(sav.gov.vn) – From 17 to 21 November, a delegation from the State Audit of Viet Nam (SAV), led by Deputy Auditor General Tran Minh Khuong, paid a working visit to the Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia (BPK), the West Java Regional Audit Office, and co-organised the 4th Joint Conference between the two institutions.
The SAV delegation included Ms Lang Trinh Mai Huong, Deputy Director General of the Department of International Cooperation; Mr Nguyen Van Quang, Deputy Director General of the Department of Information Technology; Mr Pham Van Hai, Deputy Chief Auditor of the Specialized Audit Department No. VI; together with officials from the SAV Administrative Department and the Department of International Cooperation.
The bilateral meeting between BPK and SAV was attended by H.E. Ta Van Thong, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Viet Nam to Indonesia.
Opening new prospects for bilateral cooperation
At the bilateral meeting held on 17 November, Ms Isma Yatun, Chair of the Audit Board of Indonesia, warmly welcomed Deputy Auditor General Tran Minh Khuong and the SAV delegation on their visit and working session.
The BPK leadership provided an overview of the institution’s development, highlighting that BPK had recently been elected Chair of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) for the 2028–2031 term at INCOSAI 25 in Egypt, and, only days earlier, had been elected as a member of the United Nations Board of Auditors.
In addition, BPK currently holds numerous key positions within ASOSAI and ASEANSAI, participates in various INTOSAI working groups, and is the initiator of the Supreme Audit Institutions of the G20 (SAI20).
Ms Isma Yatun expressed her sincere appreciation for the strong and consistent support extended by SAV to BPK over the years, particularly with regard to Indonesia’s role as INTOSAI Chair and as a member of the UN Board of Auditors.
Expressing his gratitude for the warm reception and comprehensive introduction provided by the host, Deputy Auditor General Tran Minh Khuong stated his pleasure at meeting with BPK colleagues and conveyed his hope that the meeting would open up new prospects for further strengthening cooperation between the two institutions.
At the meeting, the SAV leadership briefed the Indonesian side on Viet Nam’s recent socio-economic developments as well as the recent new progresses of SAV. Established on 11 July 1994, SAV currently comprises 31 units with more than 2,000 civil servants, public employees and staff members.
Deputy Auditor General Tran Minh Khuong also noted that in March 2025, General Secretary To Lam held talks with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, during which the two countries agreed to elevate bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Viet Nam thus became Indonesia’s first Comprehensive Strategic Partner within ASEAN.
“With the long-standing and close cooperation between the State Audit of Viet Nam and BPK, cooperation between our two institutions will certainly become increasingly effective, substantive and commensurate with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between our two countries,” Deputy Auditor General Tran Minh Khuong emphasised.
He further noted that since mid-2025, Viet Nam has completed a major restructuring of its administrative apparatus at both central and local levels, including the merger of ministries and agencies; the abolition of the district level; the merger of provinces (from 63 to 34); and the merger of communes, wards and townships (from over 10,000 to just over 3,000). These reforms aim to streamline governance, reduce administrative layers, enhance national governance efficiency, and save budgetary resources for investment and economic growth. Such institutional reforms, together with the implementation of the revised State Budget Law, have had a significant impact on audit activities, prompting SAV to introduce substantial adjustments to its audit organisation and methodologies to ensure audit quality and timeliness.
Regarding future cooperation, Deputy Auditor General Tran Minh Khuong stated that, based on the Memorandum of Understanding signed in November 2017, SAV wishes to further strengthen bilateral cooperation with BPK through expanded joint seminars and technical exchanges on areas of mutual interest. SAV also intends to continue sending auditors to BPK to learn from Indonesia colleagues’ areas of strength. At the same time, both sides will continue to support one another in multilateral forums, particularly within INTOSAI, ASOSAI and ASEANSAI.
Fully concurring with these proposals, Ms Isma Yatun affirmed that BPK would continue to work closely with SAV to design and implement practical and effective cooperation programmes, thereby elevating the bilateral partnership between SAV and BPK to a new level.
On the same day, the SAV delegation also paid a courtesy visit to the Embassy of Viet Nam in Indonesia to learn more about the country’s political, economic situation and the Vietnamese community in Indonesia.
Strengthening the exchange of audit experience
On 18 November, the SAV delegation visited BPK headquarters, where they were introduced to the Information Technology Centre, the Digital Forensic Audit Support Centre, the Public Information Disclosure Centre, the Library, staff welfare facilities, and various functional units. The delegation also participated in the 4th Joint Conference between the two institutions.
In his opening remarks at the Conference, Deputy Auditor General Tran Minh Khuong stated that, building on the cooperative relationship established in 1999, SAV and BPK have gradually deepened and strengthened their partnership, as reflected in the Memoranda of Understanding on audit cooperation signed in 2011 and 2017. He emphasised that SAV highly values the long-standing, friendly and sustainable cooperation between the two institutions, as well as BPK’s willingness to share valuable professional experience that contributes to strengthening the capacity of both sides. In particular, BPK’s support has been highly professional and instrumental in the field of forensic auditing.
“Experience shared by BPK on forensic auditing during the 2022 Joint Conference provided significant support to our work when conducting audits involving signs of corruption related to land price determination for housing development projects and the assessment of damages,” the Deputy Auditor General noted.
Maintaining annual cooperative activities, the two institutions have successfully organised a series of joint conferences: the first (2021) on “Human Resource Training Management”; the second (2022) on “Auditing COVID-19 Response” and “The Role of SAIs in Preventing and Combating Corruption”; and the third (2023) on “Waste Management Auditing”.
At the 4th Joint Conference, participants from both institutions focused on two key contemporary topics: “Application of Information Technology in Audit Activities” and “Food Security Auditing”. They shared practical experiences and approaches in auditing these areas, drawing lessons to enhance future audit practices in their respective institutions.
As part of the programme, on 19 November, the SAV delegation visited and worked with the West Java Regional Audit Office.
During the meeting, Deputy Auditor General Tran Minh Khuong and representatives of the West Java Regional Audit Office exchanged information on the organisation and development of their respective institutions, and discussed legal frameworks and procedures related to audit planning, audit implementation, quality control, issuance of audit reports, reporting lines and oversight mechanisms between BPK headquarters and regional audit offices, as well as the relationship between regional audit offices and local authorities. Discussions also focused on the role of regional audit offices in supporting local legislative councils in approving local budget final accounts.
The working visit of the SAV delegation to Indonesia concluded successfully, marking a new milestone in the bilateral cooperation between SAV and BPK. The productive meetings, in-depth professional exchanges and the 4th Joint Conference contributed to strengthening mutual understanding, sharing valuable practical experience and opening up concrete avenues for future cooperation.
In the context of the two countries having elevated their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, cooperation between the two supreme audit institutions has become increasingly important and strategically significant. Commitments to continued mutual support and coordination in multilateral forums, together with aspirations to expand training programmes, seminars and professional exchanges, will provide a solid foundation for SAV and BPK to further develop, innovate and contribute more effectively to transparency and accountability in public financial management in both countries.