Former Minister of Industry and Trade once "traveled abroad 163 days a year"

The Government Inspectorate has just completed the inspection conclusion on sending delegations abroad in the period 2012 - 2016 of 4 ministries, 6 localities and has submitted it to competent authorities for consideration.

In conclusion, in the period 2012-2016, theSetThe Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Information and Communications and the State Bank have issued 20 plans to organize delegations to go abroad. The six provinces are Vinh Phuc, Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa, Dak Lak, Dong Nai and Tien Giang.Issued 22 plans to organize delegations to go abroad.

These units sent over 17,500 delegations, nearly 53,000 officers with a total budget of over 1,200 billion VND. Of which, 4 ministries and branches sent over 14,600 delegations, nearly 42,000 officers and a total budget of over 1,000 billion VND.

The conclusion of the inspection agency stated that the Ministry of Industry and Trade leads the list of delegations sent on business trips;The second response is the Ministry of Finance.

Most ministries and localities have leaders who go abroad more than twice a year. There are still delegations that arrange for two key leaders of the same ministry or locality to travel together; there are delegations with more than 10 people, lasting more than 10 days; many agency leaders participate in delegations invited by businesses; many delegations have participants who are about to retire or have retired (as a token of gratitude).

Some individual cases were concluded as follows: Mr. Vu Huy Hoang, when he was Minister of Industry and Trade in 2014, participated in 23 delegations going abroad; in 2015, he participated in 22 delegations with a total time abroad of 163 days (accounting for more than half of the working time in the year);Ms. Phan Thi My Thanh, former Deputy Secretary of Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee, traveled abroad more than 10 times a year (both for personal and public matters, and for invited partners).

According to the inspection results, ministries, branches and localities have organized many delegations to go abroad that were not included in the approved foreign affairs programs and plans;There are many delegations that go abroad with the purpose of surveying and learning experiences, but in reality they combine sightseeing and tourism; many delegations from the health and education sectors go abroad with invitations sponsored by businesses.

The conclusion clearly stated that many files did not have a decision on leave or an application for unpaid leave while abroad; some cases went without approval, returned late but were not processed...

The Government Inspectorate has proposed that the Prime Minister request ministries, branches and localities to organize reviews and take appropriate measures to handle violations of relevant organizations and individuals; and at the same time,The Central Inspection Commission was assigned to review the specific responsibilities of officials under the management of the Politburo and the Secretariat who decided to participate in overseas delegations that were not in accordance with regulations.

Ministry of Finance: 'It is difficult to limit foreign travel to no more than twice a year'

Discussing the above content, Ms.Vu Thi Mai - Deputy Minister of Finance saidThe Ministry has received the conclusion of the Government Inspectorate.

ExplainMany leaders go abroad more than twice a year while the current regulation is"no more than two delegations go abroad each year""out of budget money",Ms. Mai said that "not all business trips of officials in the industry use expenses from the state budget, but also from cooperative organizations and units."

The Ministry of Finance has many international cooperation projects with non-refundable technical assistance from the World Bank, JICA (Japan)... For each project, these organizations have a portion of the funding for travel, study, and research. In addition,Some overseas business trips of Ministry of Finance officials are actually just "going from Vietnam's border gate to another country", especially of customs officials, so the expenses are not too expensive.

"It is currently very difficult to limit overseas travel to no more than twice a year, especially in the context of integration and increasingly expanding cooperation activities," the Deputy Minister of Finance emphasized.

According to Ms. Mai, every year this agency is often assigned by the Government to participate in negotiations related to taxes, opening up financial and securities markets, negotiating loans, mobilizing finance in the international market, handling debt, etc., so the budget and number of delegations entering and leaving the Ministry of Finance may be greater than other ministries.

Ministry of Industry and Trade: "The period 2012-2016 is the peak of integration negotiations"

A representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade said that the Ministry has sent a document reporting to the Prime Minister on the conclusion.of the Government Inspectorate. Accordingly, every year the Ministry of Industry and Trade develops a plan for delegations to goForeign missions headed by the Ministry's leaders are sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for synthesis and presentation.The Prime Minister approves and the adjustment plan is usually sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the second quarter.

With theThe delegation is headed by the Minister or participates at the request of the superior, the Ministry shall make a report.Report to the Prime Minister for approval.

Among the working groups in the period 2012-2016 issued by the Ministry of Industry and TradeThere are many delegations of the Ministry that only play the role of chair, the compositionParticipants include representatives from many other ministries and branches to carry out negotiation and integration work.

In addition, many other delegations were led by leaders of enterprises under the Ministry.LabourBusiness trips abroad to negotiate, sign contracts and find partnerscooperation, market expansion.

On the other hand, from 2012-2016 was the peak period when Vietnam conducted negotiations.Negotiated and signed many free trade agreements such as the TPP Agreement, EVFTA Agreement,Vietnam - Eurasian Economic Union agreement..., cooperation agreements, establishment of Joint CommitteesGovernment, Joint Committee, Subcommittee on Commerce. “As per work requirements and plansApproved, many foreign delegations need leaders of the Ministry of Industry and Trade to be the head of the delegation with t"The participation of relevant ministries and branches is required," the Ministry of Industry and Trade stated.

According to this agency, due to the nature and specificity of the work, in addition to implementing programs and plans,In addition to the foreign affairs work plan, the Ministry also carries out ad hoc work programs as required by the authorities.above. And the above programs "always comply with the regulations and requirements in Directive 21/TW on promotingpractice thrift, fight waste

However, to avoid "different interpretations", the Ministry of Industry and Trade recommends that the Prime Minister assign the Ministry of Foreign Affairsassigned to preside over and unify instructions for implementing the above directive, in which attention is paid to a number of relevant ministries and branches.Special tasks to carry out foreign affairs work according to the tasks and requirements of the Party and Statedeliver.

In 2014, the Politburo issued a directive requiring agencies, organizations, and localities to consider cutting down on unnecessary delegations or delegations whose exchange and work content is not appropriate for the host country. In addition, the Politburo also required delegations to clearly state the purpose and content of the trip before going abroad, have a budget plan, and must report the results of the trip to the competent authority...

Mr. Vu Huy Hoang was born in 1953, from Hai Phong, has a PhD in economics, is a member of the Party Central Committee, 10th and 11th terms.

Since August 2007, he has been Secretary of the Party Committee and Minister of Industry and Trade; in April 2016, he was dismissed from the position of Minister of Industry and Trade by the National Assembly.

In January 2017, Mr. Hoang was stripped of his position as former Minister of Industry and Trade due to violations in personnel work while holding the position of Minister. The Secretariat also took disciplinary action by removing Mr. Hoang from his position as Secretary of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (term 2011-2016).