Singapore and Vietnam open innovation talent exchange with 300 applications a year

Two years abroad for a new generation of innovators

Singapore and Vietnam have launched an Innovation Talent Exchange (ITX) offering young professionals working placements of up to two years in fields including artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity and semiconductors. Agreed at the 19th Connectivity Ministerial Meeting in Hanoi, the programme has an annual quota of 300 applications and aims to connect regional work experience with the skills companies need.

Thirty companies and 53 individuals have registered interest, according to Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI). They come from technology, biomedical technology, banking and finance, and tertiary institutions. Those expressions of interest are an early indication of demand, with formal applications and hiring still to follow.

The exchange comes after Singapore and Vietnam upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2025. It puts people alongside a wider programme of cooperation covering investment, energy, digital payments, education, supply chains and security.

For a participant, the opportunity is concrete: work in the other country, contribute to an innovation project and gain experience of a different market. For an employer, the placement provides a defined period to bring in skills, train a new colleague and share knowledge across teams.

Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry describes the purpose in its Innovation Talent Exchange overview:

The Programme will enable Singaporean professionals to seek working stints in eligible innovation related areas of work in Vietnam, and vice versa.

The two governments have adapted application procedures and online systems and are preparing to accept and process submissions. Agencies also plan to contact companies and individuals that have already expressed interest to guide them through the first steps.

What has been agreed, and what comes next?

The programme's launch brings a framework for placements, while recruitment depends on employers identifying suitable jobs and candidates meeting the relevant requirements. The two governments have completed much of the administrative preparation, including system updates and final checks.

The timetable described for the exchange includes an expected opening around July for registration on a dedicated digital platform matching candidates with employers. As of October 12, 2025, the programme information does not confirm whether that platform has opened or give a firm date for the first placements.

The main milestones are:

• March 2025: Singapore and Vietnam upgraded relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
• The 19th Connectivity Ministerial Meeting in Hanoi: both governments agreed the Innovation Talent Exchange and reviewed related economic projects.
• Around July 2025: the expected registration period identified for the digital matching platform.
• The application stage: agencies are preparing to receive and process submissions and contact those who registered interest.

The quota is currently 300 applications a year. Employers can use the preparation period to identify roles, while candidates can gather qualifications, references and evidence of their work. Both still need to complete company selection and the host country's immigration procedures.

Who can apply in each direction?

ITX targets professionals near the beginning of their careers, with different age and experience parameters depending on the direction of travel. The broad criteria described by the two governments may be refined as final application pages become available.

Vietnamese candidates seeking positions in Singapore are expected to be 30 or younger. Singaporeans heading to Vietnam may be up to 33 with a bachelor's degree, or up to 35 with a diploma or junior college qualification.

A bachelor's degree, generally from an approved list of institutions, is the baseline educational requirement. Some routes may accept a diploma supported by stronger experience. The experience requirements also differ:

• Singaporeans applying to work in Vietnam generally need at least three years of experience with a bachelor's degree, or five years with a diploma.
• Vietnamese applicants seeking work in Singapore may not need previous work experience, reflecting the programme's focus on young talent and training by employers.
• Placements under ITX can last up to two years.
• Candidates must meet the employer's selection criteria and the host country's immigration and work pass requirements.

English proficiency is essential for most roles, especially work involving multinational teams or customers. Vietnamese language skills can help Singaporeans moving to Vietnam, although many technology teams in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi use English for daily collaboration.

The programme does not specify a minimum grade point average (GPA). Candidates can also demonstrate their ability through projects and internships, alongside the qualifications and experience required for their route.

How recruitment and the two year placement work

Vietnamese employers are expected to advertise vacancies on the national employment portal and complete recruitment through the programme framework. Employers in Singapore can use their usual hiring channels. In either market, the exchange connects eligible candidates with companies offering work directly related to innovation or advanced technology.

The placement period gives participants time to contribute to products or platforms, release features and complete project cycles. Employers gain a defined window for induction, performance reviews and transferring knowledge to colleagues.

The two year limit applies to the ITX assignment. Participants wishing to remain after completing it would need to apply through another visa route suited to their circumstances and the host country's rules.

Companies therefore need to consider both the immediate vacancy and what happens when the assignment ends. A project with clear milestones can give the participant useful experience while leaving the employer with completed work, documentation and colleagues trained to maintain it.

Which jobs fit the exchange?

Eligible work extends beyond technology companies. Financial services, healthcare technology, logistics and advanced manufacturing businesses may participate where a role advances new technologies or processes. Early interest also includes biomedical businesses and tertiary institutions.

