Vietnam’s Auditor General Ho Duc Phoc and a delegation of the State Audit Office of Vietnam (SAV) had a working session in Seoul on June 19 with the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) of the Republic of Korea (RoK) to boost bilateral cooperation in the time ahead.

Vietnam’s Auditor General Ho Duc Phoc (L) and Chairman of
the RoK Board of Audit and Inspection Choe Jaehyeong (Photo: VNA)

Their discussions covered information technology (IT) auditing, the application of IT in auditing activities, anti-corruption auditing and training of State auditors, including those in IT auditing.

Auditor General Phoc took the occasion to thank the RoK’s Board of Audit and Inspection for its coordination with and support for the SAV.

He said the SAV hopes to learn from the BAI’s experience in IT auditing and the application of IT in auditing, which is a priority of the SAV at present. 

BAI Chairman Choe Jaehyeong said his agency is ready to assist the SAV in improving its performance. The board will discuss with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) continued support in training auditor for Vietnam, he said, adding that another function of the BAI is inspection, so the two sides can also work together in this field.

Choe thanks the Vietnamese Government and the SAV for facilitating the operation of RoK enterprises in Vietnam, and expressed his hope that bilateral ties between the two countries will further expanded. 

The SAV and the BAI set up ties in 2003 following a working visit to the RoK by the then Deputy Auditor General Vuong Dinh Hue. The two agencies signed a cooperation agreement in May 2007, which allowed them to carry out a series of joint activities such as exchange of visits of leaders and experts, experience sharing, conferences and workshops. Those activities have gradually been adjusted to meet the SAV’s needs in professional skills and training. 

The BAI has an important role in the Asian Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI). As General Secretary of the ASOSAI, the BAI has always supported and assisted the SAV in multilateral activities, including the organisation of the 14th ASOSAI Assembly in 2018, and in performing the role of ASOSAI Chair at present.