People transact at the Phu Vang Commune Public Administration Service Center. Photo: QUYNH ANH

As reported by Hue Today Newspaper: From July 1 to 14, 2025, Hue City received and processed 17,710 administrative procedure records in 40 communes and wards, of which the rate of online submission reached 75.78%.

During the entire period, Phu Xuan Ward received the most applications with 1,758 applications. Huong An Ward led in the rate of timely application settlement, reaching 91% (309/338 applications), while Phu Vang Commune had the highest rate of online applications with 99.59% (491/493 applications). With these impressive results, Hue City led the country, reaching 85% of the completion index assessed according to Plan No. 02-KH/TW, recording local communes and wards.

Hue's leading position nationwide not only reflects the amount of work that has been processed, but also shows a fundamental change in the way the government apparatus works, when it has shifted from passive to proactive, from manual to digital. In particular, the leading position is even more meaningful when placed in the context of the country's lack of synchronization between localities, between the provincial level and the commune and ward levels, causing many places to encounter difficulties in deploying electronic systems, leading to network congestion, slow processing, and even having to return to manual operations - as Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra said at the conference on the implementation of the 2-level local government model on July 13.

The Minister of Home Affairs also acknowledged that there are shortcomings in the operation of public administrative service centers, stemming from limitations in technical infrastructure. At the same time, he acknowledged that this is the biggest bottleneck at present. The fact that Hue not only avoided this bottleneck, but also smoothly operated the two-level local government, achieving a high rate of digitalization of records, proves that the locality has made thorough preparations in advance.

From Hue's success, we can draw three important factors - lessons that make up the success of a modern commune and ward government.

First, the governance vision and political determination from the leadership. The deployment of 166 public service agencies in communes and wards cannot be a movement decision, but a strategy to help bring the government closer to the people.

In particular, keeping the old headquarters to receive and return results, instead of forcing people to move further, is a testament to the "people-centered" mindset.

Second, the organization is flexible, taking advantage of local resources by mobilizing nearly 900 union members, youth and students into community digital technology groups. The participation of young people not only contributes to digitalization but also helps people - especially the elderly - access online public services faster. If this system is maintained stably, it can become a reliable "technical assistant" for people at the grassroots level.

Finally, there is serious investment in technology platforms. Hue is one of the localities that completed the connection to the National Public Service Portal on June 30 - a time very close to the time when the two-level government model officially came into operation.

The city is currently providing 2,006 online public services, including 572 full-service services. This means that people can complete procedures from start to finish without having to go to administrative headquarters. This digital infrastructure not only helps to quickly resolve procedures, but also makes management, storage, and communication between levels much more effective. Of course, it cannot be denied that Hue is also facing many challenges regarding the sustainability of its initial success. For example, continuing to maintain a technology support team, arranging enough headquarters, facilities, and handling policies for part-time staff are problems that require long-term solutions. But the important thing is that Hue is on the right track. From political determination to organizational capacity, Hue is proving that the commune and ward levels, if properly empowered and supported, can absolutely be the "front line" of administrative reform.

In the context that the whole country is strongly implementing the two-level local government model, what Hue has achieved is not only an encouraging initial achievement, but also a positive signal, bringing much hope for the future.

GRACE

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/chinh-tri-xa-hoi/theo-dong-thoi-su/bai-hoc-tu-viec-dan-dau-cua-hue-155871.html