content and methods of organizing emulation movements; focus on identifying, nurturing and replicating outstanding examples, skilled workers, initiatives and effective practices; pay attention to training and improving vocational skills; and create an environment for employees to promote initiatives, improve techniques, master technology and receive benefits commensurate with the values they create. Each contestant is also expected to maintain their passion for the profession, continue learning and training, and become a core force spreading the spirit of “Practicing skills to become skilled workers” at their units and throughout the industry.
Ms. Pham Thi Thanh Tam, Member of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour and President of the Vietnam Textile and Garment Trade Union, said that amid the vibrant emulation atmosphere among union members, public employees, workers and workers nationwide, who are striving in production and work to help successfully fulfill the socio-economic development targets for 2026 . In response to the “Good Labour – High Productivity – Good Income” emulation movement launched by VGCL, the 7th Vietnam Textile and Garment Skilled Workers Contest in the Woven Garment Sewing category was organized as a practical activity to create an emulation spirit across the industry.
A highlight of the 7th contest was that, for the first time, the creative segment featuring circular and recycled products under the theme “Green Textile and Garment – Sustainable Development” was included in the scoring and award presentation. The participating ideas and products not only demonstrated the skillfulness and creativity of employees, but also reflected a clearer awareness of efficient resource use, the circular economy and the industry’s green transformation requirements.
The contest is not merely a vocational-skills competition, but also a forum that promotes innovative thinking, a spirit of learning and the ability to adapt to modern production methods. The contestants’ achievements are recognition of their continuous learning, training and dedication in production activities. The greatest value of the contest lies not only in titles or awards, but also in the opportunity for employees to surpass their own limits, exchange experiences, learn from one another and accumulate practical knowledge. Every contestant participating in the final round is an outstanding employee who has passed the selection process from units across the entire system.
Mr. Le Tien Truong, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vinatex, noted that the Skilled Workers Contest and the Vietnam Textile and Garment Creative Workers Festival are two meaningful activities with wide-reaching influence organized by the Vietnam Textile and Garment Trade Union. This year’s contest was held on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Vietnam Textile and Garment Trade Union. Over seven editions, the contest has not only served as a professional platform for employees but has also become a traditional activity closely associated with important milestones of the Group and the Vietnam Textile and Garment Trade Union.
Chairman Le Tien Truong said that, following the success of the 14th Congress of the Vietnam Trade Union and in the context of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour launching the “Good Labour – High Productivity – Good Income” emulation movement, Vinatex and the Vietnam Textile and Garment Trade Union launched a skilled-worker emulation movement across the industry. A notable feature of the 7th contest is that the concept of “skilled worker” has been expanded, moving closer to the requirements of modern production. While previous contests mainly assessed the operational skills of individuals, team-based competition was introduced from the 5th contest. In this edition, contestants were required not only to complete a single product but also to complete on a pair of products, demanding the ability to switch orders and organize production at high speed. These innovations show that the Skilled Workers Contest is increasingly connected with practical production realities, customer requirements and competitive pressure from the market. In addition to precise sewing skills, workers need the ability to coordinate, adapt and organize production flexibly. The addition of an initiative category for the “Green Textile and Garment – Sustainable Development” display, featuring typical circular and green products, has broadened the scope of the contest in line with the industry’s sustainable development trend in international integration.
The goal of the contest is not only to find the winners, but more broadly, to leverage today’s skilled workers to build “golden factories”—factories with high productivity, quality and competitiveness. A skilled worker is measured not only by vocational skills, but also by respect for the profession, discipline, high standard for oneself and appreciation for colleagues. Therefore, for teams that did not win prizes, participating in the contest was already a recognition of their efforts, professional passion, respect for colleagues and determination to rise. That confidence, resilience and professional work style will lay the foundation for employees to overcome difficulties, adapt to new challenges and continuously improve the quality of their work. This is also the confidence that Vinatex’s leaders place in employees in all positions across the system.
