Vietnamese Minister of Home Affairs Busy on Working Trip to France

Vietnamese Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra (R) and French Minister of Public Transformation and Service Stanislas Guerini. Photo: VNA

Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra held talks with French Minister of Public Transformation and Service Stanislas Guerini in Paris on September 23 to discuss future cooperation priorities between the two ministries, VNA reported.

It was within the framework of the Vietnam-France cooperation agreement on civil service and administrative modernisation for the 2022-2025 period, signed in Hanoi in March. Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang participated in the delegation’s activities.

Tra said the 2016-2021 cooperation programme brought successes to public service, administrative reform and digital transformation in Vietnam.

In the near future, the Vietnamese Ministry of Home Affairs will focus on administrative reform, digital transformation and civil service reform in tandem with climate change response, thus propelling green growth, she said, adding that she hopes France will help Vietnam with these during 2022-2025.

At the talks. Photo: VNA

She wished both sides would share experience and jointly hold celebrations for the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of bilateral strategic partnership next year.

Guerini, for his part, expressed readiness to share France’s experience in renewing the professional training of high-ranking officials, adding that his ministry is ready to help the Vietnamese Ministry of Home Affairs effectively.

Both sides pledged to continue promoting collaboration in the reform of civil service, digital transformation, and improving the quality of personnel and other activities within the framework of the agreement.

Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra also listened to Nathalie Colin, the Directorate General for Administration and the Civil Service (DGAFP) presented an overview of the Vietnamese economy. French civil service, experience in downsizing, and orientation of cooperation with the Ministry of Home Affairs of Vietnam.

The Directorate General for Administration and the Civil Service (DGAFP) was created in 1945 to provide a cross-ministry perspective of civil service issues. It steers civil service policy, particularly in the area of human resources, and has had its scope expanded to cover all government modernization initiatives. Since 2020, it has been part of the Ministry for Government Transformation and the Civil Service (MTFP), where its primary role is to oversee the HR function for the central government and coordinate dialogue between the three civil service branches.

Within the framework of the visit, Director of the National Institute of Public Service Maryvonne Lebrignonen discussed with the Vietnamese delegation the possibility of bringing Vietnamese personnel to the institute for training.

The Minister of Home Affairs led a delegation visiting and worked in France from September 23 to 27. Photo: VNA

On the afternoon of September 23, the delegation visited the National Institute of Public Service – INSP and discussed the possibility of cooperation and organization of training delegations of Vietnam to study at the INSP.

The National Institute of Public Service (INSP), founded in January 2022 and replacing the National School of Administration (ENA), is France’s new leading public institution specializing in the recruitment, education and professional development of central government senior civil servants and managers.

The INSP is responsible for senior civil servants’ education and professional development, programs that have undergone sweeping changes. It primarily oversees the common core curriculum taught by public service schools, which work together to educate senior professionals of the three civil service branches and the judiciary, in order to create a common basis for a more efficient, citizen-focused public service. Additionally, the INSP offers a range of professional development courses for senior civil servants, particularly those interested in central government jobs.

Visiting Eurogroup Consulting’s headquarters. Photo: VNA

Also on the same afternoon, Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra had a working session with Eurogroup Consulting President Gilles Bonnenfant at their headquarters. This is a large corporation of France in consulting, supporting the implementation and organization of public service transformation, has experience in building digital government, transforming in developing countries, including Asia region.