Hanoi (VNA) – Thediplomatic sector will continue improving public consular services, both at home and abroad, to contribute to the common efforts in post-pandemicrecovery and development, an official has said.

Talking to the Vietnam News Agency,Doan Hoang Minh, Acting Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA)’s ConsularDepartment, said most countries removed travel restrictions in 2022, andVietnam was one of the first to reopen its borders, in mid-March. Since then,the number of people going abroad for working, studying, tourism, and businesspurposes as well as those entering the country has bounced back strongly.

Highlighting the ministry’s determinationto build a comprehensive, modern, professional, clean, and strong diplomaticsector, he said that in the current context, as the Government is stepping upadministrative procedure reforms and demanding ministries and sectors boost measuresfor post-pandemic economic recovery, the ministry is deeply aware of itsresponsibility for continuing to improve the quality of consular services.

Diplomatic staff members in Vietnamand abroad will work with the highest sense of responsibility and considerpeople’s satisfaction as the meter of their performance, he said.

As consular duties are increasinglydiverse and complex, a task identified by the MoFA is to press on withreforming the performance of consular services, Minh noted, elaborating thatthe ministry views institutional building as the basis and the perfection ofrules and processes and administrive reform the breakthrough step.

It also attaches importance topersonnel training and IT application to the consular work, the official added.

In the recent past, to help promote economic diplomacy for national developmentin the post-COVID-19 period, the MoFA has ordered domestic relevant agencies, includingthe Consular Department and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of ExternalRelations, and overseas representative offices to take concerted and all-roundmeasures to strongly reform consular services.

In particular, they have providedconstant updates about other countries’ travel, residence, exit, and entrypolicies to propose ways for creating the best possible conditions for traveland business activities between Vietnam and other countries; kept raising staffmembers’ awareness; arranged capable personnel and boosted IT application for publicservices; listened to people’s opinions to make appropriate adjustments toconsular procedures; and coordinated with domestic and overseas agencies totackle obstables to citizens’ residence and mobility, Minh went on.

He expressed his belief that with strong determination and concrete measures,the consular work in 2023 will continue bringing into play its role as animportant part of the diplomatic sector, thus meeting people and enterprises’growing demand in the new context./.