“Looking back on the development journey of the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group, the core factors have been solidarity, unity and the continuous enhancement of competitiveness. I believe that emulation movements in skills, productivity, initiatives and management have created vitality for enterprises. Over the past 30 years, production unit prices have remained almost unchanged, while workers’ wages have risen sharply — tenfold in USD terms and about twentyfold in Vietnamese dong. This result has been driven by labour productivity, vocational-skills emulation movements, initiatives and management capacity — values formed from the intelligence and efforts of employees themselves. Encouragingly, at the 7th Skilled Workers Contest, I saw many young managers and employees among the recipients of the ‘Golden, Silver and Bronze Hands’ awards. This is a positive signal showing that the next generation of the industry is not only skilled and passionate about the profession, but also has a strong spirit of teamwork and is ready to meet new production requirements. Given the realities of technological transformation, I believe the concept of ‘skilled worker’ needs to continue evolving. The Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group – Union need to consider restoring Skilled Workers Contests in the Spinning, Weaving and Dyeing fields, but assessment can no longer be based only on direct machine operations as before. As production lines become increasingly automated and data-driven, skilled workers in these fields should be assessed through their ability to analyze data, detect errors, identify causes, propose solutions and make decisions to optimize production lines. Future contests in the Garment field could also be expanded to evaluate data-analysis capabilities for managing line speed, improving productivity and controlling quality. In reality, production processes that once required considerable time and complex operations are becoming highly automated. Therefore, as machinery takes on more tasks, the value of workers will shift strongly toward their ability to master technology and data and make decisions. For that reason, the Skilled Workers Contest in the new period should aim to develop workers who can harness artificial intelligence (AI), use data and analyze figures to create higher productivity, quality and efficiency…” Chairman Le Tien Truong emphasized.
The Skilled Workers Contest is not only opens a new stage for the continued spread of professional passion, vocational excellence and innovation, but also contributes to building an increasingly professional textile and garment workforce capable of mastering technology and ready to meet new requirements…
Overall results of the Woven Garment Sewing category:
SHIRT SECTION
Special awards:
- Fastest Completion Award: Garco 10 Corporation – JSC
- Most Streamlined and Efficient Production Line Design Award: Viet Tien Garment Corporation
Main awards:
- 01 Golden Hand: Viet Tien Garment Corporation
- 01 Silver Hand: Garco 10 Corporation – JSC
- 01 Bronze Hand: Hoa Tho Textile and Garment Joint Stock Corporation
- 02 Industry-level Skilled Worker Awards: Nha Be Garment Corporation – JSC; Duc Giang Corporation – JSC
TROUSER SECTION
Special awards:
- Fastest completion award: Hoa Tho Textile and Garment Joint Stock Corporation
- Most streamlined and efficient production-line design award: Garco 10 Corporation – JSC
Main awards:
- 01 Golden Hand: Garco 10 Corporation – JSC
- 01 Silver Hand: Hanoi University of Industry and Trade
- 02 Bronze Hands: Vinatex Da Nang Joint Stock Company; Hoa Tho Textile and Garment Joint Stock Corporation
- 02 Industry-level Skilled Worker Awards: Phong Phu International Joint Stock Company; Ho Guom Group Joint Stock Company
JACKET SECTION
Special awards:
- Fastest completion award: Tien Hung Joint Stock Company
- Most streamlined and efficient production-line design award: Tien Hung Joint Stock Company
Main awards:
- 01 Golden Hand: Duc Giang Corporation – JSC
- 03 Silver Hands: Garco 10 Corporation – JSC; Tien Hung Joint Stock Company; Phong Phu International Joint Stock Company
- 03 Bronze Hands: Hung Yen Garment Corporation – JSC; Hoa Tho Textile and Garment Joint Stock Corporation; Hue Textile Garment Joint Stock Company
- 03 Industry-level Skilled Worker Awards: Nam Dinh Textile Garment Joint Stock Corporation; Vinatex Da Nang Joint Stock Company; Viet Thang Limited Company
Category: Green Textile and Garment – Sustainable Development
- 01 First Prize: Viet Tien Garment Corporation
- 03 Second Prizes: Garco 10 Corporation – JSC; Hanoi University of Industry and Trade; Phong Phu International Joint Stock Company
- 03 Third Prizes: Hanoi Textile and Garment Joint Stock Corporation; Tien Hung Joint Stock Company; Hung Yen Garment Corporation – JSC
- 03 Green Textile and Garment Awards: Nam Dinh Textile Garment Joint Stock Corporation; Dap Cau Garment Corporation Joint Stock Company; Viet Thang – Luch 1 Limited Company
- Most Creative Award: Hanoi University of Industry and Trade
- Highest Applicability/Commercialization Potential Award: Phong Phu International Joint Stock Company
