Ho Chi Minh City seeks closer Singapore ties on administrative reform

During a meeting with the Public Service Division under the Singaporean Prime Minister’s Office on Monday, officials discussed Singapore’s experience in building a modern, service-oriented public administration, developing digitally skilled civil servants, improving public-service delivery and applying technology, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence (AI) in government management.

The delegation also met with the Housing and Development Board (HDB), Singapore’s national public housing authority, the same day.

HDB’s acting director Lui Wen Qing introduced the agency’s role in meeting housing needs, particularly for middle- and lower-income residents through public housing, rental housing, and affordable housing programs.

HDB’s housing network currently serves nearly 80 percent of Singapore’s population.

Both sides also discussed social housing development, urban planning, the construction and management of affordable residential areas, as well as integrating housing development with technical and social infrastructure and sustainable living spaces.

On Tuesday, the delegation met with Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority to exchange experience in applying digital transformation to public administrative services, developing the digital economy, building digital infrastructure and managing data.

Discussions also covered policymaking for digital ecosystems, cooperation among government agencies, businesses, and social organizations, and the use of technology and AI to improve public services.

On Wednesday, the delegation visited the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore and met its dean, Professor Joseph Liow.

Liow highlighted the school’s cooperation with Vietnamese ministries and localities in human resource training, particularly programs for leadership officials, and said such cooperation had contributed to the comprehensive strategic partnership between Singapore and Vietnam.

Cuong proposed that the school expand its training and capacity-building programs for the Vietnamese city’s civil service workforce, including short-term courses, skills training, modern governance programs, and specialized postgraduate programs.

Both sides also agreed to work toward signing a memorandum of understanding between the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Home Affairs and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy on civil servant training.

During the trip, the delegation visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore and attended Tech Week Singapore, a major regional forum for technology, innovation, and digital transformation.