Statistics - a pillar ensuring the quality of the data ecosystem
In the national data ecosystem, data is generated from many different data sources and from many different subjects such as state management agencies, businesses, social organizations and people, but not all data has direct use value in state management.
In this ecosystem, statistical data is considered authentic "practical evidence"; is the most reliable data source. This is data that has been standardized, verified and integrated from many different sources to ensure accuracy, completeness, consistency, timeliness and connectivity, ensuring data is shared "correctly, fully, cleanly, vividly and interconnectedly" and officially used in state agencies serving management and administration.
Among the data-producing entities, the National Statistical Office has a special position and role. The National Statistical Office ensures the quality, objectivity, truthfulness, completeness, and timeliness of data by performing the role of statistical coordination, issuing and uniformly applying statistical standards and norms, or in other words, the National Statistical Office establishes and forms the "common language of the national data system"; ensuring that data is collected, compiled uniformly, comparable, and shared within the country as well as internationally compared.
In a data environment with many different data sources, the risk of mismatch, duplication, omission or inconsistency between data sources is very high. With a rigorous methodology system and scientific statistical information production process, the National Statistical Office has the ability to synthesize, verify and process data from many different sources, ensuring that the information published is transparent, accurate and reliable.
Reality shows that statistical data is compiled according to scientific methods; of high quality; ensuring objectivity, completeness, accuracy, and timeliness; diverse in types, detailed classification according to management objects, collection periods and geographical space.
The statistics agency has provided more and more data to serve the leadership, direction, and administration of the Party, National Assembly, Government and localities. These data are the basis for assessing the impact of major economic policies and projects, shocks affecting the macroeconomy, and proposing growth scenarios...
Especially information reflecting new economic models: digital economy, digital society, circular economy, marine economy, green growth, logistics, sustainable development, agriculture, rural areas, farmers, cultural development, gender equality, vulnerable groups (children, women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities... ). Data provided by the statistical agency not only effectively serves domestic management and administration but also contributes to enhancing the country's prestige, position and capacity in the international arena, thereby building trust with investors and development partners.
Therefore, in the context of digital transformation and data economy booming globally, affirming the position and role of statistical agencies in the state apparatus is not only a requirement of expertise, but also an important condition to build a quality, transparent, efficient and sustainable national data ecosystem.
National Statistics Office - "Data Protection Officer
Only four months after the United Nations was established, the United Nations Statistical Commission was established in 1946 and became the highest body promulgating international statistical standards and norms. Statistical activities of each country must comply with the basic principles of official statistics of the United Nations (updated version in 2014) and the Handbook on management and organization of national statistical systems of the United Nations (last version in 2025).
These documents affirm that all countries in the world have a state statistical system, in which the National Statistical Office is responsible for state statistical activities, has the function of producing, publishing and providing official statistical information on the socio-economy of the country, ensuring international comparison; presiding over and coordinating the national statistical system; being a center of statistical knowledge; being a national representative in international cooperation on statistics.
To have quality and reliable statistical information to serve leadership, management, administration and from world statistical practice shows that, to perform well the role of "data supervisor", it is necessary to ensure a number of basic conditions:
The country must have a state statistical system, in which the national statistical agency is the only organization responsible for producing and publishing official statistical information, and at the same time coordinating the statistical system and representing the country in international cooperation. The national statistical agency plays a central role in the national data ecosystem; is the "data custodian" of the public data system, responsible for coordinating, standardizing and ensuring information quality to serve state management.
The vertical industry-based statistical organization model is applied by many countries because it is suitable for collecting information from the grassroots level and serving simultaneously the management needs of the central and local levels.
Statistical activities must strictly adhere to the principles and standards of the United Nations. One of the most important principles of official statistics is to ensure the professional independence of statistical agencies.
The statistical system needs to be organized in a direction that ensures professional and professional independence. Statistical activities must be carried out on a scientific and objective basis and not subject to administrative or political interference in the process of compiling and publishing data. Professional independence helps ensure that statistical information truthfully reflects the socio-economic situation, thereby building social trust in official data.
Statistical agencies need to be empowered to access data sources at all levels and invest resources and modern technology in producing, summarizing and disseminating statistical information. Ensuring that statistical agencies have full access to data sources, have the authority to coordinate the statistical system and have independence in professional activities is a necessary condition for the statistical system to perform its role well.
In the context of strong digital transformation and data economy development, building a national data ecosystem is becoming an inevitable requirement for each country. In Vietnam, the national data ecosystem is gradually being formed with important pillars such as data infrastructure, national databases, data sharing mechanisms and unified data management models.
In that process, consolidating the position of the statistical agency with a central role in standardizing, coordinating and ensuring data quality is of particular importance. As data increasingly becomes the foundation of modern governance, statistics is not only a measurement tool but also plays a role in ensuring the reliability and transparency of the national data system.
