Vietnam’s Public Asministration Reform (PAR) In Cooperation With

United Nations & World Trade Organization

Introduction:

Public administration reform today is at the heart of Vietnam’s efforts to move further towards a socialist market economy. The reform is a vital condition for the achievement of economic growth and poverty reduction targets, and for the country’s further intergration into regional and international markets.

The PAR Master Program (2001-2010), adopted by the Vietnamese Prime Minister in 2001, marked Vietnam’s strong commitment to systematically push for reforms to serve that end. Covering four areas, institutional, organizational, human resource and financial; the Program aims to build a robust and effective public administrative system operating in the principles of state of rule-of-law.

In the fisrt five (5) years of this program (2001-2005) great progress of was made including, a legal framework for reform, the initation of legal frameworks for combating corruption and provisions for people’s participation and improvements in the personal management and compensation systems. However, the transition of policies and laws into action is generally slow and the PAR process was perceived to be isolated from other key processes of change. The central bureaucracy remains large and the decentralization process is at its beginning stages with many procedures remaining cumbersome and complicated.

UNDP (United Nations Development Program):

Supporting Efficient, Responsive and Transparent public service.

The overall objective of UNDP’s involment the PAR progress in Vietam is to support the development of more accoutable, transparent and participatory goverment systems and processes that contribute to the achievement of national socio-economic development targets.

A strong administrative capacity can offer Vietnam much-needed clarity and coherence for the implementation of national priorities, including those connected with MDG targets. UNDP helps to build public services that are cost-efficient and results-oriented, transparent, responsive and accountable to the needs of citizens.

Towards this end, UNDP seeks to support a more effective implementation of the second phase of the PAR Master Program and the continued piloting and scaling up of local level PAR initiatives, via the following key groups of action:

1- Strengthening PAR planning, steering and overall management capacities, focusing on financial policy analysis, formulation and review from a human development perspective.

2- Further developing and improving alternative mechanisms for public service delivery and orienting such mechanism towards meeting local level needs.

3- Effectively applying strategic performance management systems and quality standards in selected ministries and provinces.

Current State of Vietnam Public Administration:

- Cultural and historic background: Confucianism, Cononialism, and Communism;

- Dual Mechanism: Party control over the formal structure;

- Out of control, loss control

- Waste and Corruption

- Unclear division, separation between: branches of governement (legilative, executive, and judiciary); central and local government; Public and economic functions; non-professional, untrainted personnel; Political and administrative functions; Policy and implementaion.

Recommendations:

Conceptual Level

- Unified authority: let people in the party taking charges in the public administration system and therefore reponsible to its policies as well as its implementation.

- Policy making process

- Rethinking the role of government: policy maker

- Changing attitude: from governance to service provider

Strategic level

- Training and retraining

- Reform and reinforce the judiciary systems (laws, judges, public defenders, and lawyers)

- Top-down approach:

- New personnel with bold vision

- Public administration reform Council consisting of outsiders (businessman, expert, scholars..) and top of public administration leaders.

- Bottom-up approach: decentralization in the local government at least at the communal level.

Objectives

- Re-regulation and deregulation: unified standards and procedures

- Transparency

- Effectiveness: balancing input and output management

- New management tool: computer

- E-government

Programs

- Training and recruitment

- Education

- Wages & bonus: based on performance

- Permanent employment and contractual employment

Conclusion

- Samples PAR in: USA, Japan, China, Russia, and Germany

- New vision: openness and goodwill

- Boldness

- Lightning decisions. /.

Ham Cong Tran

13220 Nassau Dr. 209-J

Seal Beach, CA 90740

(949) 350- 8174

Birthplace, Cao bang, Vietnam (1941)

Bachelor of Science, in Accounting

Saint Peter’s College, Jersey City, NJ. USA (1979)

Bachelor of Art, in Public Administration

National Institute of Administration, Saigon, Vietnam (1962)

USA:

President, Accurate Accounting & Taxation, New Orleans, La. USA (1990-2005)

Offshore Painting Manager, Houma Industries, Harvey, LA. USA (1981-1989)

Escrow Officer, New Jersey Housing Finance Agency, NJ. USA (1979-1981)

Vietnam:

Assistant to the Chief of the Province of Darlac, S. Vietnam (1974- 1975)

Director Office of the Research and Development, Ministry of Interior, Saigon, S. Vietnam (1969-1974)

Local Tax Specialist, Ministry of Interior, Saigon (1968-1969)

Director Office of Budget and Finance, Ministry of Culture, Saigon, S. Vietnam (1967-1968)

Deputy Chief of the Province of Pleiku, S. Vietnam (1965-1967)

Administrator of the Province of Pleiku, S. Vietnam (1963-1964)

Chief Accountant of the Province of Pleiku, S. Vietnam (1962-1963)

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