Hanoi (VNA) ꧋– State Auditor General of Vietnam Tran Sy Thanh held online talks with President of the State Audit Organisation of Laos (SAL) Malaithong Kommasith on July 19 to review bilateral audit cooperation over the past years.

Thanh said in the first half of this year, the State Audit Office of Vietnam (SAV) conducted 76 audits and provided 143 audit reports and relevant documents for the National Assembly’s agencies, the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission and competent authorities for investigation, inspection and supervision. The SAV suggested removing, amending, supplementing and issuing 19 new legal documents that are unsuitable with the State’s regulations, thus promptly fixing “loopholes” in policies and mechanisms. In the last half, the SAV will continue with audit activities as planned, issue a general audit report 2020 to submit to the legislature, give opinions on the State budget estimate, budget allocation plan for 2022, and build the 2022 and 2022-2024 audit plans. About the state audit development strategy till 2030 that was adopted by the NA Standing Committee on August 12, 2020, Thanh highlighted three development pillars, including legal framework, human resources and technology along with seven major contents, including the apparatus organisation, human resources, audit quality improvement, global integration and cooperation, infrastructure development, scientific research on infrastructure, information and modern technology. According to Thanh, the SAV also established a steering committee to realise the strategy. Regarding cooperation orientations, both sides agreed to improve the efficiency of regular activities such as facilitating the exchange of high-ranking delegations, assisting the SAL in strengthening the institutions and organisational apparatus, and enhancing the capacity of public audit. The SAV will send experts to Laos to help its auditors in the fields of State budget, basic construction and State-owned enterprises, as well as offer professional training in both Vietnam and Laos as suggested by the SAL. The two audit sectors will continue with cooperation activities in 2022 and subsequent years, enhance online cooperation activities amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, and bring audit into the cooperation agreement between the two governments in the 2021-2025 period, firstly in 2022. The two sides pledged to continue offering mutual support at multilateral forums, especially within the framework of the Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI), the ASEAN Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASEANSAI), and the cooperation forum of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. They also agreed to propose their respective government and legislature add ASEANSAI cooperation contents into the annual cooperation agreement between the Vietnamese and Lao governments. The SAV is serving as Chair of the ASEANSAI Strategic Planning Committee and Chair of ASOSAI in the 2018 - 2021 term. The ASOSAI was founded in 1979 and pursues a mission common among working groups of the International Organisations of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), that “Professional supreme audit institutions promote good State governance”, and with the core values of “Professionalism, Cooperation, Equality, Creativity”. Its goal is to promote mutual understanding and cooperation among member SAIs through the exchange of ideas and experience in public auditing, creating the conditions necessary for the training of State auditors to improve working quality and efficiency. The SAV became a member of ASOSAI in 1997. In its initial period of membership, it primarily sent auditors to attend training courses and workshops sponsored by the ASOSAI, to enhance professional capacity. Since 2010, the SAV has undertaken a more active role in the association’s professional activities. The SAV, as Chair of ASOSAI in the 2018 - 2021 term, has carried out a lot of important and effective audit activities which have gained praise from regional and international audit agencies. Besides, it has also actively and responsibly participated in activities of INTOSAI as a representative of its Regional Working Group./.