ANZSOG connects high-level Vietnamese delegation with Australia governance expertise

The Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) has introduced a delegation of 17 high-level leaders from Vietnam to Australia’s governance and public sector leadership as part of an inaugural program to develop their leadership potential and deepen relations between Australia and Vietnam.

The Vietnam Study Mission in Governance and Public Sector Leadership (the Study Mission) was sponsored by the Australian Embassy in Vietnam and coordinated by the Vietnam Australia Centre (VAC). This Study Mission took the delegation to Sydney and Canberra in June for 9 days to take advantage of a packed program designed and delivered by ANZSOG.

The group met with officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Australian Public Service Commission, the City of Sydney, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, the NSW Department of Customer Service, University of Technology Sydney, and other organisations.

The delegation also had the chance to watch Question Time at the New South Wales Parliament in Sydney, observe a parliamentary sitting session at the Australian Parliament House in Canberra, and meet with Dai Le MP, the first Vietnamese-born Member of Parliament (MP) in the Commonwealth Parliament’s House of Representatives. They also participated in Indigenous Tour at the Australian National Museum in Canberra.

In both Canberra and Sydney, the delegation discussed governance mechanisms and administration in Australia through sessions about public sector leadership experience and public policy initiatives, developing networks and partnerships with different Australian organisations.

The delegation and their Australian counterparts discussed the unique challenges faced by public sector leaders in their roles. Together they exchanged experiences and explored initiatives for the sustainable development of public administration and how to apply in a Vietnamese context.

The program was an example of ANZSOG’s ability to use our networks in academia and government, and our broad understanding of contemporary issues in governance to create a program that was enriching and relevant.

Mr Nguyen Thanh Diep, Director-General of the Department of Middle East and Africa at the External Relations Commission, said, “This study mission gave me a lot of useful knowledge that I can apply to my work. I’ve improved my capacity to give advice on many issues such as ethnic groups, digital transformation in public services, and especially cultural diversity, which are currently being promoted by Vietnam.”

Feedback from participants collected by ANZSOG was overwhelmingly positive, with participants saying that the knowledge gained would be utilised in day-to-day work in Vietnam, and that the program had strengthened bilateral relations. They said their very positive experience meant they would recommend the program to their home agencies for future training.

The VAC draws on Australian expertise to support Vietnam’s future leadership, enabling Vietnam and Australia to pursue solutions to shared national and regional challenges and deepen people-to-people and institutional links.

It brings together influential Vietnamese and Australian leaders, government officials, experts, and academics for the capacity development of future leaders of Vietnam and to inform strategic policy.

The establishment of the VAC was announced in 2019 and was opened by Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Hanoi in June 2022. The Centre is a partnership between the Australian Embassy in Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Academy of Politics delivered through the Aus4Skills Program. Participants in the Study Mission were both government officials and academics and came from all four of the VAC’s foundation partners, the Ho Chi Minh Academy of Politics, the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of Government.

For further information about ANZSOG’s international programs, please contact us at international@anzsog.edu.au