Since the introduction in 1986 of Doi Moi program, a Vietnamese form of Perestroika, which was designed partly to reduce the role of state bureaucracy in the system, major economic reforms have been carried out in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV). However, while Vietnam's economic reforms have generated considerable interest, its limited political reforms, especially in the area of public administration, have not been a central concern among political scientists, historians and researchers. In their efforts to revitalise the state bureaucracy, reformers in Vietnam now recognise the importance of well qualified bureaucrats, and they inevitably have to face the old issue of how best to attract, motivate, train and retain public servants for a better government. This paper, based on the search through the maze of official documents in Vietnamese language, describes the SRV's political institutions, provides an overview of Vietnam's administrative system against the backdrop of the country's economic and political reforms, highlighting institutional interactions induced by reform imperatives, discusses recent administrative reforms emanating from the amended 1992 Constitution, and evaluates the effectiveness of current administrative reform strategies. Comments will also be made on . The roles and functions of central agencies in Vietnam . Policy making processes and paradigms . The 'emerging' dichotomy between policy and administration . The 'ministerial department' a la Vietnamienne . Machinery of government changes . Human resource management initiatives . The 'career service' nature of the Vietnamese public service, and, . Central versus provincial governments. Vietnamese Public Service is an important question and worthy of investigation because of the increasingly close bilateral relationship between Australia and Vietnam. Many Australian investors who have often been annoyed by unnecessary delays caused by bureaucratic red tape and corruption, are now keen to learn more about the policy making style of Vietnamese bureaucrats. Vietnam still displays many deliberate trappings of a country run in a highly centralist fashion. Its reorganisation strategy of the state's administrative system will continue to bear the socialist imprints. Dr David Marr of the Australian National University contends that layer upon layer of bureaucratic influence, from Chinese Neo-Confucian to French Third Republic to Soviet Stalinist, can be seen in Vietnam today. This paper argues that Vietnam's political and cultural legacies will continue to exercise significant influence, as they have in the past, on its public service's structures, strategies and ethics.