This research empirically investigates collaboration between the Hospitality and Tourism industry and schools in career orientation delivery for 1st-year students that manage to survive under the COVID-19 pandemic. This study applied the thematic analysis method to analyse qualitative data from a set of texts, such as this study’s interview transcript. The findings also explore the benefits to stakeholders, including career orientation and talent attraction management, personnel staffing in the Hospitality and Tourism industry, career orientation and students' perceptions and expectations for their future occupations, career orientation, and lecturers' perception of self-study development. This research fills the literature gap among the above relationships and points out the benefits in the Hospitality and Tourism industry and school collaborations to overcome difficulties during the COVID-19 epidemic in Vietnam.

Keywords: COVID-19, Vietnam Hospitality and Tourism, Career Orientation, Self-development, Career Perceptions and Expectations, Talent Attraction Management