Public service excellence matters to Vietnam in new era

THE HANOI TIMES — Civil service reform is a “critical institutional breakthrough” in Vietnam’s journey towards high-income developed nation status by 2045.

Professor Nguyen Xuan Thang, Politburo member, President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, Chair of the Central Theoretical Council, said at the Vietnam-Australia Forum 2025 convened today [September 11].

Themed “Building Public Service Excellence in a New Era of Growth”, the event gathered over 500 leaders, policymakers and experts from both countries.

Good public service for better growth

At the event, he emphasised the need to reduce bureaucratic layers and clearly define functions and responsibilities, promoting decentralisation, strong accountability and transparency.

He said that Vietnam’s leaders reiterated that public service excellence is no longer optional but central to national modernization, legitimacy and citizen trust.

The forum, which was held during the ongoing visit by  Australian Governor-General Sam Mostyn’s visit to Vietnam on September 9-12, focused on institutional redesign, simplifying administrative structure, reducing overlapping functions and strengthening public service ethics and accountability.

The Vietnam-Australia Forum is an annual event supported by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and delivered by the Vietnam Australia Center (VAC).

It’s designed to promote high-level policy dialogue, strengthen strategic cooperation, and facilitate knowledge sharing between the two countries. The forum has become a key platform connecting leaders, experts and policymakers to deepen the bilateral relationship.

The theme of this year’s forum, Building Public Service Excellence in a New Era of Growth, focuses on promoting efficiency and effectiveness in the public sector – a critical area in Vietnam’s national modernisation process.

Governor-General Sam Mostyn hailed that Vietnam’s public sector reform program is “Vietnam’s most significant initiative since the ‘Doi Moi’ policy launched in 1986.”

Sam Mostyn noted that achieving Vietnam’s 2045 ambition will require modern, capable and responsive public institutions, alongside economic dynamism and private sector growth.

Sharing at the roundtable session, Associate Prof. Nguyen Ba Chien, Director of the Academy of Public Administration and Governance, stressed that breakthroughs in institutions and governance methods are essential for Vietnam to build a public service of integrity, professionalism, dynamism and service-orientation.

He stated that it's essential to shift from a management mindset to a service mindset that prioritizes the satisfaction of citizens and enterprises.

 Cooperation and lessons from Australia

Jo Talbot, First Assistant Commissioner, Workplace Reform and Diversity at the Australian Public Service Commission, offered insights on evidence-based governance, arguing that public service reforms must include performance assessment, citizen feedback and transparency mechanisms.

Meanwhile, Marcel van Kints, General Manager of the Statistical Production and Digital Services Division, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, highlighted how robust data systems and statistics infrastructure allow targeted policy and monitoring of reform progress.

Nguyen Xuan Thang said that Australia’s experience in integrating digital tools, public ethics frameworks and leadership training serves as a valuable reference for Vietnam’s reform path.

Echoing Thang, Nguyen Ba Chien described the Vietnam-Australia Center (VAC) and other bilateral initiatives such as Aus4Skills, Aus4Reform and Aus4Innovation as key platforms through which Vietnam absorbs best practices in human resource development, innovation ecosystems and governance renewal.

From her perspective, Jo Talbot emphasised that developing human capacity, adapting leadership and establishing evaluation mechanisms shaped Australia’s service system to be more transparent and responsive.

Marcel van Kints, on the other hand, urged that policy design should be grounded in scientific evidence, big data and shared metrics, enabling policy to respond swiftly to social and economic changes.

At the event, the two countries promise concrete outcomes in capacity building, improved digital governance, systematic performance reporting and deeper public engagement.

Lessons from Australia indicate that leadership, integrity, data, citizen satisfaction and transparency are core pillars of an excellent public service.

With such lessons and cooperation, Vietnam aims to translate forum outputs into law-making, institution-building and a service culture that puts citizens at the center.

Sam Mostyn affirmed Australia is deeply committed to Vietnam, noting both countries will work together on public sector reform, climate action, digital transformation, gender equality and resilience.

She called for both countries to invest in stories, ethics, kindness and respect in public service, stating that these soft values are as critical as institutional design.

Vietnam-Australia Forum 2025 stands as evidence of a shared vision in which a public service is modern, honest, efficient, innovative and rooted in service to the people.