Member of the Politburo, Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Public Security CPV Organization and Minister of Public Security General Luong Tam Quang chaired the announcement ceremony.
Present at the event were Deputy Head of the Government Cipher Committee Major General Ho Van Huong, alongside representatives from the Government Office and leadership from relevant agencies and local police departments.
At the ceremony, Director of the Department of Organization and Personnel Lieutenant General Hoang Duc Lung under the Ministry of Public Security announced the Government's Decree and decisions of the Executive Committee of the Public Security CPV Organization regarding Party organization and membership, as well as the Minister of Public Security's decisions on personnel appointments for the newly established Department of Information Technology and Cipher Services.
Specifically, on September 10, 2026, the Government issued Decree No. 10 amending and supplementing several articles of Decree No. 02 (dated February 18, 2025) on the functions, duties, powers and organizational structure of the MPS. Under the new decree, the Department of Information Technology and the Department of Telecommunications-Cipher were officially merged into the Department of Information Technology and Cipher Services.
Implementing the Government's decree and a resolution of the Standing Committee of the Executive Committee of the Public Security CPV Organization, Minister Luong Tam Quang issued Circular No. 157 on September 14, 2026, defining the functions, duties, powers and organizational structure of the new department. He also signed decisions establishing its apparatus, personnel arrangements and Party organization.
The newly merged department comprises 12 division-level units. Major General Le Khac Thuyet, former Director of the Department of Telecommunications -Cipher, was appointed Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Department of Information Technology and Cipher Services.
Delivering directive remarks at the ceremony, Minister Luong Tam Quang emphasized that safeguarding national security in the digital era presents immense opportunities to enhance operational effectiveness, maintain stability, and drive national development. However, it also introduces unprecedented challenges that urgently demand the modernization of national security tools.
To fulfill its mission in the new era, Minister Luong Tam Quang requested the entire leadership, officers and the ranks of the Department of Information Technology and Cipher Services to be aware of its vital role and tasks within the People's Public Security Forces, translating high determination into prompt, measurable outcomes.
"Merging the two departments is not merely an organizational re-arrangement," Minister Luong Tam Quang noted. "Its fundamental objective is to build a lean, strong organization operating with high efficiency, efficacy, and productivity – fully resourced to rapidly accomplish the sector's goals in telecommunications, cipher services, IT application, and digital transformation."
He further underscored that the department's mission should expand beyond serving the MPS's internal digital transformation; it should also build a foundation to fulfill the Party's strategic objectives, particularly in renewing the national growth model based on science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation.
To meet these ends, Minister Luong Tam Quang outlined several key priority tasks requiring immediate implementation:
· Fundamental mindset shift: Shift decisively from isolated, fragmented IT applications to comprehensive digital transformation that generates substantive products and value chains.
· Overhaul of cipher services: Rapidly formulate a specific strategy detailing human resources, funding, implementation roadmaps, international cooperation, and technological self-reliance, while working closely with the Department of Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention and Control.
· Mastery of AI: Set an early goal to master artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to elevate public security capabilities, backed by a concrete roadmap.
· Resilient digital infrastructure: Build a robust digital infrastructure extending from the Ministry level down to commune-level police units. This system must meet the highest digital transformation standards while serving as a backup platform for the political system during emergency and crisis situations.
· Party building and governance: Review functions and working regulations immediately, assigning clear responsibilities within the Department's Party Standing Committee and leadership under the "6 Clear Guidelines" (clear person in charge, clear task, clear responsibility, clear timeline, clear process, clear result).
· Technical framework and legal standardization: Develop a unified technical architecture, data standards, and cloud platforms across the entire sector to guarantee seamless interoperability, absolute confidentiality, and cybersecurity. Promptly review and propose solutions to eliminate legal bottlenecks and technical standard constraints.
