Innovation toward National Sustainable Development in the New Era

The full text of the keynote address delivered by Assoc.Prof.Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, President of APAG, is introduced below.

Respected Prof.Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, Member of the Politburo, President of HCMA, and Chairman of the Central Council on Theoretical Studies,

Distinguished leaders of HCMA, representatives of ministries, agencies, and central and local authorities,

Distinguished international guests, esteemed delegates, experts, and scholars,

First of all, allow me to express my sincere appreciation to Prof.Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang for his profound opening speech, which embodies the spirit of innovation in thinking and action that the Communist Party of Viet Nam is promoting across the entire political system. His remarks have inspired strong transformations in leadership and development approaches, contributing to the realization of the aspiration to build a powerful, prosperous, and happy Viet Nam. The speech conveyed a strategic orientation for national governance in the new era - an era of innovation, creativity, and boundless advancement in mindset, technology, and the capacity to shape the future. That spirit also represents the central theme of today’s Forum: innovation as a key driver for sustainable national development.

Distinguished leaders and esteemed guests,

The theme of this year’s Forum - “Innovation toward National Sustainable Development in the New Era” - has been established to help concretize the guiding vision of Party General Secretary To Lam on building a State that is innovative, integrity-based, enabling, and devoted to serving the people.

At the 2025 National Innovation Festival, Party General Secretary To Lam affirmed: “No nation can truly take off with an underdeveloped level of science and technology or with sluggish innovation.” He also emphasized: “Innovation has no endpoint; it requires the courage to think, to act, and to break through.” These remarks clearly reflect the Communist Party of Viet Nam's consistent viewpoint: innovation is not merely an aspiration for development but a strategic imperative in modern national governance. It is a call to action for the entire political system and society to act more decisively in transforming the governance model, from management to enabling, from administration to innovation, and from service provision to co-creation of public value.

This philosophy also reaffirms the central role of innovation in sustainable development, where the learning capacity, adaptability, and sense of responsibility of cadres and civil servants form the foundation of effective governance and public trust. Herein lies the profound political and administrative essence of innovation: it is not only about technology or technical advancement, but above all about transforming mindsets, fostering a culture of dedication, strengthening public ethics, and enhancing the creative capacity of individuals - all of which determine the role and mission of leaders and managers in the new context of development.

Distinguished leaders and esteemed guests,

Innovation in national governance is not merely about adopting new models or technologies; it is about the ability to learn, to adapt, and to design policies flexibly and with vision in a context of volatility and uncertainty. The key challenge today lies in restructuring the state apparatus toward greater efficiency and compactness, while simultaneously accelerating digital transformation and nurturing a culture of innovation in the public sector.

A public administration can only be considered truly modern when it thinks and functions as a learning organization — constantly renewing itself to meet the increasingly diverse needs of society. Therefore, innovation must go beyond technology or technical reform; it represents a fundamental shift in governance mindset, from “administration and control” to “enabling and development,” from “maintaining order” to “inspiring and nurturing creativity,” and from “serving” to “co-creating public value” together with citizens and society.

Ladies and gentlemen,

To make innovation a sustainable current, we must build a national innovation ecosystem where the State, enterprises, educational institutions, and society as a whole participate, learn together, and co-create value. This ecosystem does not rely solely on technology, but also on creative people, open institutions, and a culture of innovation within every agency and organization.

With the Politburo’s issuance of Resolution No. 57 on promoting science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation, alongside other key resolutions on international integration, reforming lawmaking and law enforcement, and developing the private sector, a new strategic institutional framework for Viet Nam has taken shape. All these resolutions share a common principle: humans are the center, the subject, and the driving force of innovation.

In this context, HCMA plays the role of the country’s theoretical, political, and administrative hub, nurturing vision, leadership mindset, and public service values for cadres and civil servants. As a unit under HCMA, APAG carries a dual mission: it is both a center for training administrative and public governance capacity, and one of the knowledge hubs for innovation in the public sector where theoretical understanding is transformed into practical capability for action. APAG affirms that a modern administration cannot rely solely on procedures and tools, but must be grounded in the learning, innovation, and adaptive capacity of its people.

