Vietnam - Australia Forum 2025: Building Public Service Excellence in a New Era of Growth

A forum to discuss new strategic issues

VAF is an important opportunity for the two countries to jointly discuss new strategic issues of mutual concern, as well as to identify cooperation roadmaps and feasible solutions to address challenges in the new phase of development. The event marked a special occasion – the official visit to Vietnam by the high-level Australian delegation led by the Australian Governor-General, demonstrating the strong political commitment and strategic bond between the two nations.

Attending the Forum from the Australian side were H.E. Simeon Beckett, spouse of the Australian Governor-General;  Mr. Barry Sterland, Productivity Commissioner; Ms. Jo Talbot, First Assistant Commissioner, Australian Public Service Commission; and Mr. Marcel Van Kints, General Manager, Australian Bureau of Statistics.

From the Vietnamese side were Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong, Member of the Party Central Committee and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Manh Hung, Vice President of HCMA, Vice Chairman of the Central Council on Theoretical Studies, and National Director of the Vietnam–Australia Centre; and Mr. Pham Hung Tam, Ambassador of Vietnam to Australia.

The Forum also brought together representatives of Vietnamese ministries and agencies, more than 40 ambassadors and representatives of international cooperation and development organizations, and more than 500 senior leaders, policymakers, academics, and innovators from both nations. Participants represented a wide spectrum of sectors—from government ministries and research institutions to international organisations and private enterprises.

A testament to the determination to build public service excellence

In his remarks, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, Politburo Member and President of HCMA, affirmed that the third VAF in 2025 is convened at a particularly meaningful moment. Vietnam has just celebrated the 80th Anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day on 2 September – events that inspire national pride and confidence as the country steps firmly into a new era of growth. The Vietnam – Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership continues to flourish, broadening opportunities for cooperation across many important fields, notably in public sector reform, public governance renewal and enhancing public service capacity.

Acknowledging and highly appreciating the achievements in Vietnam - Australia cooperation in human resource development and public sector innovation, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang emphasized that as a country that has gone ahead, Australia has developed many successful models of public administration reform: from evidence-based governance, a transparent and fair public service system, to applying data and digital technologies in policy design, implementation and monitoring. These valuable experiences from Australia – a nation with a modern, transparent and effective public administration – will provide important reference points, helping Vietnam to find new and innovative approaches in institutional reform and national governance.

Acknowledging the Forum stands as testament to the determination of both nations and both governments to build an excellent, honest, modern, innovative, and internationally integrated public service that better serves national growth and the happiness of the people, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang believed that through the discussions, with the participation of leading officials, researchers, and experts from Vietnam and Australia, the Forum will put forward concrete policy recommendations for Vietnam to further improve institutions and enhance public service performance. It will also help us select appropriate models of Australia, from data-driven public governance and public sector human resource development, to evaluation and accountability mechanisms, and shape new strategic cooperation pathways between the two countries, especially in training and capacity-building, digital transformation in the public sector, improving public service quality, and advancing institutional reform.

Journeying together in a new era

Expressing her honor to visit Vietnam as Australia’s 28th Governor-General, Governor-General Sam Mostyn warmly congratulated the Government and people of Vietnam on the occasion of the 80th National Day, affirming that Vietnam’s journey of over eight decades is a remarkable story of resilience, dynamism, and achievements.

Affirming that VAF is an important occasion for the two countries to meet, Governor-General Sam Mostyn emphasized that Vietnam is entering a new era with the determination to become a high-income country by 2045. Achieving this vision will require economic dynamism, and private sector growth, and it will also require modern, robust and responsive public institutions. This is precisely the goal of Vietnam’s bold new program of public sector reform and also the central theme of the 3rd VAF in 2025.

Governor-General Sam Mostyn stated that the real strength of Australi – Vietnam partnership lies in the people - in the public servants, scholars, and leaders, the business owners and community leaders – who work every day to improve lives. Australia is proud to support Vietnam’s new era of growth, and to be walking together on this journey to create a future-ready, inclusive and diverse public service.

Through VAF 2025, Governor-General Sam Mostyn expressed confidence that both countries can continue to learn from one another, to innovate together, and to build public services that are worthy of the citizens’ trust. The theme of the Forum has resonance for both countries and relevance to plans for the future, both as sovereign nations and as regional partners, reflecting the depth of strategic trust and shared aspirations. Among these, the Vietnam Australia Centre, serving as a platform for knowledge exchange and equipping leaders with essential skills to understand and manage contemporary issues, stands at the centrepiece of the modern partnership between the two nations.

A shared vision for a peaceful, prosperous, and resilient region

The Forum featured two parallel sessions on the themes of “Transparency, fairness, and efficiency in public sector governance” and “Evidence-based policy in the digital era”; a panel discussion on “Building public service excellence in a new era of growth: opportunities, challenges, and the way forward”. Discussions centered on Vietnam’s reform priorities, including lawmaking, digital transformation, international integration, and private sector development.

At the Forum, participants affirmed that in the process of transforming the growth model and modernizing the nation, building an effective, efficient, and innovative public administration has become an urgent requirement in Vietnam. In recent years, reform of the organizational structure of the political and administrative system has been vigorously promoted under the guiding principle of “Streamlined – Lean – Strong – Performance – Effectiveness – Efficiency” set forth by Party General Secretary To Lam. This is not only a strategic orientation but also a practical necessity to enhance the state apparatus’s operational performance, reduce intermediaries, and increase proactivity and accountability in public service delivery.

The restructuring process, aimed at streamlining the apparatus, reducing focal points, and clearly defining functions and responsibilities, is generating significant changes that require synchronization from institutions to leadership and management approaches. At the same time, amid digital transformation and growing expectations from citizens and businesses regarding the quality of public services, the public sector must innovate its approach from “managing” to “serving,” from manual to digital, and from a closed administrative model to a flexible, accountable mode of operation.

VAF 2025 served as an opportunity for Vietnam and Australia to jointly reflect, discuss, and share models and practical experiences on organizational reform, improving civil service performance, strengthening data connectivity, and fostering innovative thinking in the public sector. It also marked an important milestone to review the progress since the elevation of the Vietnam - Australia partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2024, and to reaffirm a shared vision for a peaceful, prosperous, and resilient region.

The outcomes and recommendations from the Forum will be compiled and shared with Vietnam’s policymaking agencies, thereby contributing to the process of institutional improvement, modernization of public administration, and strengthening of national governance capacity in line with development requirements in the digital era and international integration.

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VAF is an annual dialogue supported by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Vietnam-Australia Centre (VAC). It provides a high-level policy dialogue platform to enhance strategic cooperation and promote knowledge-sharing between the two countries, connecting leaders, experts, and policymakers, and driving bilateral relations.

The theme of the 2025 Forum, “Building Public Service Excellence in a New Era of Growth,” emphasizes enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the public sector, which is an essential component of Vietnam’s national modernization process. The Forum offered both sides a valuable opportunity to exchange experiences and information related to administrative reform, operational performance, and digital transformation in public governance.