Administrative reform - The pillar to maintain PCI

From July 1, 2025, Thai Nguyen will officially merge with Bac Kan. In this context, maintaining and improving PCI - an index assessing provincial economic management capacity - is a top concern of both the government and the business community. The key factor to maintain that trust lies in administrative reform, but it does not stop at documents or numbers on paper, but needs to be demonstrated by real, transparent and effective actions.

For the business community, the PCI Index directly reflects the level of peace of mind and trust when they decide to stay with the province for a long time. Photo: Document

Over the years, PCI has been considered a “thermometer” measuring the quality of economic management and the level of government friendliness towards businesses. For Thai Nguyen, PCI is not simply a ranking on the national rankings, but also an index of confidence. In particular, for the FDI business community - which is creating a great driving force for growth, PCI directly reflects the level of peace of mind when they choose to stay long-term with the province.

In the past 5 years, Thai Nguyen has maintained a fairly good position in the national PCI rankings. In 2024, many of the province's component indicators exceeded the average of the Northern midlands and mountainous region, notably the "Informal costs" and "Time to process administrative procedures" indices, both of which have improved significantly.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Viet, Deputy Head of the Thai Nguyen Industrial Park Management Board, emphasized: What used to be considered "privileges" in high-tech parks has now become the norm in Thai Nguyen. In the past 3 years, administrative reform has not only been a goal but also a strategy to maintain the FDI investment environment.

Sharing the same view, Mr. Doan Nhu Hai, General Director of Thai Nguyen Heat Technology Company, commented: The support and reform efforts of the provincial government bring a very clear feeling to businesses. In the context of increasingly fierce competition to attract FDI capital, the practical experience of businesses is a more reliable "certificate" than any ranking.

However, it is undeniable that the merger of provinces poses many challenges. Coordination between departments, sectors and localities is at risk of lacking smoothness in the initial stage. According to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Viet, the biggest bottleneck at present is the “gap” in inter-sectoral coordination. If not promptly resolved, this could be an obstacle to the reform process.

In fact, the “gap” here is the lack of consistency between departments and branches in handling the same procedure. Some places require additional documents, while others apply different procedures; data is not connected, so businesses have to declare again and again; many steps that could be done in parallel are processed sequentially. The result is extended time, additional costs, and businesses losing investment opportunities.

Therefore, one of the most important tasks of Thai Nguyen in the “post-merger” period is to ensure the continuity of effective reform models. The “business support group” mechanism, a shared digital data platform in processing investment procedures, or retraining skills for administrative staff… are key solutions to maintain the pace of reform. Because reform is not only in documents, but also reflected in the service attitude, professionalism and flexibility of each public official.

Reality from many localities shows that: Where administrative reform is good, businesses are retained. Because, for investors, “time is money”, and a government that listens and accompanies is always more valuable than any tax incentives.

Maintaining PCI during the merger period is not an easy task, but Thai Nguyen has a full foundation to do it. If it continues to promote reforms, remove bottlenecks from practice and promptly respond to business opinions, the province can completely turn challenges into motivation, creating a more transparent, effective and attractive investment environment.

From the perspective of the business community, reform is not only an administrative task but also a commitment to accompany development. Each public official is considered an “investment ambassador”, and a transparent, effective, and cooperative administration will be a solid pillar for Thai Nguyen to maintain PCI, while strengthening confidence in sustainable development in the new period.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202508/cai-cach-hanh-chinh-tru-cot-giu-vung-pci-df82047/