Politburo Member and Director of the Hồ Chí Minh National Academy of Politics, Nguyễn Xuân Thắng (centre) and other speakers at the conference on Monday. — VNA/VNS Photo

THANH HÓA — Government officials and academics from Việt Nam, Laos and Australia gathered in the northern province of Thanh Hóa on Monday to share experiences on strengthening public administration, amid rapid digital transformation.

The international conference, titled 'Building an Efficient, Effective, and High-Performance Public Administration: Experiences from Việt Nam, Laos, and Australia' attracted more than 200 experts, policymakers and scholars.

Politburo Member and Director of the Hồ Chí Minh National Academy of Politics, Nguyễn Xuân Thắng, described the event as an opportunity for leaders and specialists from the three countries to exchange experiences and successful models of administrative reform.

He said the conference illustrated the growing cooperation between the three in promoting sustainable development, through innovative knowledge-sharing mechanisms.

Thắng emphasised that administrative reform was a "long-term journey" requiring "strong political will, concrete and coordinated actions from central to local levels and the consensus and engagement of society."

He said Việt Nam remains committed to building a public administration that fosters development, improves service delivery and provides tangible benefits to citizens and businesses.

Lao representatives presented their country’s approach to reforming administrative structures, with a focus on streamlining government agencies, improving the quality of civil servants and advancing digital transformation efforts, especially in rural areas.

The Australian delegation shared insights into the country’s flexible governance model, where state governments play a central role in delivering public services.

They highlighted Australia's focus on technological innovation, decentralised budgeting and human resources management, and the building of a public service culture centred on transparency, integrity and citizen satisfaction.

They said this experience could offer valuable lessons for Việt Nam, as it seeks to modernise its public administration system.

Lao scholars stressed the importance of aligning administrative restructuring efforts with clear political guidance from the Communist Party leadership.

They proposed that steering committees at all levels should coordinate closely with relevant Party committees to ensure consistency and effectiveness in organisational reforms.

Participants agreed that continuous innovation in governance thinking, institutional improvement and administrative capacity building were key to building high-performing public administrations that can respond effectively to contemporary development challenges. — VNS