HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF

VIETNAM STATISTICS AFTER PERIODS

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT

Just after sometimes of victory of revolution with many difficulties of the time to oppose enemies and aggressor, President Ho Chi Minh, Interim President Of Democratic Republic of Vietnam in May 6th ,1946 signed Edict No 61/SL to assign the organization system of Ministry of National Economy including departments, sections, bureaus in which had Bureau of Vietnam Statistics. In order to fully remember the great achievement of Uncle Ho with the contribution and development of statistics, in order to follow historical events, and to be allowed by Prime Minister of Social Democratic Republic of Vietnam, The Statistics named May 6th is the day of foundation.

According to Edict No 61/SL in May 6th ,1946, Economic Minister signed an decree in May 28th ,1946 on the system of Vietnam Statistic Bureau with main contents as follow:

Article 1: Vietnam Statistics Bureau depended on Ministry of National Economy and under the control of Manager as the decree of nomination of Economic Minister.

Article 2: The Main duties of Statistics Bureau as follows:

  1. Collecting and gathering documents and numbers related to socio-economic or cultural events.
  2. Publishing the statistics books.
  3. Supervising Vietnamese or foreign insurance companies.

Article 3. Statistic Bureau directly contacted with statistics department of other ministries, provinces or offices to collect necessary document.

Article 4: Statistics Bureau had 3 sections with the duties as follows:

  1. The first section (Administrative section) manages the staff, accounting, materials, storing documents, publishing.
  2. The second section: statistics on population, culture and politic.
  3. The third section: economic and financial statistics.

As the National Economic Minister’s requirement, Uncle Ho in Jun 17th,1946 signed Edict No 98/SL appointing Mr Nguyen Thieu Lau as Director of Vietnam Statistics Bureau.

In April 25th ,1949 President Ho Chi Minh signed two edicts:

No 33/ SL edict merging Vietnam Statistics Bureau into President palace

No 33/ SL

No 34/ SL edict appointing Mr. Nguyen Thieu Lau as director of Statistics Bureau in President palace.

In May 1st 1950 President Ho Chi Minh signed Edict No 124/ SL removing Edict No 33/ SL and 34/ SL dated 25 April 1949, deciding a permanent organization to manage statistics by Prime Minister’s decree.

In August 9th 1950, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, on be haft of Prime Minister signed decree No 38/ TTg to establish statistics office in Prime Minister Office led by Mr. Long Duyen Lac. The duties of statistics office were follows:

  1. Collecting and gathering statistics documents of ministries and local resistance committees .
  2. Supporting for ministries and local resistance committees to arrange and supervise statistics.

In February 20th 1956, Prime Minister promulgated Regulation No 695/ TTg on system of Central Statistics offices, local statistics offices and Ministerial statistics offices of Democratic Republic Of Vietnam. Regulation No 695/ TTg wrote:

Founding the Central Statistics office in State Planning Committee of Democratic Republic Of Vietnam, local statistics Departments and statistics organizations of Ministries, offices and enterprises.

The Central Statistics Office and Local Statistics offices were united and concentrated system.

The Central Statistics Office in State Planning Committee, Democratic Republic of Vietnam, was a state office to control and manage unitedly and centrally all the statistics and accounting work in Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

The main duty of Central Statistics Office was collecting, gathering, researching and submitting to Government the exactly statistics documents, scientifically analyzing to highlight the process of implementing the state planning, the economic and cultural development, natural resources and the use of natural resources, the balance rate of economic, cultural industries and the development rate of each industry.

The Central Statistics permanently concluded: General statistics, Agricultural Statistics, Industry, transport Statistics, Commercial and Financial Statistics, cultural, education, health, population and labor Statistics.

In April 8th 1957, Prime Minister promulgated Edict No.142, re-assigning system and duties of statistics offices in levels and removed Edict No 665

About statistics system: all levels apparatus include:

  1. Central statistics office (in State planning committee)
  2. Statistics offices in inter-area, areas, provinces, cities
  3. Statistics department in districts
  4. Statistics department in communes.
  5. Statistics of other ministries, sectors.

