On September 25, 2023, at NAPA Headquarters in Hanoi, the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), in collaboration with the National Institute of Public Service (INSP) of the French Republic and the French Embassy in Viet Nam, organized the opening ceremony of the training course “Leadership and innovation in the public sector in the context of digital transformation” for 64 civil servants and public employees.
The opening ceremony was conducted in the hybrid form with in-person participation in Ha Noi and virtual attendance of NAPA Branch Campuses and INSP.
Attending the opening ceremony were Mr. Béla Hégédus, Deputy Counselor for Cooperation and Culture, French Embassy in Viet Nam; Ms. Tran Lan Huong, officer in charge of public administration, French Embassy in Viet Nam.
Attending online were Mr. Alexander Tran, Deputy Director, International Relations Department, INSP, France; Ms. Faustine Bentaberry, Director-General of the Cooperation, Partnership, and Prospects Department, Directorate-General for Public Administration and Civil Service (DGAFP); Ms. Sandra Senichault, International Project Manager, DGAFP.
On the side of NAPA were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, NAPA President; leaders of faculties, departments, and units under NAPA; leaders of NAPA Branch Campuses (Central Highlands, Hue City, Ho Chi Minh City), and 64 participants who are public leaders and managers of localities and NAPA officials and faculty members.
In his opening speech for the training course, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien emphasized that during the process of reforming the public sector and achieving digital transformation goals, leaders at all levels, from central to local levels, need to change their awareness and improve their capacity to readily apply digital technology, direct and manage digital transformation, and innovate public service activities within agencies and units. Given this requirement, organizing training courses to improve the capacity of public servants on public service reform, digital transformation and learning from international experiences, especially from pioneering countries in digital transformation and modernization public administration such as the French Republic, is of particularly significant importance.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien believes that the close and effective collaboration between NAPA and INSP in implementing international training activities will maintain and develop in the coming time, creating conditions to maximize the strengths and resources of both sides. He also expressed his hope that the participants of the training course will acquire a lot of knowledge and practical experience during their time studying at NAPA, which they can apply to address practical issues within their agencies and units.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Béla Hégédus, Deputy Counselor for Cooperation and Culture, French Embassy in Viet Nam, expressed his joy and honor to attend the opening ceremony. He emphasized that over the years, the French Republic has made positive contributions in the field of digital transformation in Viet Nam, notably through activities supporting the Vietnamese Government Office in implementing the digital government reform project as well as modernizing public administration. This project will continue to be implemented in 2024.
Mr. Béla Hégédus also mentioned that the course “Leadership and innovation in the public sector in the context of digital transformation” covers various topics, with a central focus on the current public service reform in Viet Nam. The course aims to address how to effectively implement public activities and services at both central and local levels in the current context of digital transformation. He affirmed that the training program will help participants understand all issues related to digital transformation as well as the modernization of public service through live lectures by senior French officials responsible for digital transformation issues. He expressed confidence that INSP and NAPA will have ongoing cooperation in training public servants in the future.
The training course will run from September 25 to September 29, 2023. The content of the course includes the following topics: (1) The French public service: practices, transformation processes, and innovation processes; (2) Digital transformation in Viet Nam: current situation and challenges; (3) Leading the administrative transformation in the digital era; (4) Digital transformation policies, programs and projects in public administration; (5) Digitalization of public administration in Viet Nam; (6) Digital administration in local governments; (7) Digital administration and data protection at the local level.