The range of work reflects how digital systems now connect industries. A logistics company may need software and data specialists, while a manufacturer may need engineers who connect machines, analyse production information or improve chip testing. Areas identified for the programme include:

• Data science, analytics and machine learning, including developing models and MLOps, the work of putting those models into use and keeping them running.
• Cybersecurity and risk management, particularly cloud and application security.
• Cloud engineering and platform architecture, covering how computing services and systems are organised.
• Internet of Things projects that connect devices in manufacturing, logistics and smart city applications.
• Artificial intelligence, computer vision and systems that process human language.
• Virtual and augmented reality for training, retail and entertainment.
• Application, mobile, software and systems programming, alongside digital product management.
• Semiconductor design, design verification, fabrication support, testing and yield analysis, which examines how much production meets the required standard.

These roles allow the exchange to serve several parts of the economy rather than a single industry. The practical requirement is that the job contributes to innovation, whether through a product, a digital platform, a manufacturing process or another technological improvement.

What pay and experience could participants gain?

Monthly salaries described for Vietnamese professionals taking Singapore roles generally start around S$3,000 to S$5,000 for fresh graduates and junior positions. Selected senior technical jobs can reach S$10,000 a month.

For Singaporeans moving to Vietnam, compensation is described as competitive within Vietnam's market for foreign specialists in AI, cloud computing and semiconductor work. Packages often include relocation support or housing allowances. Differences in living costs can also allow take home pay to stretch further in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

Pay is one part of the exchange. Vietnam's expanding consumer internet sector and manufacturing base can give engineers experience of serving large numbers of users and connecting software with hardware. Singapore's deep technology, finance and healthcare sectors offer Vietnamese professionals experience in regulated businesses and global product teams.

Two years in another market can also change the problems a participant learns to solve. Engineers may work with different customers, business models and operating conditions, building practical experience that is difficult to gain while remaining in one market.

The exchange is intended to turn those differences into useful training. Participants can contribute to their host company while building technical skills and professional networks that remain valuable after their assignment.

Energy and carbon cooperation widen the agenda

Singapore and Vietnam's Comprehensive Strategic Partnership sets a broader agenda for the talent programme. At the Hanoi meeting, both sides reviewed cooperation that could create work for specialists in energy, data, engineering and compliance.

Electricity connectivity is a major part of that agenda. Both countries reaffirmed plans for Singapore to import electricity associated with lower carbon emissions from Vietnam. Renewable energy projects, including offshore wind, could generate power in Vietnam for delivery to Singapore through subsea cables.

The proposal fits the ASEAN Power Grid vision, under which Southeast Asian countries aim to trade electricity across borders. Linking power systems can help balance supply and demand and give investors greater confidence to build large generating projects.

The two governments also agreed to put into operation a carbon credits implementation agreement under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Article 6 provides rules for countries to cooperate on reducing emissions, including by trading verified reductions. A carbon credit represents an emissions reduction that can be counted under the applicable rules.

For companies, the agreement can support a pipeline of carbon projects with clear rules on how credits count toward national climate targets. Singapore's financial sector and Vietnam's renewable energy potential give the cooperation a commercial basis as well as an environmental purpose.

Work on a framework for subsea power cables adds another technical dimension. Cross border electricity projects require skills ranging from grid modelling and cable routing to secure digital systems, connecting the energy agenda with the wider need for specialist workers.

Food, payments and investment create practical tasks

The Singapore Food Agency and Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Environment are establishing a joint task force to expand agricultural and food trade. Alongside that work, the two countries are developing digital payment links that could make transactions easier for travellers and small businesses.

Singapore's NETS and Vietnam's National Payment Corporation are working on QR code payment connectivity. The aim is to let people use payment apps from their home market when paying in the other country, with participating businesses able to accept those transactions.

Such connections require more than an app that scans a code. The work described across payments, food trade and logistics creates demand for cybersecurity, financial technology, data engineering, fraud detection and compliance skills.

Investment provides another reason for companies to seek people who can work across both markets. Singapore remains a leading investor in Vietnam by cumulative value, with more than 4,000 projects and investment stock exceeding US$80 billion. Foreign direct investment into Vietnam has risen in the latest reporting periods, while Vietnamese investment in Singapore has also grown steadily.

Companies use Vietnam for manufacturing scale and Singapore for finance, research and regional headquarters. The exchange gives eligible professionals a route to gain experience within that connected business environment.

Three projects highlighted at the Hanoi meeting show where the economic relationship is taking physical and digital form:

• Keppel received an investment certificate for Saigon Centre Phase 3, extending its established commercial hub in Ho Chi Minh City.
• Grab Vietnam and the Da Nang People's Committee advanced a digital transformation work plan covering city services and tools for small businesses.
• YCH Group and T&T Group developed an off airport cargo terminal in Phu Tho province, adding capacity for security screening, storage and transfers away from the runway.

These developments create practical tasks for software engineers, data analysts, security specialists and logistics technologists. Together with electricity and payment links, they show why talent mobility is being pursued alongside investment and infrastructure.