Central statistics office was a state office to manage and direct in unity and concentration all statistics on economy, finance, culture and society.

The duties of the central statistics office were collecting, gathering, researching, analyzing the basic statistics documents on economic industries, culture and society after that submitting to Government, stated to be foundation or reference documents to plan policies, make plans and review plans.

System of central statistics office permanently included General statistics, Agricultural Statistics, Industrial Statistics, Basic Infrastructure Statistics, Commercial and Financial Statistics, Culture, education, health, population and labor Statistics.

In December 21st 1960, National Assembly promulgated Decision No.15 /NQ-TVQH to divide central statistics office from National planning committee, founded General Statistics Office.

To September 29th 1961, Governmental assembly promulgated Decree No 131/CP to assign duties, powers and organisational system of General Statistics Office. According to this edict, General Statistics Office belonged to Governmental Assembly with the function of concentrated direction for all statistics following the policy, guidelines of Communist Party and State, ensure to complete its duty to collect, adjust statistics documents with scientific base of economy, society, culture in order to better serve for state management, direction and economic planning control.

System of General Statistics included 7 Departments and Offices.

In 1968, implementation Resolution No.2/CP of Government on re- organizing Information statistics, General Statistics Office was found Technical accounting Department, Personnel and organisation Department, Methodology Department, Balance Department.

In April 5th 1974, National Assembly promulgated Decree No.72/CP on system and activities of General Statistics Office replacing Decree No 131/CP dated 29 September 1961 of National Assembly.

General Statistics Office was central office belonging to National Assembly, with the function of organizing and managing post and statistics. General Statistics Office implement its duty based on policies, directions, introductions, solutions of Party and State.

Systematically, there were 17 sections, departments of specializing statistics, office and 2 service units.

Implementation Direction No.45/TW of on reducing staff and rearranging organization, in June 2nd 1979, National Assembly promulgated Decision No 207/CP on re- organizing system of General Statistics Office with 15 sections: Department, Institutes, offices and Inspection.

Implementation Notice No.46/TB-TW of Central Party Secretariat Committee and National Assembly on re- organizing system of communist, state and associated office, in May 11th 1988, National Assembly signed and promulgated Decision No 81/CP re organizing the sections under GSO down to 10 and office. Besides, there were 3 departments, 2 service units and 2 enterprises.

In March 23rd 1994, Government promulgated Decision No 23 assigning functions, duties, of GSO replacing Decision No 72/CP dated 5 April 1974 of National Assembly.

According to this decision, functions, duties, powers and organisational system of GSO was similar with the content in Decision No 72 dated April 1974 of National Assembly.

However, apparatus was recognized rather neat than it has been in Decision No.72 dated 5 April 1974 of National Assembly, details were:

  1. The units help director of GSO implement state management: 12 sections, office and inspection.

After that Government promulgated one decision founding Planning- Finance Department.

  1. The service units of GSO: 4 units
  2. The business unit decided by GSO: 2 sections.

In September 3rd 2003, Government promulgated Decree No 101/2003 ND-CP regulating functions, duties, powers and organizational system of GSO replacing Decree No 23/CP dated 23 March 1994 of the Government.

About position and function: GSO is an agency under direct authority of the Government to implement duties and authorities in state management on statistics and supplying economic and social statistics information for offices, organizations, and individual based on Law, state management in public services and implement some specific duties, authorities in National representative of budget in enterprises which had state budget of GSO’s management based on Law.

About duties and powers: GSO was responsible to implement duties, powers as an agency of the Government with the function of state management on branches, areas according to Decree No 30 /2003/Nd-Cp dated April 1st 2003 of Government on functions, duties, powers and organisational system of the Government office.

Organizationally, GSO was organized into direct line from central down to local levels. Its structure consisted of

  1. The Central GSO headquarter
  2. Provincial, Statistics Offices
  3. District Statistics Offices