Vietnam Shifts State Data Toward National Strategy
SCMP · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Vietnam is entering a new phase in public-sector reform by trying to convert a decade of data collection into strategic state direction. Professor Bert George of City University of Hong Kong says the country is no longer focused mainly on how much data it gathers, but on what strategic value that information can deliver.
Key Points
- For more than a decade, Vietnam has built one of Southeast Asia’s most data-driven public administrations across ministries, provinces and the central government.
- Ministries track performance indicators, provinces submit standardised metrics, and the central government aggregates information from different localities.
- Bert George, a professor in City University of Hong Kong’s Department of Public and International Affairs and associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, said Vietnam had mainly focused on operational capacity.
- George said Vietnam has appointed a central commission for strategy and policy to align ministries and provinces around national priorities.
- He described the shift from measurement toward embedding data into a whole-of-government strategic approach as a “game changer” that has become especially visible over the past two years.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, Vietnam’s approach offers a nearby example of how administrative data can be used not just for monitoring performance but for coordinating national priorities across different levels of government. If the model works, it may strengthen Vietnam’s policy execution and make the country a more strategically organised regional competitor and partner.