With nearly 50,000 LinkedIn followers and a Top 10 Voice recognition in Vietnam, Truong Hong Ha — better known as “Mr. Niềm Tin” — has become one of the most trusted and influential HR voices in the region.
As Talent Acquisition Manager and HRBP Expert at PNJP, and co-founder of the grassroots HR community Social Golden Time, Truong Hong Ha blends corporate leadership with community impact.
In this conversation, he shares why trust is his core leadership strategy, how AI is quietly transforming recruitment and employee experience, and what keeps his HR passion alive more than a decade in.
Highlights
Rebuilding Trust: Why “Mr. Niềm Tin” is More Than Just a Nickname
Q: You’re known across LinkedIn as “Mr. Niềm Tin” — how did that identity come about, and how does it shape your approach to HR and leadership today?
A: This title reflects a deep issue I’ve seen throughout my HR journey: a crisis of trust.
After more than a decade in the field, I’ve come to believe that the biggest obstacle in HR isn’t tools or processes — it’s broken trust. Candidates don’t trust recruiters. Employees don’t trust the promises companies make. That’s the real gap we need to close.
For me, “Mr. Niềm Tin” — which means “Mr. Belief” — isn’t just about emotion. It’s a strategic leadership tool.
- Empowerment and accountability: Leaders shouldn’t micromanage. They should trust their teams’ competence, and in return, hold them fully accountable for outcomes.
- Transparency in HR: HR must be the architect of clarity. From recruitment to performance reviews, processes should be built to foster belief — showing employees and candidates that we operate with integrity.
Turning HR from ‘Busy’ to ‘Valuable’
Q: As both Talent Acquisition Manager and HRBP Expert at PNJP, how do you ensure HR remains a strategic partner rather than just a support function?
A: The trap many large organizations fall into is becoming “busy HR” — always processing, never influencing. To change that, my team and I follow two principles:
- The Strategic 80/20 Rule: We automate as much as possible. Around 80% of our time is spent handling support tasks via tech tools. The remaining 20% is laser-focused on programs that directly impact business outcomes.
- Speaking the language of business: HRBPs can’t wait to be invited into strategic conversations. We have to be at the table from the start — translating people challenges into metrics like cost, risk, and growth. Until HR demonstrates financial value, it risks being sidelined.
How AI is Quietly Transforming HR
Q: You’ve been an advocate for using AI in HR — what are some practical applications you’ve seen that genuinely improve recruitment or employee experience?
A: AI is already changing the game. It removes the manual grind and lets us focus on personalization.
- Recruitment — Tackling the “Resume Mountain”: I use AI to screen candidates and predict cultural fit or early turnover risk. We’ve reduced resume review time by 40% and significantly cut early attrition.
- Employee Experience — Always-On HR: Our internal AI chatbot acts as a 24/7 virtual HRBP. It answers detailed compensation and benefits questions — instantly and accurately. No physical HR team could match that speed, especially in a distributed workforce.
Social Golden Time: Building a Multi-Dimensional HR Community
Q: Social Golden Time has become a major community. What’s been the most fulfilling part of building this grassroots initiative?
A: Breaking down the wall between “realistic recruiters” and “illusioned candidates.”
Social Golden Time isn’t just a group — it’s a platform for redefining what professionalism means for the next generation. We offer real, unfiltered insights into what businesses actually need — saving young people time and helping them pursue meaningful careers.
What’s most fulfilling is the ecosystem effect — seeing recruiters, job seekers, and senior experts share knowledge without expecting anything in return. That’s not just networking — that’s legacy.
Sustaining Passion in HR: The Loop That Never Stops
Q: What keeps your passion alive after more than a decade in HR — especially while juggling corporate leadership, public speaking, and community-building roles?
A: For me, passion follows a continuous loop:
- Challenge: HR never stands still. With AI, Gen Z, and remote models, new problems constantly arise — like how to fairly assess remote employees.
- Solution: Public speaking and community work force me to keep learning. I need to synthesize what’s new, test it, and then bring it back into practice at PNJP.
- Impact: Nothing energizes me more than seeing results. Whether it’s a department transformed by strategy, or one career-changing piece of advice — these small milestones fuel the next challenge.
Current Focus: Leading Change Where It Matters Most
At PNJP, Truong Hong Ha recently led the successful rollout of an AI-powered Talent Acquisition Engine — not simply to hire faster, but to make better hiring decisions. By integrating predictive tools to assess fit and engagement, the initiative delivered the highest new-hire retention rate in the company’s history — proving that technology, when used wisely, drives sustainable results.
At the same time, his role as founder of Social Golden Time has amplified his voice far beyond the corporate setting. Through public speaking and community leadership, he’s helping a generation of professionals — especially those entering the workforce — see HR not just as a function, but as a trusted source of guidance and connection.
For Truong Hong Ha, it all comes back to a simple conviction: trust isn’t a soft skill — it’s a strategy. And building it, day by day, is how he continues to move both people and organizations forward.
Highlights
Read the Chinese article here.
