On the afternoon of July 7, the State Audit Office of Vietnam held a conference to review its performance during the first six months of 2026 and outline priorities for the remainder of the year. The meeting was held both in person and online with regional audit offices.
As of June 30, the State Audit Office had deployed 106 audit teams and officially issued 36 audit reports. Based on preliminary findings from 55 reports, it recommended increasing state budget revenue and reducing state budget expenditures by a combined VND10.042 trillion (US$382 million).
It also made additional recommendations totaling VND28.663 trillion and more than US$4.5 million.
The agency also recommended revoking, amending, or supplementing 59 legal documents that were found to be inconsistent with current laws or practical conditions. In addition, it proposed disciplinary action against organizations and individuals found to have committed violations in 22 audit reports.
Audit activities in 2026 introduced a number of reforms and were implemented in line with the agency's guiding principles of "independence, objectivity, professionalism, integrity, responsibility, safety, and credibility."
The State Audit Office issued a new set of auditing standards and guidance on evaluating the effectiveness of public investment projects. Audit quality control was also strengthened through oversight of 111 audit teams and the conduct of direct quality inspections.
Anti-corruption, anti-waste, and anti-misconduct efforts were highlighted as one of the agency's key achievements. During the first half of the year, the State Audit Office referred five cases showing signs of criminal conduct to investigative authorities and provided 20 case files to support inspection and supervisory activities. It also reviewed and gave opinions on 499 personnel cases at the request of the Communist Party of Vietnam's Central Organization Commission, contributing to senior personnel work.
At the conference, Auditor General Nguyen Huu Nghia praised the efforts of the agency despite numerous challenges. While acknowledging the achievements, he also pointed to several shortcomings and instructed units to analyze both subjective and objective causes in order to develop appropriate solutions.
As one example, he said the State Audit Office had identified inconsistencies between the 2025 Law on the State Budget and a Government implementing decree regarding the determination of local budget surpluses and overall state budget surpluses, creating difficulties in processing financial data across provinces and cities.
According to Nguyen Huu Nghia, 2026 is the first year in which many new institutional models and laws, including the 2025 Law on the State Budget, have come into effect, placing greater pressure on the agency's operations and requiring existing shortcomings to be addressed promptly.
Looking ahead to the second half of 2026, the Auditor General emphasized the need to further improve the substantive quality of audit activities. He said the State Audit Office will prioritize finalizing its plan to streamline its organizational structure and complete a list of job positions for submission to the National Assembly Standing Committee for approval.
The agency will also continue studying amendments to the Law on the State Audit Office and conduct a review of its development strategy through 2030, with a vision toward 2045.
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