The present study offers a logical understanding of the development of human resource management (HRM) in Vietnam over the past 30 years. While previous studies have examined the adoption of HR practices, there remains a need to understand the current state of HRM development in Vietnam. Using a semantic analysis approach, we systematically analyzed the themes and concepts from 100 journal articles related to HRM in Vietnam, selected from academic databases between 1984 and 2013. The main study findings show that the development of HRM is associated with the key stages of economic development in Vietnam.

The field of human resource management (HRM) has Bemerged, developed, and evolved^ to Brepresent one of the more interesting and important areas of organizational science and practices … in the context of industrial change and economic development^ (Dulebohn, Ferris, & Stodd, 1995: 18). As research reflects the current state of contextual conditions, describing the significant influences of the context on HRM research can reveal how HRM develops over time (Budhwar, Varma, & Patel, 2016; Cooke, 2017; Posthuma, Campion, Masimova, & Campion, 2013). This argument highlights the need to examine the context in HRM research to access the history and development of HRM in developing economies (Budhwar & Debrah, 2009; Cooke, 2017; Poon & Rowley, 2010). For example, Fey, Pavlovskaya, and Tang (2004) showed that the economic changes and historical and institutional roots in China and Russia make it difficult for multinational companies to adopt formal practices in training and development, internal communication, and compensation systems. Warner (2011) also showed the influence of culture practices (such as guanxi and traditional Chinese personnel practices) together with historical and institutional changes in legislation have an impact on HRM development in China. Although the context is important for HRM research, particularly in developing economies which have been through institutional changes, systematic reviews of HRM development in such settings have been scant (Cooke, 2017). Budhwar et al. (2016: 7) recently argued for an understanding of Bthe specific context within which the HR function has evolved, and is developing, its background and present state, and the emerging HR challenges.^ Their framework highlights that a historical assessment of HRM development is a primary step in identifying directions of future studies of HRM at the meso and micro levels. Our study responds to Cooke (2017) and Budhwar et al. (2016) by examining the development of HRM in Vietnam over the last 30 years. The development of HRM in Vietnam has become a central area of interest for understanding how HRM concepts and ideas (often attributed as Western management thought) are disseminated in developing countries (Budhwar & Debrah, 2009; Cooke, 2017; Poon & Rowley, 2010). This burgeoning interest in conducting research in Vietnam can be attributed to an increasingly dynamic economy with a young, literate labor force and the increased attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI) (Bartram, Stanton, & Thomas, 2009; Budhwar & Debrah, 2009). Topics on HRM in Vietnam tend to be based on different perspectives of HRM literature and the research focus of researchers. For example, a good number of studies have focused on the utilization of HRM practices in different ownership types (Kamoche, 2001; Thang & Quang, 2005b; Zhu, Collins, Webber, & Benson, 2008) and in small and medium-sized organizations (King-Kauanui, Ngoc, & Ashley-Cotleur, 2006; Thang & Bryant, 2004). Others have examined the overarching macro-effects of the changes in Vietnam’s industrial relations system (Collins, Nankervis, Sitalaksmi, & Warner, 2011; Zhu & Fahey, 1999, 2000) or specific micro-HR practices, such as the association between training and firm performance (Nguyen, Truong, & Buyens, 2011).