Attending the meeting on the Singapore side were Mr. Ian Tan, Deputy Ambassador to Viet Nam; Mr. Tang Chuan Lee; and Ms. Khoo Shelley Feng Ni, members of the AGO Delegation.
Representing the SAV were Mr. Nguyen Ba Dzung, Director General of the International Cooperation Department, along with other department officials.
Welcoming the delegation from the Singaporian Supreme Audit Institution (SAI), Auditor-General Ngo Van Tuan expressed his gratitude to Ms. Goh Soon Poh and the delegation for accepting his invitation to pay a working visit in Viet Nam and attend the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the SAV’s establishment. He also appreciated their contribution of valuable insights to the international conference on "The Role of SAIs in Anti-Corruption, Enhancing Public Transparency, Integrity, and Good Governance," scheduled for July 9.
Tuan congratulated Singapore on its new Prime Minister and expressed confidence that under Mr. Lawrence Wong's l-leadership, Singapore would continue to prosper and further deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries.
Thanking the Singapore SAI for its support in recent years, Tuan underlined that the two SAIs have engaged in effective cooperation activities, such as exchanging working delegations at various levels and sharing documents and information regarding their operations.
Additionally, the Singapore SAI has supported and cooperated with the SAV in multilateral forums such as the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), the Asian Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI), and the Southest Asian Supreme Audit Institutions (ASEANSAI). Notably, the Singapore SAI supported the SAV during its hosting of the 14th ASOSAI Assembly and its tenure as ASOSAI Chair from 2018 to 2021.
During the SAV delegation's visit to Singapore in 2023, the AGO shared extensive auditing expertise, particularly in digital transformation, IT audit, and the application of IT in auditing activities, etc.
At the meeting, the Auditor-General of Viet Nam also provided the latest updates on national socio-economic situation and the activities of the SAV, highlighting its audit operations, the SAV's development strategy by 2030, and its international cooperation efforts.
Regarding international cooperation, the SAV has signed 19 bilateral agreements with various partners, primarily with counterpart SAIs. The SAV has recently accomplished its ASOSAI Chairmanship for the 2018-2021 term and is currently a member of the ASOSAI Governing Board for the 2021-2024 term. The SAV is also one of the four founding members of ASEANSAI and has served as the Chair of the ASEANSAI Strategic Planning Committee for multiple terms.
International integration and cooperation is one of the seven key components of the SAV's development strategy by 2030. The strategy outlines the SAV's continued commitment to being a responsible member in building and fulfilling multilateral agreements and commitments, completing its role as a member of the ASOSAI Governing Board until 2024, and running for membership of the ASOSAI Audit Committee for the 2024-2027 term.
Discussing the direction of future bilateral cooperation, Tuan stated that, to enhance the cooperative relationship between the SAV and AGO in correspondence to the potential and strengths of each side, the SAV seeks to intensify practical and effective cooperative activities with the Singapore SAI, namely exchanging delegations to strengthen mutual understanding and foster closer bond between the two institutions. Additionally, the SAV invited experts from the AGO to visit and share their expertise in areas of deep insight, such as training auditors on emerging trends in financial management and accountability, designing training programs based on a five-level competency framework, and applying IT in auditing activities.
In multilateral cooperative framework, the SAV hopes to receive continued support and cooperation from the Singapore SAI in forums such as INTOSAI, ASOSAI, and ASEANSAI. Particularly, with its accumulated strengths and experience, the SAV hopes to continue contributing significantly to ASOSAI activities, especially in its role as a member of the ASOSAI Audit Committee for the 2024-2027 term. Therefore, the SAV hopes to gain the support of the AGO for its candidacy for this position at the 16th ASOSAI Assembly in India.
At the same time, Auditor-General Ngo Van Tuan suggested that the Singapore SAI continue actively fulfilling its role as Chair of the ASEANSAI Rules and Procedre Committee, working shoulder to shoulder with the SAV, the Chair of the ASEANSAI Strategic Planning Committee and other ASEANSAI members to further enhance the professionalism and effectiveness in discharge of ASEANSAI functions and tasks.
Expressing sincere thanks to Auditor-General Ngo Van Tuan for the precious time, Ms. Goh Soon Poh stated that the Singapore SAI highly hailed the SAV's successful tenure as the ASOSAI Chair, particularly in the challenging context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the SAV has performed excellently as the Chair of the ASEANSAI Strategic Planning Committee, developing many effective strategic plans for the organization. The important contributions of the SAV have provided valuable lessons for the AGO.
The Auditor-General of Singapore also shared some challenges the AGO is encounting, particularly in developing human resources, applying new technologies in auditing, and expanding into entirely new audit areas. The Singapore SAI therefore looks forward to more opportunities to learn from and share knowledge and experiences with the SAV.
Agreeing with the bilateral cooperation directions proposed by Auditor-General of Viet Nam, Ms. Goh Soon Poh expressed her3 support for the SAV’s candidacy for the ASOSAI Audit Committee for the 2024-2027 term, and hopes that the SAV will continue to contribute actively to ASOSAI’s community activities.
Appreciating Ms. Goh Soon Poh’s shared insights, Auditor-General Ngo Van Tuan expressed his high hope that in the future, the bilateral cooperative relationship between the two organisations would further develop in a practical and effective manner, thereby contributing positively to strengthening the relationship between the two countries./.