Country Report Launch 2025
Vietnam’s Administrative Reform in Focus: Launch of the 8th Country Report
Participants of the Launch of Country Report 2025
HSF
In partnership with the Hanns Seidel Foundation Vietnam (HSF), the University of Social Sciences and Humanities – Vietnam National University (USSH/VNU) and Justus-Liebig University Giessen (JLU), hosted the official launch of the 2025 Country Report: Administrative Reform in Vietnam, on July 24 at its Hanoi campus. The event gathered 65 participants from academia, government institutions, civil society, and international organisations.
This eighth volume in the Country Report series represents the latest outcome of an ongoing joint research initiative supported by HSF since 2020. The series aims to provide scientifically grounded analyses of Vietnam’s social and policy developments, with each edition offering a platform for knowledge exchange between Vietnamese and international experts. The 2025 report delivers a comprehensive examination of the ongoing administrative reform in Vietnam, exploring historical legacies, institutional dynamics, state governance, digital transformation, and comparative international perspectives.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dang Thi Thu Huong, Vice Rector of USSH/VNU opening the event.
HSF
Opening the event, after a welcoming speech by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dang Thi Thu Huong, Vice Rector of USSH/VNU, researchers introduced key findings from the new publication, followed by a keynote address from Dr. Sören Keil, who provided a global context by outlining the significance of decentralisation in public administration. Drawing on international experiences, particularly in Europe, Dr. Keil discussed the dual nature of decentralisation, highlighting both the gains in transparency, participation, and efficiency as well as the structural challenges such as uneven development and potential inefficiencies.
The discussion continued with a lively panel and Q&A session, moderated by PD Dr. Detlef Briesen and Michael Siegner the Resident Representative of HSF Vietnam. Contributors emphasized Vietnam’s strong political will to push forward comprehensive administrative reform as a cornerstone of long-term development. Specific reform areas highlighted in the discussion included the simplification of administrative procedures, digital innovation in public services, and the push for decentralisation to empower local governance structures.
Dr. Sören Keil, Researcher at University Passau, Germany
HSF
Significant attention was given to Vietnam’s commitment to digital transformation, especially through the advancement of e-government initiatives. The launch of the National Public Service Portal in 2019 and the ongoing development of a national data platform were cited as key efforts toward achieving a fully digital public administration by 2030. The report also discusses reforms in human resource management, focusing on merit-based recruitment, capacity building of civil servants, and performance-based evaluation as tools to improve efficiency and accountability in the public sector.
Beyond its current academic relevance, the launch event and sustained collaboration among HSF, JLU, and USSH was reported by the local media Hanoi Radio - Television Broadcasting. This facilitated a broad outreach of and visibility of the report’s contents and thereby reached a wider public audience.