On February 3, 2025 (the 6th day of the Lunar New Year – Year of the Snake), Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, Member of the Politburo, President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMA), and Chairman of the Central Council on Theoretical Studies, visited and extended Lunar New Year greetings to the public officials of the Academy of Public Administration and Governance (APAG).
Delegates of the meeting.
Accompanying the delegation from HCMA were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duy Bac, Deputy Secretary of the HCMA Party Committee, Standing HCMA Vice President; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Phuc Lam, Deputy Secretary of the HCMA Party Committee, HCMA Vice President; Prof. Dr. Le Van Loi, Member of the Standing Bureau of HCMA Party Committee, HCMA Vice President; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Duong Trung Y, Member of the Standing Bureau of HCMA Party Committee, HCMA Vice President; representatives from various HCMA affiliated units.
Welcoming the delegation on behalf of APAG were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, APAG President; APAG Vice Presidents including Dr. Nguyen Dang Que; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Luong Thanh Cuong; Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quoc Suu; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thanh Giang; Dr. Bui Phuong Dinh; Members of the Standing Bureau of APAG Party Committee, the Executive Committee of the Trade Union, the Youth Union, the Women’s Affairs Committee, and the Veterans Association; leaders and officials from APAG units.
The meeting was held in both in-person and online formats, connecting with the APAG campuses in Ho Chi Minh City and Quang Nam Province.
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang expressed his New Year wishes to the APAG leaders and public officials.
In his address, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang shared his delight in visiting APAG on the first working day of the new year, which also marked the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Viet Nam. He emphasized the significance of this historic day, which serves as both an inspiration and a responsibility for all, motivating collective efforts for transformative changes in 2025, particularly in organizational restructuring. Amid the festive and optimistic atmosphere of the New Year, on behalf of the HCMA Party Committee and the HCMA Board of Directors, he extended his best wishes for health, happiness, and prosperity to all APAG public officials, encouraging them to step into 2025 with renewed energy and confidence.
He commended APAG for its exemplary performance in 2024, highlighting its successful task implementation. He praised the strong sense of responsibility and high level of organizational discipline demonstrated by the APAG Party Committee, Board of Directors, and Trade Union Executive Committee. 2024 posed significant challenges as APAG carried out the Party’s strategic policy of streamlining and restructuring the organizational apparatus to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and governance capacity. Despite the complexity and urgency of this transition, he highly appreciated the APAG’s timely and effective execution of organizational restructuring. He recalled that the National Academy of Public Administration had previously been under the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, and now, as the two institutions have been formally unified, the restructuring was not merely a mechanical merger but a strategic refinement of functions, responsibilities, and authority. He emphasized the importance of prioritizing faculty development, as lecturing is both the APAG’s strength and its primary political mission. He urged continued focus on professional responsibilities, ensuring that operations remain uninterrupted and progress continues seamlessly. He underscored the need for unity and collaboration, stressing that there are no divisions between former entities. He called on all public officials to embrace their shared mission with a spirit of cooperation and accountability, reinforcing that words must be matched with action.
2025 is a pivotal year, marked by several significant milestones, including the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Viet Nam; the 135th birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh; the 80th anniversary of Viet Mam’s independence; the 50th anniversary of national reunification; Preparations for the 14th National Party Congress. Against this backdrop, HCMA faces an important and demanding agenda, including organizing Party Congresses at all levels, leading up to the 15th HCMA Party Congress and the 14th National Party Congress; Drafting the framework for the 100-year review of the Party’s founding, summarizing key theoretical and practical lessons from the implementation of the national development platform during the transitional period; Advancing research on socialism and Viet Nam’s path toward socialism, defining the distinct characteristics of Viet Nam’s socialist model. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang called on all public officials to fully integrate into the unified mission, uphold solidarity, overcome challenges, and excel in their assigned responsibilities to contribute to the HCMA’s continued success.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, APAG President, delivered remarks.
In his address, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien, APAG President, expressed his deep honor and joy at welcoming the delegation led by Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang to visit, encourage, and extend New Year greetings to all APAG public officials on the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2025. He emphasized that this visit was not only a source of great encouragement but also a powerful motivation for the APAG’s leadership and staff. Stepping into the new year, with a spirit of renewal, creativity, and unwavering determination, APAG is fully committed to fulfilling its responsibilities and meeting the expectations set by Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang.
On behalf of the APAG Board of Directors and all APAG public officials, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien pledged to fully implement the key directives given by Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, with a commitment to focus on the following priorities: (1) Strengthening ideological work and internal unity to foster a cohesive and motivated workforce; (2) Reviewing and restructuring personnel based on job positions in alignment with the new organizational framework; (3) Enhancing student recruitment and improving training quality; (4) Elevating the quality of academic research; (5) Expanding international.
