VNU-USSH organizes a workshop to announce the National Report "Policy Implementation in Vietnam"

Overview of the Workshop to announce the National Report: “Policy Implementation in Vietnam” at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Prof. Dr. Lai Quoc Khanh (Vice Rector) congratulated and highly appreciated the success of the group of authors in completing the National Report: “Policy Implementation in Vietnam”; at the same time, thanked the cooperation and companionship of the Hanns Seidel Foundation, Justus Liebig Giessen University (Germany) in the process of researching and publishing this Report as well as the following issues.
Affirming the value of this cooperation activity for the development of the University, Vice President Lai Quoc Khanh emphasized: “Since its establishment, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU has proactively developed research and policy consulting activities, contributing to providing arguments for the policy making and implementation process of Party and State agencies and relevant parties. The National Report Series on Vietnam's Socio-Economic Issues is one of the outstanding research and policy consulting cooperation activities of the University. The cooperation between the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU and the Hanns Seidel Foundation reflects a shared vision of promoting dialogue, encouraging interdisciplinary research and creating applied knowledge. By overcoming geographical and professional boundaries, this cooperation demonstrates the power of collective efforts in enhancing understanding and contributing to the sustainable development of Vietnam.

Prof. Dr. Lai Quoc Khanh (Vice Principal of University of Social Sciences and Humanities)

Vice President Lai Quoc Khanh expressed his wish to continue to receive closer support and cooperation from the HSF Organization and scientists from Vietnam and Germany to build the National Report into a prestigious annual scientific report of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, clearly demonstrating the position and role of the University as a research university and a prestigious policy consulting agency in Vietnam.
Sharing the same view with Prof. Dr. Lai Quoc Khanh, Mr. Michael Siegner, Chief Representative of Hanns Seidel Foundation in Vietnam, emphasized: “This edition of the Country Report analyzes a number of important areas from the perspective of policy implementation. Thereby, this publication contributes to the new field of research on policy implementation in Vietnam, while providing practical knowledge about the implementation of policies in these areas and sectors”.

Mr. Michael Siegner, Chief Representative of Hanns Seidel Foundation in Vietnam

On behalf of the authors, Prof. Dr. Detlef Briesen (Justus-Liebig University Gießen, Germany) - Co-Editor of the Report - presented the outstanding results of the studies collected in the publication. This issue of the National Report on Vietnam consists of two parts: Part One provides an overview of current policy making and implementation, referring to international experience and the case of Vietnam (author Detlef Briesen); Part Two includes 9 studies focusing on the topic of policy making and implementation in specific areas: education and training reform, social policy in urban areas, public sector policy, enhancing decent work, international cooperation and integration, public policy in Vietnam. In this regard, the report focuses on how governments and public agencies attempt to positively influence social realities through laws, regulations and other measures, such as addressing social, economic, educational or environmental issues. On the other hand, the main objective of the research on this topic is to determine the level of success of agencies and organizations in implementing public policies. In addition, scientifically-based proposals for solutions to improve the effectiveness of the policy implementation process are also provided.

Prof. Dr. Detlef Briesen (Justus-Liebig University Gießen, Germany)

The theme of the national report “Policy Implementation in Vietnam” attracted the direct participation of more than 70 delegates who are managers, research experts, and a large number of students from state agencies, universities and research institutes in Hanoi.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Tuan Anh (Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU-USSH) and Mr. Michael Siegner chaired the discussion of the Workshop.

The comments unanimously appreciated the theoretical and practical value of the research results: The publication brings diverse perspectives, rigorous analysis and innovative approaches, providing valuable perspectives not only for policy makers and scholars but also for the general public facing these challenges in practice.
Delegates not only commented on the main content of the Report but also shared and analyzed the current situation and challenges in implementing some important policies in Vietnam, such as educational innovation, promoting gender equality, sustainable employment, environmental protection and climate change response, etc.
At the workshop, experts also discussed and shared some experiences from the Federal Republic of Germany and made some recommendations to narrow the gap between policy and implementation, and at the same time improve the effectiveness of policy implementation in Vietnam, focusing on proposals to improve the quality of the stages of the policy process: policy development, promulgation, policy information, implementation and evaluation of policy implementation effectiveness in practice. In particular, experts especially emphasized: training and fostering solutions to improve professional capacity for the team participating in policy development and management, as well as organizing the assessment of policy impacts on social life (in reality, this stage is often overlooked, even ignored).

Associate Professor, Dr. Luu Bich Ngoc, Chief of Office of the National Council for Education and Human Resources Development, Ministry of Education and Training, shared the main research results on Vietnam's education and training development policy in the current period, focusing on the results of implementing fundamental and comprehensive innovation in education and training in Vietnam.

Associate Professor Dr. Pham Ngoc Thach (Head of Public Policy Department, Faculty of Management Sciences, VNU-USSH) said that policy is an extremely important factor, deciding the success in the construction and development of the country, region and the world. A policy's success depends on many factors. Therefore, in-depth studies on policy and policy implementation in Vietnam such as the National Report published today have great theoretical and practical value.

Associate Professor, Dr. Do Phu Hai (University of Economics, Vietnam National University, Hanoi) shared: The Vietnam National Report is a valuable scientific publication as it provides an independent, objective perspective that is not dependent on any political viewpoint. From general reports as well as specific analysis of policies in each field, the Report is a very useful reference in the policy-making process in Vietnam.

Concluding the workshop, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Tuan Anh emphasized: The topic "Policy implementation in Vietnam" within the framework of the Vietnam National Report Project has received attention and recognition from scholars, managers, and businesses at home and abroad; hopefully in the coming time we will continue to receive that valuable companionship and cooperation in researching and publishing the next issues. From the results of the studies presented in the Report, along with the valuable contributions at today's workshop, we can believe that, with the determination of the Government through specific policies, the companionship of organizations and businesses at home and abroad, learning from the experiences of other countries, with abundant human resources potential, Vietnam will progress faster and stronger in the digital age.

The Vietnam Annual Country Report Project is a collaborative project between the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany, funded by the Hanns Seidel Foundation since 2020. The project will conduct in-depth, independent and up-to-date research on political, economic and social issues of great interest in modern Vietnamese society. To date, the project has published 6 national reports with the following topics: “Environmental policy in Vietnam”; “Vietnam: An Aging Society”; “Vietnam – A digital society”; “Overcoming the consequences of war in Vietnam”; “Women in Vietnamese society”; “Labor market in Vietnam". The Project's reports (published in English and Vietnamese) are widely disseminated, becoming valuable references for domestic and foreign researchers when studying issues of contemporary Vietnam.

Some pictures at the Workshop