What employers should prepare

Employers can prepare before recruitment begins by defining what a participant should accomplish during the assignment. A role tied to a product milestone, platform upgrade or research plan gives both sides a clearer basis for hiring and reviewing progress.

The preparation described for companies covers the job itself, the move to another country and the knowledge that should remain after the participant leaves:

• Set measurable goals for the first six, 12 and 18 months, linked to the product, platform or research work.
• Plan induction covering internal systems, local regulations, language needs and adjustment to a different workplace culture.
• Assign a mentor who can help the newcomer build relationships and navigate the organisation.
• Check work pass rules, qualifications and sector requirements, including data handling or financial licensing, and arrange payroll and tax treatment before arrival.
• Schedule informal learning sessions and internal documentation so colleagues can retain and use the participant's knowledge.
• Budget for housing, medical cover, return flights and other relocation support, while reviewing pay against changing market conditions.

Human resources teams may also need performance arrangements suited to a defined assignment. Clear promotion criteria, bonuses linked to milestones, possible routes to permanent roles and alumni networks can help preserve the benefits after the placement ends.

Companies interested in joining can prepare job descriptions connected to innovation outcomes and check that their internal recruitment and employment processes are ready. Agencies intend to contact businesses that have already registered interest.

What candidates can do before applying

Candidates can begin with the documents and work samples that employers will need. An updated portfolio can show code repositories, data projects, security audits, design notes or semiconductor design coursework, making technical ability easier to assess.

Preparation can also focus on the skills and practical arrangements needed for interviews and a move abroad:

• Strengthen English for collaboration and documentation, using targeted courses or certification where useful.
• Choose a technical focus, such as cloud security, model optimisation, embedded systems or data engineering.
• Collect references so employers can complete background checks promptly.
• Practise live coding, system design and case interviews, including interviews arranged across time zones.
• Research the host country's workplace culture and prepare for different working practices.

Vietnamese candidates considering Singapore roles can use short courses from recognised providers in AWS, Google Cloud or cybersecurity standards to address gaps in their skills. Singaporeans planning to work in Vietnam may find a basic Vietnamese language course useful for everyday life and relationships with colleagues.

Qualifications, references and a portfolio can be assembled while candidates watch for registration arrangements. The absence of a specified minimum GPA gives applicants room to demonstrate ability through completed work and internships, while company selection remains part of the process.

Can temporary moves build lasting skills?

Vietnamese officials at the launch events presented time abroad as a way to build capability at home. They said many highly capable professionals eventually return because salary is only one consideration in deciding where to build a career.

The programme's two way structure, focus on young professionals and two year placement limit are intended to build skills and networks that can benefit both economies. The central question is how effectively experience gained abroad is shared through later jobs, colleagues and professional relationships.

A Singaporean engineer building retail data systems in Ho Chi Minh City, for example, can gain knowledge useful for developing regional products. A Vietnamese cybersecurity specialist working on financial technology systems in Singapore can return with methods that help local companies improve security. As participants move into leadership roles, that experience can reach wider teams.

Employers also have a role in making knowledge travel. Mentoring, documentation and internal training can help turn an individual's assignment into skills that colleagues continue to use.

What the first six to twelve months will show

The first measure of progress will be how quickly the initial annual quota of 300 applications is filled and which types of jobs attract candidates. Participation across startups, large platform businesses and industrial companies will show how widely the exchange reaches.

Another measure will be whether placements support further cooperation, such as joint semiconductor engineering training between leading universities or new settings for testing AI and clean energy projects under the bilateral agenda.

The early interest from 30 companies and 53 individuals provides a starting point. Applications, successful recruitment and completed assignments will show how that interest develops into work experience.

For Singapore and Vietnam, the practical aim is to connect people with the investment, infrastructure and digital projects already being pursued. For each participant, the immediate opportunity is simpler: a defined period working in another market, with the chance to return with stronger skills and a broader professional network.

Key Points

• Singapore and Vietnam have launched ITX for innovation placements lasting up to two years, with an annual quota of 300 applications.
• MTI says 30 companies and 53 individuals have registered interest across technology, biomedical technology, finance and tertiary institutions.
• Vietnamese candidates for Singapore roles are expected to be 30 or younger. Singaporeans heading to Vietnam may be up to 33 or 35, depending on qualifications.
• Singaporean applicants generally need three years of experience with a bachelor's degree or five with a diploma. Vietnamese applicants may not need previous work experience.
• Eligible work includes AI, data science, cybersecurity, cloud computing, connected devices, virtual and augmented reality, software and semiconductors.
• Monthly pay described for junior Singapore roles starts around S$3,000 to S$5,000, with selected senior technical positions reaching S$10,000.
• Agencies are preparing to process applications. The digital matching platform had been expected to open for registration around July.
• The exchange sits alongside cooperation on electricity, carbon credits, food trade, QR payments, investment and logistics under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreed in March 2025.