Nguyễn Công Thành, deputy director of the Department of Digital Transformation at the Government Office, speaks with a delegation of French technology experts on a working trip to Việt Nam in Hà Nội on Monday. — Photos courtesy of the Embassy of the French Republic in Việt Nam

HÀ NỘI — A delegation of experts from France has started a working visit to Việt Nam from October 5 to 9, focusing on the application of AI in the public sector, public data governance, development of the data economy and the refinement of the digital legal framework.

The visit is the continuance of the delegation's first visit in June.

Speaking at the first working session with the delegation at the Government Office in Hà Nội on Monday, Nguyễn Công Thành, deputy director of the office's Department of Digital Transformation stressed Việt Nam's recent breakthroughs in digital transformation in public administration under the '100 Days' campaign.

There has been a strong shift from the decentralised deployment of systems at the local level towards centralised processing by ministries and sectors and through the National Public Service Portal, he said, adding that the transition enabled local authorities to focus more effectively on using data.

Thành acknowledged the active support provided by French experts since June and expressed his appreciation for the results of the cooperation.

A number of officials from Việt Nam's Government Office had a chance to participate in digital transformation training courses at France’s National Institute of Public Service (INSP) as part of the joint effort.

Việt Nam was also able to establish connections with reputable overseas Vietnamese experts in France, such as Professor Dr Nguyễn Văn Tâm, head of the Department of Computer Science, Data and Artificial Intelligence at the Institut Polytechnique de Paris.

"We want to reaffirm the strong interest and commitment of the Government Office’s leadership to cooperation between Việt Nam and France in digital transformation," Thành said.

In terms of future collaboration, the two sides will co-host a semiconductor technology training course at the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH) – an institution regarded as a highlight of France-Việt Nam educational cooperation – to which the Government Office and ministries will send representatives, Thành added.

Speaking on behalf of the French delegation, Romain Busuttil, deputy counsellor for Cooperation and Cultural Affairs at the Embassy of the French Republic in Việt Nam, spoke highly of the dynamic development of bilateral France-Việt Nam relations, especially following the September official visit to France by Party General Secretary and President Tô Lâm and ahead of the forthcoming visit to Việt Nam by the French Minister Delegate for Francophonie Éléonore Caroit.

Romain Busuttil, deputy counsellor for Cooperation and Cultural Affairs at the Embassy of the French Republic in Việt Nam (third from left) represents the French delegation at the meeting.

Busuttil stressed that digital transformation cooperation is a symbol of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries, and the project funded by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has helped foster high-level political dialogue through tangible outcomes.

He expressed his appreciation for Hà Nội's urban infrastructure development planning and its progress in digital transformation, confirming France’s readiness to accompany Việt Nam and share its long-standing expertise in areas where France has strong capabilities, such as high-speed rail and workforce development.

Positive feedback from Vietnamese officials following their training at INSP is highly welcome, Busuttil said. He and proposed establishing direct connections with the course participants to support communications activities and share their experiences through social media channels in both countries.

He added that the two-day training programme at USTH would focus on emerging technologies including semiconductors, digital twins and AI.

Experts from both sides also discussed a study visit to France where a Vietnamese delegation can exchange and share experience in data governance and AI ethics, with learning topics include approaches to structuring public data for effective reuse while ensuring digital sovereignty and privacy protection, digital government development, improving user experience and cybersecurity. — VNS