Vietnam seems to understand Government 2.0

Government 2.0 is a citizen-centric philosophy and strategy that believes the best results are usually driven by partnerships between citizens and government, at all levels.  It is focused entirely on achieving goals through increased efficiency, better management, information transparency, and citizen engagement and most often leverages newer technologies to achieve the desired outcomes. Government 2.0 is bringing business approaches, business technologies, to government. (as defined by me )

Vietnam is launching a program next year, investing $90 million dollars which, beginning in 2015 they expect to create annual returns of up to $1.5 billion.  Dr Phung Van On, Director, IT Center, Office of the Government, states that “To make it work, the government has proposed a comprehensive plan to ensure there is the appropriate legal framework, the right financing, human resources and implementation strategy.”    A top down goal-oriented approach that recognizes the following is key:

• You must invest money in training, technology, and people if you are to drive real change.
• Laws must be clarified for all those working to drive change.  In some cases laws may need to be modified, through proper channels of course, to support growth.
• Technology will often be a key enabler.  In fact, the majority of the savings Vietnam expects to see will come from a shift to the web for everything from citizens paying taxes to government acquisitions.

While we must wait a few  years before we know if the ROI being predicted is achieved it is clear that the country is already benefiting from the government 2.0 philosophy.  The Vietnamese tech sector, as noted in the article,”.. grew by 20 per cent (to US$6.26 billion) in 2009 despite the global economic downturn, and the government is targeting three times GDP growth through to 2020.”

Are outcomes guaranteed?  No, nothing in life is for sure.  However, a strategic approach with intelligent investment will deliver results.