Logistics remains understaffed because the brand has not invited.

The logistics sector in Vietnam lacks operational personnel not only due to low wages or long shifts. Most companies in the industry cannot answer a simple question that every potential candidate asks before applying: what does working here mean? A consistent brand, clear identity, and culture expressed externally provide a silent answer to that question.

The picture of chronic shortage

Logistics costs in Vietnam are around 16 to 17 percent of GDP, nearly double the global average of 8 to 10 percent (Tuổi Trẻ). The industry operates on a large scale, yet the proportion of well-trained personnel remains low. Skilled drivers, experienced warehouse staff, and operation coordinators who understand the system are cyclically lacking. Each peak e-commerce season, the issue of staff shortages reoccurs.

The usual reaction of most companies is to increase recruitment costs: posting more ads, raising referral bonuses, increasing starting salaries. These measures have short-term effects. But they do not address the fundamental question: why do talented individuals choose to stay rather than move to competitors when opportunities arise?

Candidates choose their workplace based on perception.

Before a candidate calls to ask about salary, they have seen trucks driving down the street. They have visited the website to look up the address, read comments on social media, and heard a friend talk about that workplace. All these interactions add up to a perception. That perception determines whether they apply or not.

Marty Neumeier defines a brand as "the perception of others about an organization, product, or service" (The Brand Gap, 2003). This definition does not exclude candidates from being part of "others." The employer brand, or employer branding in English, is the version of the brand directed at the labor market rather than the customer market.

An organization is a whole made up of behavior, environment, products, and communication. Change one of the four while keeping the other three the same, and the organization will not change.

Wally Olins, On Brand (2003)

A consistent identity achieves what recruitment advertising cannot.

Job postings say what the company wants candidates to believe. Brand identity shows what the company truly is. When these two things are misaligned, experienced individuals can recognize it immediately. When they align, trust is established even before the first interview.

Viettel Post is a locally observable example. After the rebranding process, this company operates a team of over 13,000 employees with a clear internal message: "Delivering with all our heart" (VietnamNet). That message not only addresses customers externally, but it also sets expectations and identity for those inside. This is the dual function that consistent identity creates.

Trucks and uniforms are a mobile recruitment board.

In logistics, the brand does not only exist on the website. It moves. The truck driving around the city, the delivery staff uniforms, the post office at the street corner, the boxes stacked outside the warehouse, all serve as communication surfaces. Potential candidates see these things daily before they even think about job searching.

A fleet of vehicles with a consistent color scheme, clear logos, and neat uniforms conveys an implicit message: this organization is disciplined, systematic, and worth being a part of. A fleet with a patchwork of colors, faded logos, and casual uniforms sends the opposite message, regardless of how excellent the team and culture may be inside.

This is not an aesthetic issue. This is a signaling issue. Candidates do not have complete information about the inner workings of the company; they read external signals to infer the internal situation. Consistent identity controls that signal.

Culture must be visible

Many logistics companies claim they have a good culture, a cohesive team, and a respectful working environment. But if no one outside of those working there knows this, it has no recruitment value.

Culture needs to be expressed externally through various channels: authentic employee stories on social media, unedited images of the workplace, and testimonials from long-term employees about why they stay. According to LinkedIn Talent Solutions (2022), companies with a strong employer brand reduce recruitment costs per position. They also attract a higher rate of candidates who apply proactively compared to companies that only recruit passively. The logistics sector, where operational costs are significant, cannot overlook these savings.

Wally Olins pointed out that a brand is behavior, not just communication. A logistics company that wants to be known as a place where employees are respected must act accordingly every day. And there needs to be a way for that behavior to be visible from the outside.

No need for a large budget, just a consistent system.

This is something you can check today without needing a large project. Look at the five most basic touchpoints: trucks and vehicles, employee uniforms, recruitment fan page, job postings, and the first greeting in the interview. Do these five points tell the same story? Or does each place speak with a different voice?

Consistency does not require expensive uniforms or new trucks. It requires clear decisions about: what this organization is like, how it treats its people, and what it expects from new joiners. When these three questions are answered consistently wherever candidates look, the brand begins to do the recruiting work for the company. This happens quietly and continuously, without incurring additional advertising costs.

Sinh Vũ has observed this repeatedly in logistics companies while working together. Organizations that invest in their identity system are not only better recognized in the customer market. They also receive better CVs because candidates come proactively, rather than having to run continuous ads to attract people. This is the long-term value of a consistent brand, and the logistics sector can fully leverage it.