Addressing a conference in Hanoi on November 21, GSO official Nguyen Bich Lam, highlighted the importance of socio-economic statistics as a strong tool for the Party and State to assess the situation in the country.

Lam also pointed out the absence of a smooth, effective centralized statistical system and the lack of a mechanism for decentralizing statistical information for practical applications.

The GSO is actively applying information technology, boosting statistical forecasting and conducting research to build an appropriate statistical system.

The database for the 2009 population and housing general census was created in both Vietnamese and English.

At the conference, Bruce Campbell, Head of the UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) Vietnam, recommended that the Vietnamese Government, ministries and UN agencies, as well as research establishments and businesses, invest in analysing and using these abundant statistics for making and implementing their policies at all levels.