Besides the stereotypical jobs like masseurs and IT engineers, many other vocations are now available to blind people.

The Job for Blind Facebook fanpage, for instance, has a video which shows the blind working as tele-salespeople, a common enough sight in the country.

They include Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, who has been working at the Vietnam Cacao Joint Stock Corporation (Vinacacao) in District 1 for a year.


The first job fair for people with visual impairments was held in HCM City last month. Source: Photo courtesy of UPSHIFT

Every day she calls the company’s customers to speak about new products, inquire about their sales and listen to problems about products to report to her superior.

Tran Van Lieng, director general of Vinacacao, said this kind of job is suitable for people with visual impairments who have good communication and problem-solving skills and a pleasant voice.

After having worked with such people, he has found them to be competent and to listen attentively.

The fanpage also lists translating jobs for blind people.

Nguyen Minh Tuan, who operates the Job for Blind website, said people with visual impairment can come to his website to find job listings.

Six companies have listed their recruitment needs on the website since it was launched in late June.

The website has been set up by blind people at the Thien An Shelter in Tan Phu District after winning a contest organised by UNICEF under a programme to engage and empower disadvantaged young people.

The Nhat Hong Centre for People with Visual Impairment in Thu Duc District posted listings from employers for an IT teacher and stewards at Noir Dining in the Dark Restaurant in District 1.

Both are exclusively for blind candidates.

Nguyen Ngoc Hiep, a blind man who is studying education management at the HCM City University of Education, told the national English-language newspaper Vietnam News that he plans to apply to shelters and centres for disabled people to work as a volunteer after graduation.

“When I work as a volunteer, I could look for part-time jobs on the Job for Blind website.”

Psychology and foreign languages are becoming the favourite majors for people with visual impairment followed by communication and journalism, he said.

He plans to set up a centre for disabled people in a rural area in the future.

Vietnam has more than one million blind people, but only 20 percent are employed.

In June the first ever job fair for blind people was held, and the enterprises attending it said they were ready to hire.

Source: VNA