The government’s function is to manage Vietnam’s socio-economic issues. All decisions by the government and the Prime Minister need to be promptly provided to the public in order to create a consensus in realizing Party guidelines, state laws and policies.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung addresses the Government Office's meeting

People’s right to information

Communication between the government and the public is conducted through the press and other media. However, information carriers are now more varied including print media, online newspapers, radio, TV, and social networks. With more than 30 million users, social networks have become an essential information channel. Information on social networks spreads quickly and widely. As a result, bad or good, correct or incorrect, all information, to some extent, will impact the information recipients. As there are always contrasting comments on every issue on social networks, an immediate response is important. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung asked government agencies to do their utmost to ensure that people receive accurate information.

Ensuring accurate, timely information is important

In the era of digital technology, the dissemination of information needs to be prompt to meet people’s needs. Using social networks to circulate government information and instructions will help to ensure that public gets correct information. At a conference to deploy the Government Office’s mission in 2015, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said that it’s important to update official government information on social networks. Dung said it’s essential to provide correct, accurate and timely information to earn people’s trust in official information. The government leader praised the positive aspects of social networks in communications and stressed the need to take advantage of them. He said by promptly updating information and maintaining an official page on social networks, the government can win public trust in its information because transparency is very important in the current context.

Modernizing the e-government

Emphasizing the impacts that information on social networks has on the communication to the public of state policies and laws, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung urged the acceleration of IT application in administration. He said it’s necessary to modernize the e-government to update the public on the government’s performance. Dung said by doing so, communication between the government and the public will be improved, costs will be reduced and bad information will be eliminated helping to create greater public consensus. Dung said every cabinet member and government agency is  responsible for information dissemination and updating the public on the government’s decisions. Only by proactively providing official information, can the government guide the public and ensure their right to information.