French experts share AI and digital governance insights in Hanoi

On October 10, a delegation of senior French experts in data, AI, and digital technology attended a thematic session on digital transformation and AI for leaders and managers in Hanoi. The session aimed to strengthen the practical capacity of leaders and managers in digital transformation and AI adoption.

The session was organised under the E-government Cooperation project between the French and Vietnamese governments. As part of the project, the delegation of senior French experts in data, AI, and digital technology visited Vietnam from October 5 to 10.

Against the backdrop of rapid technological development, the session sought to update senior officials on modern governance approaches, enabling leaders to proactively adopt a human-centred approach to public service design and optimise the use of AI and digital technologies to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of public administration and protect citizens in the digital space.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dau Huong Nam, director of the Department of International Cooperation at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, expressed his gratitude to the experienced French experts who have worked alongside the Government Office and Vietnam’s central-level agencies in developing the foundations of digital government. He explained that the French experts’ participation and their sharing of French approaches and practical experience would make a meaningful contribution to the training and professional development of Vietnam’s leadership and management personnel.

“Digital transformation and AI are changing the way policies are formulated, implemented, and public services delivered. Technology creates opportunities to leverage data, make forecasts, and support decision-making, while also necessitating the management of risks related to security, transparency, accountability, and public service ethics,” Nam stated.

“Therefore, digital transformation and AI are first and foremost a matter of renewing leadership thinking and strengthening the adaptability of public officials. Leaders do not necessarily need to be technology experts, but they must understand technology and identify both opportunities and risks to make sound decisions that reflect their political and social responsibilities,” he added.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dau Huong Nam, director of the Department of International Cooperation at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics. Photo: Embassy of France

According to Nam, the development of science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation in Vietnam constitutes a major policy priority and strategic direction of the Party and the state. In particular, Resolution No.57-NQ/TW of the Politburo identifies these areas as a foremost strategic breakthrough and a key driver for rapidly developing modern productive forces, refining production relations, reforming national governance, and advancing socioeconomic development.

“This strategic direction places a direct requirement on leadership and management personnel: they must understand and be able to use data and technology while upholding accountability in every decision,” Nam said. “France has considerable experience that Vietnam can draw on in modernising public administration, developing digital public services, and governing AI. This provides an opportunity for Vietnam to adopt relevant French experience in a manner suited to its own institutional framework, conditions, and practical needs, while giving equal consideration to governance effectiveness, data security, and citizens’ interests.”

The session underscored that a citizen-centric digital governance system must put people at the centre. However, the ability of public officials to understand citizens’ needs, their sense of responsibility, and their adherence to public service ethics remain decisive factors in determining the quality of services delivered to the public.

Continuously updating knowledge and strengthening senior leaders’ and managers’ capacity to apply AI and digital transformation is key to laying a solid foundation for humane, effective, and sustainable digital governance.

Éric Soulier, counsellor for Culture and Cooperation at the Embassy of France in Vietnam, said that over the past three years, the French Embassy had implemented numerous cooperation projects with Vietnamese partner agencies to strengthen bilateral cooperation in law, the justice sector, and digital transformation, supporting the fulfilment of public agencies’ responsibilities.

"Under the framework of cooperation between the French Embassy and Vietnamese partner agencies, France has mobilised up to €3 million ($3.36 million) in funding over a three-year period from two sources – the French Development Agency, France's development bank, and France's Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs," Soulier said.

"Within this cooperation project, we have undertaken concrete and practical support activities, such as organising thematic sessions like today's event for Vietnamese public officials and civil servants," he added.

Alongside exchanges and training, Soulier noted that France has implemented support projects aimed at delivering tangible results. In particular, the French government has deployed experts to support the development of tools for Vietnam's digital transformation, including the National Public Service Portal.

“Cooperation between the two sides can only be effective and dynamic if we maintain ongoing exchanges. In just the past two to three years, the highest-level leaders of our two countries have met as many as three times,” Soulier said.

Éric Soulier, counsellor for Culture and Cooperation at the Embassy of France in Vietnam. Photo: Embassy of France

Highlighting the role of participants in the programme, Soulier said that leaders and managers from Vietnam’s central and local ministries and agencies would be key actors in the digital transformation process.

He stressed that they needed to assess, grasp, and understand the approaches available to support digital transformation and reform the public administration system, while organising public agencies to deliver better services and bring public services closer to citizens and businesses.

“In the process of digital transformation and modernising the public administration system, we have new tools at our disposal, including AI applications. AI offers a wide range of benefits, from supporting decision-making and simplifying administrative procedures to reducing the workload of civil servants and public employees in government agencies, thereby improving the effectiveness of public service delivery,” he said.

“However, AI also raises a number of questions for us: How can we protect data held by government agencies? How can we safeguard national sovereignty? How can we ensure transparency? These are issues we must address in the process of digital transformation involving the application of AI,” he added.

As part of the programme, experts shared their experience and exchanged views with 700 participants, including leaders and managers, on approaches to redesigning administrative processes and eliminating cumbersome and overlapping procedures through the application of data and AI.

Vietnam and France seek to deepen economic and financial cooperation Vietnamese Minister of Finance Ngo Van Tuan held talks with French Minister for Economy, Finance, Industrial and Digital Sovereignty Roland Lescure in Paris on September 10, discussing measures to strengthen bilateral economic and financial cooperation.

Vietnam, AFD strengthen development cooperation for new phase On September 10, as part of Party General Secretary and State President To Lam's official visit to France, a delegation from Vietnam's Ministry of Finance, led by Minister Ngo Van Tuan, visited and held a working session with the French Development Agency at its headquarters in Paris. AFD deputy director general Bertrand Walckenaer chaired the meeting.