Therefore, APAG is gradually transforming from “a place of knowledge transmission” to “a place of innovation capacity building”; from “learning to know” to “learning to act and to innovate”; and from “teaching administration” to “incubating innovation capability, creativity, and policy thinking.”

Ladies and gentlemen,

The 2025 Annual International Forum on Public Governance, themed “Innovation toward National Sustainable Development in the New Era,” aims to create an academic-policy space where scholars, experts, and administrators from Viet Nam and abroad can engage in dialogue, share insights, and co-create innovative solutions for public governance.

With that objective, our Forum focuses on clarifying several key questions to collectively seek answers to the following crucial issues:

(1) Vision and theory (Session 1):

How can innovation truly become the driving force for sustainable development in Viet Nam? What are the core capacities and institutional conditions necessary for Viet Nam to build a national innovation ecosystem that can learn, adapt, and create public value?

(2) Policy action (Session 2):

How can the vision of innovation be translated into concrete policy actions in the public sector? What institutional, personnel, financial, and digital governance reforms could generate breakthroughs in state administration?

(3) Human resources and systemic linkages (Session 3):

What needs to be done to connect educational institutions, research bodies, and local governments in building innovation capacity? How can training and professional development for civil servants go beyond knowledge transfer to foster creativity and digital transformation capability in the public sector?

(4) Innovation capacity and multi-stakeholder cooperation (Session 4):

In the current context of Viet Nam, how should the roles of local governments and educational institutions be defined to make them the nucleus of national innovation capacity? What models of cooperation, knowledge sharing, and diffusion are needed to strengthen innovation capability across different levels of government?

(5) Systemic vision:

What should training and education institutions for cadres, civil servants, and high-quality human resources, such as HCMA and APAG, do to become national knowledge hubs of innovation, connecting theory with practice and spreading the spirit of innovation throughout the public service system?

These questions not only define the academic and practical orientation of the Forum but also represent the core challenges that Viet Nam’s public administration must address on its path toward a constructive, integrity-based, service-oriented, and innovative government.

The outcomes of the Forum’s discussions and exchanges will be synthesized by APAG into policy recommendations to support research, teaching, and policy advisory activities, contributing to the realization of the Party and State of Viet Nam’s vision of innovation and sustainable development.

Ladies and gentlemen,

With the spirit of “action for innovation,” I firmly believe that today’s Forum will open profound academic and policy dialogues, generating insightful ideas that can inspire administrative reform, public governance, and sustainable development in Viet Nam.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our esteemed international partners who have accompanied APAG in organizing this Forum, including the UNDP, CIG, CIG, EROPA, ASEAN PSTI Network, CBIE, the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (Singapore), the embassies of various countries, and other international organizations in Viet Nam. Your presence today not only demonstrates the friendship and ever-strengthening cooperation between Viet Nam and the international community but also reaffirms our shared commitment to fostering an innovative, adaptive, and sustainable system of public governance. We look forward to continuing to receive your valuable support and companionship in future editions of the International Forum on Public Governance and in other collaborative programs of APAG.

On behalf of APAG, I would like to express my deep appreciation to the leadership of HCMA, especially Prof.Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, Politburo Member, President of HCMA, and Chairman of the Central Council on Theoretical Studies, for his guidance, direction, and support throughout the preparation and organization of this Forum. Our sincere thanks also go to the Department of Science Management, the Department of International Cooperation, the Department of Planning and Finance, and other functional units of HCMA for their assistance and facilitation during the organization process. We also extend heartfelt gratitude to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the distinguished scholars, delegates, and all domestic and international partners who have contributed their intellect and dedication to the success of this Forum.

We firmly believe that, under the comprehensive leadership and reform-oriented direction of HCMA, and with your continued partnership, APAG will further strengthen its role as a leading knowledge hub for public governance innovation in Viet Nam, bridging theory and practice, science and policymaking, and connecting Viet Nam with the international community, for the goal of building a modern, effective, and sustainable system of public governance.

Thank you very much, and I wish the International Forum on Public Governance great success!