Building on its proud 67-year tradition, reaffirming its stature as the nation’s leading center for education, training and policy advisory in public administration, public sector management, public governance, development governance, and policy

Over 67 years of construction and development, the Academy of Public Administration and Governance continues to affirm its position as a leading national center for education, training, scientific research, and policy consulting in the fields of administration, state management, public governance, and development governance. After more than a year of merging into the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, the Academy is entering a new development phase with higher requirements for vision, quality, knowledge creation capacity, and the responsibility to serve the country.

On the occasion of the 67th anniversary of APAG (May 29, 1959 - May 29, 2026), a reporter from the Academy's Electronic Information Portal spoke with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, Secretary of the Party Committee, President of the APAG, about the transformations after the merger, the initial results of the new development model, and the strategic orientations of the Academy in the coming time.

Reporter: Dear President of APAG, after more than a year of implementing the policy of integration into the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, what are the foundational transformations would you consider most significant in reflecting the repositioning of APAG’s functions, mission, and development space?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien: It can be affirmed that the integration of the former National Academy of Public Administration into the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and its transformation into the Academy of Public Administration and Governance (APAG) is a strategically significant decision. This is not only an an organizational restructuring, but also a fundamental repositioning of the Academy’s functions, mission and development space in response to the requirements of building a modern and effective system of national governance.

After a year and a half of implementation, the Academy rapidly stabilized its organizational structure, maintained solidarity and unity, and ensured that its activities in education and training, executive training, scientific research, and international cooperation have continued in a smooth, uninterrupted and effective manner. APAG not only inherits the foundational values fostered over the past 67 years but also opens up a new development space through closer integration between political theory training and the training and fostering of governance and public service execution capacity.

As an affiliated institution of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics - the Party school named after President Ho Chi Minh, APAG is now in a more favorable position to receive strategic leadership, guidance and direction from the Party, the State, and the leadership of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics. This is an important foundation for the Academy to continue developing toward becoming a national key higher education institution with regional and international prestige in administration, state management, public governance, and development governance.

Reporter: Looking back at the first year of operating under the new model, how do you evaluate the outstanding results achieved by APAG, especially in terms of training, fostering, scientific research, and fulfilling the assigned political tasks?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien: The first year of operating under the new model can be seen as a phase for laying the foundation for a long-term significant transition. Despite having to stabilize the organization while simultaneously deploying regular and new political tasks, APAG achieved many positive results, showing that the new model is proving its initial effectiveness and generating new development momentum.

Currently, APAG manages more than 16,000 undergraduate students, nearly 2,000 postgraduate students, and over 200 PhD candidates; while continuing to reinforce its contingent of lecturers and experts in both quantity and quality. APAG's training network is deployed in Hanoi and three branch campuses in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang City, and Dak Lak Province, thereby strengthening the connection between training, fostering, and practical governance in various regions.

A highlight of strategic significance is that the Academy is shifting strongly from a training model focused on knowledge transmission to a capacity-development model, where teachers and learners collaboratively create knowledge and values. The Academy focuses on new content such as development governance, local governance, digital governance, adaptability, and innovation, aiming to build and equip learners with solid professional expertise, systems thinking, execution capacity, and the ability to lead innovation and development.

In 2025, according to the assignment and decentralization of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, APAG directly participated in compiling materials and organizing training programs for leadership and management cadres and civil servants at commune, ward, and special zone levels in the context of organizational restructuring and the implementation of the two-level local government model. This is an important political task, while continuing to affirm the core role of APAG in improving public service execution capacity, contributing to enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of governance at the grassroots level.

Besides, scientific research and international cooperation activities continue to record many positive milestones. APAG organized the Annual International Public Governance Forum, the Excellent Civil Service Forum; participated in many academic networks and prestigious international agencies and organizations; and concurrently sent reports and policy recommendations to central authorities on national governance reform, public service reform, and social development governance. These results show that APAG is step by step asserting its role as a knowledge institution directly participating in the formulation and refinement of public policy.

Reporter: In the context of national digital transformation, the modernization of public administration and the enhancement of the quality of public governance human resources are becoming increasingly urgent requirements. What strategic orientations is APAG pursuing to meet the demands of development in this new phase?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien: APAG determines that, in the context of national digital transformation and the requirement to modernize the administration, innovation and digital transformation are no longer an option, but a prerequisite to enhance the quality of university governance, training effectiveness, and research and policy consulting capacity. Currently, APAG is accelerating digital transformation in university governance, training, fostering, and scientific research, with the goal of step-by-step building a "Digital - Green - Smart Academy" model. This is both a technological direction and a development orientation, taking data, interconnectedness, and modern governance thinking as the foundation to improve the quality, efficiency, and adaptability of the entire system.

A major requirement today is to train high-quality human resources with systems thinking, lifelong learning capacity, fast adaptability, and the capacity to act decisively in a highly volatile governance environment. Therefore, APAG not only equips students, trainees, and PhD candidates with professional knowledge but also attaches great importance to developing value-creation capacity, innovation, execution, and governance skills in a digital environment.

APAG attaches special importance to tightly binding training with scientific research and the realities of national governance, local governance, corporate governance, and social development governance. In the coming time, the Academy will continue to elevate its role in policy consulting and evaluation, proactively engaging deeper in solving practical issues of the country, localities, and agencies or units.

At the same time, APAG will continue to expand international cooperation towards substantive, effective, and in-depth development; proactively receiving the best of modern governance knowledge from the world, while contributing to introducing Vietnam's knowledge and experience in national governance innovation to the region and the world. This is also a task requirement for the Academy and an important method for the Academy to step-by-step elevate its position, academic prestige, and integration capacity in the new phase.

Reporter: On the occasion of the 67th anniversary of APAG, what message would you like to send to the generations of officials, employees, students, trainees, and PhD candidates—the forces that have been and are contributing to making the tradition, identity, and development aspirations of the Academy?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien: On the occasion of APAG’s traditional anniversary, what I would like to express first of all is my deep appreciation and gratitude to all generations of officials, employees, students, trainees, and PhD candidates of APAG. Throughout the journey of nearly 70 years, each generation, with their intellect, dedication, and sense of responsibility, has contributed to forging the tradition, wisdom, intellectual integrity, public service culture, and prestige of the Academy.

The value of an educational institution is not only measured by training scale or academic achievements but is first and foremost affirmed by its capacity to serve the nation and contribute to the progress of society. In that sense, APAG's officials and employees is the force that preserves the foundation, discipline, tradition, quality, and modernity; while generations of learners are the subjects who receive, enjoy, and spread those values into the practice of governance and public service.

In the new development phase, APAG must be even more clearly aware of its pioneering responsibility in building a modern, legitimate, effective national governance system and a professional public service. I hope each official, employee, and learner will continue to nurture the spirit of solidarity, innovation, discipline, creativity, and the aspiration to rise; both worthily inheriting the achievements of previous generations and proactively creating new values for the Academy in the country's new era of development.

I firmly believe that with the 67-year traditional foundation and the strong determination to innovate from the entire staff and learner community, the Academy of Public Administration and Governance will continue to develop worthily as a leading national center for education, training, scientific research, and policy consulting in the fields of administration, state management, public governance, and development governance. On this occasion, I would like to wish all generations of officials, employees, students, trainees, and PhD candidates health, happiness, success, and continued solidarity and joint efforts to build an increasingly sustainable, modern, and distinctively characterful Academy.

Reporter: Thank you very much, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, President of the APAG, for your insightful and visionary sharing. We wish the Academy continuous strong development, further clearly asserting its position and mission in the new development phase of the country.