This paper addresses issues related to the mobilization and use of labour in Vietnam and its relation to urbanization processes occurring in the country. Researched and written in tandem with a companion paper entitled ‘A robust harvest: strategic choices for agricultural and rural development in Viet Nam’ by Ian Coxhead, Kim N.B. Ninh, Vu Thi Thao and Nguyen Thi Phuong Hoa, this paper compares Vietnam’s experiences with those of its regional neighbors and evaluates current and potential future policy settings to identify successful strategies and propose means by which the country’s existing wealth can be deployed to the greatest benefit of current and future generations.