Nguyen Manh Cuong is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in international labor affairs. He is a former Director General of the Department of International Cooperation under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MOLISA) and former Director of the Center for Support and Development of Labor Relations. Additionally, he served as an advisor to the Minister on International Labor Affairs and was the Head of the Labor Negotiating Group for several important Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), including the Vietnam-US Trade Agreement (BTA), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

Mr. Cuong played a crucial role in the implementation of commitments related to labor and sustainable development within the framework of these FTAs. He was also instrumental in the development of key legal documents on Vietnam’s labor policies, including the Labor Code 2019 and its guiding decrees, as well as in the preparation of documents for submission to the National Assembly for ratification of the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) Basic Conventions 98 and 105.

Mr. Cuong holds a degree in Mine Geodetic Engineering from the Leningrad Mining University in the Soviet Union, where he was awarded a government scholarship for high-achieving high school graduates. He also holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from Princeton University in the United States.