Speech by Minister, Chairman of the Office of Government Nguyễn Xuân Phúc

At the launching ceremony of the new interface of VGP

(Hà Nội, October 10, 2009)

Your Excellency Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng

Distinguished guests and comrades

Authorized by the Prime Minister, the Office of Government today organizes this ceremony to launch the new interface of the Vietnamese Government Web Portal (VGP). I would like to say thank to and warmly welcome Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng to the ceremony in which he will press the button to launch the VGP interface. I would like to welcome leaders of the Government, ministries, and agencies of the Party and State, distinguished guests and comrades to this event.

Your Excellency Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng

Comrades

Since its official debut on January 10, 2006, the Government Website, now the Government Web Portal, has matured in line with the roadmap fixed and approved in the early stage of its construction. Thanks to great attention from Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng and Deputy Prime Ministers, and encouragement and support from Party and State agencies, the VGP has spared no effort and made initial considerable achievements:

In 2008 only, the VGP posted nearly 10,000 news articles, more than 2,000 photos, approximately 3,000 legal documents, and over 2,000 documents presenting the instructions and directions of the Government and the Prime Minister.

The daily access to the VGP (both Vietnamese and English versions) continuously increases, with millions of hits per day on average. At the same time, there are thousands of people accessing to the VGP site to watch the Việt Nam Online program and millions watching the program on television.

The VGP is running 11 channels of communication (displayed on the VGP web interface) with people and enterprises. It is also managing over 1,000 public mail-boxes of the Government.

Also in 2008, the VGP received over 8,000 letters from readers and forwarded more than 2,000 ones to relevant ministries, agencies and local authorities for feedback, helping to raise people’s confidence in the Party, State and Government. The multimedia program Việt Nam Online (jointly conducted by the VGP and the digital television VTC) is showing its role as an active information channel of disseminating guidelines and policies of the Party and State, the directions of the Government and the Prime Minister, so as to soundly orienting the public opinion.

Particularly, the VGP, the Informatics Center of the Office of Government and relevant agencies successfully organized the online dialogue between Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng and people on February 9, 2007, which was highly praised at home and abroad. The VGP, the Informatics Center and other relevant unit of the Office of Government have also held many videoconferences hosted by Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng and Deputy Prime Ministers with ministries, agencies and localities throughout the country. The VGP is praised by the press, people, business circle, and civil authorities as the Government’s official provider of timely and accurate information.

The VGP has played a significant role in quickly conveying directions and instructions of the Government and the Prime Minister to lower authorities and people at home and overseas; providing a new means of working for the Government and the Office of Government through ICT applications. Together with other mass media, the VGP has consolidated the connectivity between people, enterprises and the Government, sharpening transparency and openness in these interrelations.

The VGP is directly managed by the Office of Government. Its achievements over the past time are resulted from drastic directions of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers, great encouragement and support from Party and State agencies, and wholehearted support of all sectors at all echelons and all walks of life. Secondly, the VGP has taken proper, effective and practical steps. And finally, all units of the Office of Government; IT and communication agencies and competent bodies closely worked together in order to secure the operation of the VGP, conduct researches and applications, and guarantee system safety and network security of the VGP.

Your Excellency Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng

Comrades

Under Decision 83/2008/QĐ-TTg issued on June 25, 2008 by Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng, and in order to enter a new stage of operations, the VGP has taken two steps. First step is to change its interface; and the second is to upgrade technology and synchronize the process of information integration in order to form the Government’s online e-administration information and public service network. The designing of new VGP interface is a fundamental and initial change which will create preconditions for the full development of the VGP.

So far, the VGP has completed the first step on schedule – finishing the construction of the VGP interface and its component websites, namely the Government Online Newspaper and the website on the thousand-year Thăng Long-Hà Nội.

The construction of the VGP interface and the component websites was conducted in line with legal regulations; having received comments from the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers, leaders of the Office of Government and some relevant ministries and agencies, such as the Central Committee for Communication and Education, Ministries of Information-Communications, Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs, National Defense, Public Security, Culture-Sports-Tourism; CIOs of many ministries and localities throughout the country (through CIO Forum). On the basis of these open and frank opinions, the VGP has revised and perfected its interface. So, CIOs and representatives of most of ministries and agencies were unanimous that the VGP interface meets necessary requirements and can be an exemplary prototype for other ministerial, sectoral and local websites/portals.

Your Excellency Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng

Comrades

Together with the launching of the national database of administrative procedures, which will take place in several days, the debut of the VGP interface today marks an important step forward in the Government’s administrative reforms, in fruitfully applying ICT in order to serve socio-economic development and meet people’s right of information in the current stage of national development.

On the occasion, I would like to express my special gratitude to leaders of the Party, State, National Assembly, and Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng for paying special attention to administrative reforms, ICT application, and the development of the VGP.

I would like to thank leaders of the Offices of the Party Central Committee, the State President, the National Assembly and the Government; the Central Committee for Communication and Education; leaders of ministries, sectors, mass organizations, People’s Committees of Hà Nội and other localities; agencies, units and partners which have been working and coordinating with the VGP; media and ICT organs; managers, scientists, enterprises; tens of millions of readers throughout the country and abroad for their encouragement and contribution to the development of the VGP. 

I also warmly hail and congratulate the contingent of cadres, technicians, editors, reporters, employees and coordinators of the VGP for their solidarity, creativity and excellent performance in building the VGP interface which is launched today .

I would like to wish the Prime Minister and other leaders of the Government all the best

Wish all of you good health.

Thank you.