On March 11, 2025, in at APAG Headquarters in Ha Noi, the Academy of Public Administration and Governance (APAG), in collaboration with the Chandler Institute of Governance (CIG) from Singapore, organized an international seminar on the theme “Innovation in public governance to build an effective government.” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, APAG President, and Mr. Wu Wei Neng, Executive Director of CIG, co-chaired the event.
Participants of the seminar.
On the side of CIG was Ms. Ong Wee Teng, Program Manager. On the side of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMA), there were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Van Chien, Director General of the Institute of Leadership and Public Administration; Dr. Nguyen Thi Hong Van, Deputy Director General of the Department of International Cooperation.
On the side of APAG, there were Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quoc Suu, APAG Vice President; Dr. Bui Phuong Dinh, APAG Vice President; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thanh Giang, APAG Vice President; representatives of APAG departments, faculties, and units; scholars, faculty members, and researchers from both within and outside APAG. The seminar was conducted in a hybrid format, allowing in-person and online participation from APAG campuses.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, APAG President.
In his opening remarks, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, APAG President, welcomed the renewed collaboration with Mr. Wu Wei Neng, Executive Director of CIG. He also expressed appreciation for CIG’s continuous support over the past five years in facilitating meaningful and practical cooperation activities with APAG.
He emphasized that Viet Nam is undergoing a bold, decisive, and comprehensive reform process in economic management, with streamlining the administrative apparatus and improving the legal system as its core foundation. This transformation necessitates a modern, multi-stakeholder, multi-centered, and multi-level governance approach, moving beyond traditional management models to adapt to digital transformation and international integration.
As a leading institution in public administration and governance training, APAG plays a crucial role in advising the Party and Government of Viet Nam on public governance reforms. At the same time, APAG is directly responsible for enhancing the capacity of public leaders, managers, and administrative personnel to ensure modern, effective governance. To successfully fulfill this critical mission, APAG, through its international cooperation programs, focuses on researching, adopting, and transferring national governance tools; proposing concrete solutions to enhance national governance capacity; developing training programs to equip public officials with the necessary skills to meet the demands of modern and effective governance. The seminar on “Innovation in public governance to build an effective government” is a key component of APAG’s international cooperation program on training and academic research for 2025.
The seminar aims to explore global trends in public governance innovation; international indicators for measuring government performance; core factors in building an effective government; best international practices in effective governance. Based on Mr. Wu Wei Neng’s insights, participants will engage in discussions and propose recommendations to enhance Viet Nam’s public governance effectiveness, contributing to the development of an effective government.
Mr. Wu Wei Neng, Executive Director of CIG.
Mr. Wu Wei Neng, Executive Director of CIG, expressed his delight and honor in co-organizing the international seminar with APAG. He shared his joy at returning to Ha Noi, a city he has visited many times over the past 15 years. He noted that both he and CIG have maintained a long-term partnership with APAG, collaborating in academic knowledge exchange, faculty capacity building, case study research, and organizing conferences, seminars, and workshops. He emphasized that today’s seminar focuses on public governance innovation to build an effective government, which aligns with CIG’s core mission as a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and enhancing government effectiveness worldwide. With experience working with over 80 countries, Mr. Wu Wei Neng expressed his hope that CIG’s support would be valuable to Viet Nam as the country undergoes a bold and determined governance transformation, ultimately aiming for national prosperity and sustainable development.
In his presentation, Mr. Wu Wei Neng emphasized that innovation is a crucial theme, a trend, and a driving force for change—but it must be change directed toward effectiveness. He introduced global indices for measuring government capabilities and performance, including Corruption Perception Index; Democracy Index; Chandler Good Government Index; Worldwide governance indicators. He also analyzed core factors essential for building an effective government and shared international best practices that Viet Nam can learn from and apply in its governance reform efforts.
Participants engaged in active discussions, sharing insights on clarifying the concept of a performance government; how to measure government performance effectively; assessing the performance-driven leadership within the government. The discussions covered three critical levels of public governance, i.e. the relationship between the State and society; how to build an effective government in the context of strong reforms; how to measure government performance—not only at the macro level but also at the level of each institution and individual.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Hong Hai, Dean of the Faculty of Administrative Sciences.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Van Chien, Director General of the Institute of Leadership and Public Administration (HCMA).
Dr. Nguyen Quang Vinh, Editor-in-Chief, State Management Review.
In his closing remarks, Dr. Bui Phuong Dinh, APAG Vice President, expressed deep appreciation for the efforts and collaboration of CIG. He also extended sincere gratitude to the faculty, staff, and experts from APAG and all participating delegates for their active engagement and valuable contributions to the seminar. He emphasized that the outcomes of the seminar would serve as a foundation for future collaboration between APAG and CIG, particularly in developing a Government Performance Index—an essential and meaningful task entrusted to APAG by HCMA.
An overview of the seminar.
In the afternoon, APAG leaders held a follow-up working session with Mr. Wu Wei Neng and the CIG delegation. Both sides reached an agreement on several key areas for future collaboration, including (1) Continuing the implementation of the MENGPEL program (“Modern and Effective National Governance Programme for Emerging Leaders”); (2) Jointly developing the Government Performance Index; (3) Conducting research and practical surveys; (4) Organizing international conferences and seminars on public administration and governance. Both parties also identified a significant and practical cooperation direction: enhancing the capacity of Vietnamese leadership team to meet the demands of national governance reform under the principles of “Lean – Streamlined – Strong – High-Performance – Effective – Efficient.” To achieve this, the discussion focused on identifying gaps and areas for improvement in leadership training programs. Future training initiatives will emphasize transforming mindsets and defining long-term vision; developing motivation strategies amid rapid changes; enhancing knowledge and skills in science, technology, and artificial intelligence (AI) for public administration; mobilizing, utilizing, and optimizing resources for national development in the new context.
Participants of the meeting between APAG and CIG.
