(sav.gov.vn) - During the recent working visit of the State Audit Office of Viet Nam (SAV) delegation to Laos, Auditor-General Ngo Van Tuan commended the effective cooperation between the two Supreme Audit Institutions of Viet Nam and Laos. He expressed a desire to further strengthen this special relationship, ensuring its practicality and alignment with the evolving roles and responsibilities of both parties, being on a par with the unique bond between Viet Nam and Laos.
Implementing effective cooperative activities
The special relationship between the SAV Viet Nam and the State Audit Organisation of Laos (SAO) has been set since the SAO’s establishment in 1998. Based on their Bilateral Cooperation Agreements, the two agencies have implemented numerous effective activities, yielding notable achievements. These efforts have contributed significantly to enhancing transparency, accountability, and the efficiency of public financial and asset management in both countries.
High-level delegation exchange between the two agencies has been conducted in regular basis. Training programs, knowledge and experience-sharing sessions have been ongoing even before the 2000 Cooperation Agreement. SAV has frequently invited Lao auditors to attend training courses and seminars delievered by international experts in Viet Nam. Conversely, Lao auditors have participated in audits conducted in Viet Nam and collaborated closely with SAV’s audit teams on audits in Laos.
Both agencies have actively kept cooperating and supporting each other in multilateral frameworks, such as the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), the Asian Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI), and the ASEAN Supreme Audit Institutions (ASEANSAI). They have also collaborated in trilateral initiatives involving the Supreme Audit Instititutions of Cambodia, Laos, and Viet Nam.
To further strengthen cooperation in the time to come, the two sides agreed, during the visit, to intensify the implementation of the 2021-2030 Cooperation Strategy. Key areas of focus are capacity building, cooperative audits on environmental and sustainable development issues, enhancing the presence and role of both agencies in international audit organizations, and advancing dialogue and exchange among the group of three Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) of Cambodia, Laos, and Viet Nam.
Auditor General Ngo Van Tuan expressed optimism about the increasingly practical and effective development of this special partnership, reflecting the longstanding, steadfast and comprehensive friendship between Viet Nam and Laos. He affirmed continued collaboration to implement the 2025 Cooperation Plan and subsequent activities, aiming to enhance institutional frameworks, organizational structures, and professional expertise at both agencies.
Cooperation to improve audit capacity and effectiveness
The two agencies hosted a seminar to share experience on “Auditing implementation and follow-up of audit recommendations.” This topic is of critical importance in auditing as it determines transparency, accountability, and the effectiveness of public financial management.
During the visit, SAO’s Deputy President Toy Phonethilath and Director General of the SAV Regional Audit Office No. VI Vu Khanh Toan co-chaired a professional seminar focusing on regional audit management and the implementation and follow-up of audit recommendations.
Toy Phonethilath noted that SAV achieved a high rate of implementation of its 2023 audit recommendations, with a completion rate of 70%, a 3% increase year on year. This is a significant accomplishment compared to Laos’ implementation rate.
Toan emphasized that the implementation of audit conclusions and recommendations serves as a key metric for evaluating the effectiveness of audit activities. Such implementation impacts the efficiency of financial management, administration, and public asset utilization. SAV has consistently prioritized monitoring and assessing the implementation of audit recommendations. Recent reforms in auditing procedures and methodologies have enhanced the quality of audit reports, with a particular focus on the quality of recommendations and conclusions. Monitoring the implementation of recommendations has become a strategic measure to ensure sustainability and maximize the effectiveness of audit activities.
At the seminar, the exchange of experience contributed significantly to improving the overall capacity of audit activities, particularly in monitoring and addressing audit recommendations. It also provided an opportunity to discuss challenges in reality and identify solutions to overcome difficulties in fulfilling these tasks.
Both SAIs demonstrated their deep commitment to implementing and following up audit recommendations while sharing practical audit experience. The exchange offered valuable knowledge and served as useful references to enhance the effectiveness of audit activities for both agencies in the future.