Amidst the celebrations of the New Year and the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien extended his New Year wishes to HCMA and its units, hoping for a year of outstanding achievements and continued success in fulfilling their missions.
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang with APAG leaders.
Before the visit from Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, the APAG Party Committee and the APAG Board of Directors hosted an Early Spring Gathering with public officials from APAG units.
In a warm and joyful atmosphere, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien extended his best New Year wishes to all APAG public officials, students, and trainees, as well as their families.
During his speech, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien reflected on 2024, a remarkable and emotionally significant year for all. This year marked the full operational stabilization following the merger of Hanoi University of Home Affairs into the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) and also celebrated the 65th anniversary of NAPA’s founding.
NAPA has expanded and continuously enhanced its training programs, focusing on specialized, leadership, and management training tailored to specific job positions and workforce demands. NAPA also has achieved remarkable growth in human resource training, supported by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Home Affairs. The issuance of Decision No. 06/2024/QĐ-TTg on April 5, 2024, which amended and supplemented Decision No. 27/2022/QĐ-TTg (December 19, 2022), defining the functions, tasks, authority, and organizational structure of NAPA, has laid the foundation for NAPA to offer higher education programs across its system. In 2024, NAPA successfully conducted undergraduate and postgraduate admissions, particularly excelling in full-time undergraduate enrollment, further strengthening its institutional reputation. Moreover, NAPA has been actively developing standardized curricula and lecture materials while ensuring quality accreditation for undergraduate programs to meet national and international standards. International cooperation has been diversified and deepened, expanding opportunities for public officials to gain access to modern governance knowledge and skills from renowned training institutions across the region and worldwide. Notably, in 2024, NAPA’s Development Strategy was officially approved by the Minister of Home Affairs, setting clear strategic directions for its growth until 2030, with a vision toward 2045. NAPA’s core values—intellectual excellence, quality, modernization, development philosophy, knowledge creation, innovation, and national responsibility—have been central to its mission of achieving outstanding advancement. This vision reflects not only the expectations of the Ministry of Home Affairs’ leadership but also the aspirations of multiple generations of NAPA officials committed to excellence and innovation.
In 2024, the Ministry of Education and Training officially granted authorization for the NAPA campuses to offer higher education programs. Additionally, NAPA received approval for two new graduate programs: Doctoral program in Administrative Law and Constitutional Law (under Decision No. 3652/QĐ-BGDĐT, issued on November 22, 2024) and Master’s program in Human Resource Management (under Decision No. 3796/QĐ-BGDĐT, issued on November 29, 2024). These significant advancements reinforce the NAPA’s academic credibility and training quality in public administration and legal studies.
Following Conclusion No. 09-KL/BCĐ, issued on November 24, 2024, at the first session of the Central Steering Committee for the review of Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW (October 25, 2017) of the 12th Central Committee, which emphasized the restructuring of the political system to enhance efficiency and effectiveness, NAPA was designated for merger into HCMA. Under Decision No. 55-QĐ/HVCTQG, issued on January 8, 2025, by the HCMA President, the institution has officially been renamed as the Academy of Public Administration and Governance. This transformation aligns with its new political and legal status and its expanded mission, closely linked to the functions of HCMA. With this new designation, APAG will play a crucial role in training high-quality personnel for the Party, the State, the Viet Nam Fatherland Front, and socio-political organizations, as well as promoting advance academic research in leadership, management, administrative sciences, state management, and public governance.
As 2025 begins, APAG remains committed to upholding its proud traditions, fostering unity and innovation, and fulfilling its key responsibilities in undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral education; academic research and technology transfer; international cooperation and policy consulting; providing public services in administration, state management, public governance, and legal studies. These efforts will be carried out in alignment with the directives of the Party, the State, and HCMA, while also addressing the evolving needs of society.
In the joyful and hopeful atmosphere of spring, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ba Chien expressed his confidence that, through unity and dedication, all APAG public officials will contribute to its sustainable development, operational efficiency, and growing prestige in the fields of public administration and public governance.
He further emphasized that teamwork, resource optimization, and continuous innovation will be the driving forces in transforming APAG into a strong and forward-looking institution. With positive energy, commitment, and determination, he encouraged all public officials to continue asserting their personal and professional value, striving for new achievements that will contribute to the overall development of the HCMA system and APAG in particular.
During the New Year gathering, representatives from APAG units also extended their best wishes for health, happiness, and success in the year ahead.
Dr. Nguyen Huy Hoang, Director of the Department of Personnel and Organization.
Dr. Le Thanh Huyen, Director of the Department of Higher Education Management.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Dieu Oanh, Dean of the Faculty of Law.
An overview of the gathering.
