National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong has asked the State Audit of Vietnam (SAV) to continue raising its efficiency in order to become a key tool for the State in managing and supervising financial activities and public properties.

Chairman Trong said this while addressing a ceremony held on July 10 to mark the 15 th anniversary of the sector’s establishment (July 11) and to receive the Order of Independence, third class.

He said the SAV should employ advanced methods in order to provide accurate, timely and trustworthy data to meet the Government and the NA’s demands in law making, supervision, and the decision-making process.

The Chairman stressed the need to pay attention to improving the capacity of auditors, enhancing their professional skills, and reinforcing the ethics and principles of their job, in order to ensure the quality and efficiency of audits.

He also asked the SAV to expand its relations with relevant domestic agencies and international institutions, exchange experiences with foreign auditing agencies and elevate its position in the international arena.

He said the NA Standing Committee will soon consider and give opinions on the SAV’s strategy for development till 2015 and a vision toward 2020.

The NA will continue perfecting the legal system to facilitate auditing activities, Trong said.

Reviewing the SAV’s 15-year development process, State Auditor General Vuong Dinh Hue said the SAV now has 25 affiliates and a staff of more than 1,300, with 100 percent of auditors being university degree holders.

Over the past 15 year, the SAV helped deal with the misuse of over 56 trillion VND. It also proposed the amendment or repeal of hundreds of legal documents, to better reflect the current needs of the nation.

So far, SAV has signed cooperation agreements with more than 20 Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) from Asian, European and American countries and international organisations./.