Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc addresses a meeting of the Government’s Steering Committee for Administrative Reform in Hanoi on February 21, 2019. (Photo: chinhphu.vn)

The government has focused on stronger administrative reform at all levels to achieve socio-economic targets and meet Vietnam’s development and integration needs.

Vietnamese access to e-public improves

The government’s drastic measures for simplifying administrative procedures include issuing resolutions and directives and refining the Steering Committee for Administrative Reform. Results have been seen in the management of construction, land, businesses, tax, and customs.  The building of e-government is combined with administrative reform. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said: “E-government requires greater responsibilities on the part of the leaders. IT technology should be applied to administrative reform. Vietnam is about to establish a National Committee on E-government led by the Prime Minister. Other members of the Committee are deputy prime ministers, ministers, and representatives from the private sector. This will ensure public-private partnership in administrative reform.”

Currently, 39 localities have built provincial public administration centers to handle procedures for their citizens. In the third quarter of last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs and relevant agencies conducted a survey of more than 30,000 individuals to compile a Public Administration Reform Index (PAR Index) and a Satisfaction Index of Public Administration Services (SIPAS). The results showed that Vietnamese people’s access to e-public services in 2018 improve significantly compared to 2017.

80% of Hanoi’s administrative procedures to go online

This year, the government paid special attention to administrative reform. At Thursday’s meeting, the Prime Minister ordered a reduction of unnecessary business conditions and specialized inspections, a refining of legal institutions, a revising of outdated documents, and improvement in quality and efficiency of law enforcement towards a socialist-oriented market economy.

Hanoi has set a goal of putting 80% of its administrative procedures online. Da Nang city has implemented a “three in one” process to deal with birth certificates, permanent residence registrations, and health insurance cards for children under 6 years of age.  

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is a role model in administrative reform as Ngo Giang, Deputy Director of the Ministry’s Department of Personnel and Organization, put it: “Our ministry builds e-government with a goal of putting people and businesses at the center. We combine administrative reform with reform of work culture and application of IT. The satisfaction of individuals and organizations will measure how far we have progressed in e-government.”