At a ceremony to launch the National Document Axis (Photo: VOV)

Building an e-government is an important component in administrative reform. So far the government has built a National Document Axis in March and e-cabinet system in June. A National Public Service Portal is scheduled to open in October.

The National Document Axis is a precondition for building a database for an e-government. All 95 government agencies from the central to grassroots level have connected to the Axis. Ministries, sectors, and localities transfer documents and communicate on the Axis.

The e-cabinet system manages governmental affairs, collects opinions of cabinet members, and sends SMS and emails among members. The system also keeps and updates meetings’ materials. The e-cabinet system is expected to reduce 30% of government meetings this year compared to previous years and organize paperless meetings, except for confidential materials.

Minister and Head of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung said the next important task is to build a digital infrastructure: “In the 4^th quarter, we’ll open a Public Service Portal, which will offer the first service of issuing driving licenses and vehicle number plates. We won’t have many services at a time but some key services.”

The government has set a goal to raise the ranking of the Vietnamese e-government according to the UN assessment from 10 to 15 levels by 2020, bringing Vietnam into the group of four leading ASEAN countries in the UN e-government rankings by 2025.