The Ministry of Justice is currently appraising a draft decree that outlines the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Government Office.

According to the draft, the Government e-Portal meets the criteria for a Type 1 Department. This unit would continue to advise the Minister-Chairman of the Government Office on state management of the Official Gazette, as well as organize the management, publication, and distribution of the Official Gazette of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

The proposed Government Information and Communications Department would possess legal status, its own seal, a separate account, and be allocated over 30 staff positions. It would comprise various divisions, departments, and a public service unit, the Government e-Newspaper. The Department Director would be authorized to issue professional and operational guidance within its management scope, including instructions for integrating information with the e-portals of ministries, sectors, and provincial People's Committees.

This unit would be responsible for state management of the Official Gazette and granted decentralized authority over certain aspects of personnel, finance, and assets. Its organizational structure would include professional divisions and the Government e-Newspaper as a public service unit.

The draft references a directive from the Government Standing Committee in April, which called for studying the reorganization of the Government e-Portal model. This reorganization aims to elevate its status and role as the central information hub for the government and Prime Minister, crucially without increasing the organizational apparatus, staff, or personnel.

Under current regulations, the Government e-Portal operates as a Department-level administrative organization directly under the Government Office. Its functions include advising the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers, and the Minister-Chairman of the Government Office on synthesizing and processing press information and public opinion.

The e-Portal also organizes online information and communication regarding the government's and Prime Minister's directives and operational activities. It manages and provides information for the government and Government Office, connects and integrates information with the e-portals of ministries, sectors, and localities, and oversees state management of the Official Gazette.

The draft indicates that the Government Office's organizational structure will largely remain unchanged from its current form. It will include the following: General Affairs Department, Legal Affairs Department, General Economics Department, Industry Department, Agriculture Department, Science, Education, Culture, and Social Affairs Department, International Relations Department, Internal Affairs Department, Public Service Organization Department, Inspection Monitoring Department (Department I), National Assembly, Local Affairs, and Mass Organizations Department, Secretariat and Editorial Department, Administration Department, Personnel and Organization Department, Digital Transformation Department, Administration and Finance Department, and the Government Information and Communications Department.

Vu Tuan