Digital transformation in administrative procedure reform

Lesson 1: Aiming for citizen satisfaction

The role of digital transformation in administrative procedure reform is crucial, not only improving the efficiency of government agencies but also bringing many practical benefits to citizens and businesses.

To realize the convenience of resolving administrative procedures and providing online public services, Hanoi city has strengthened the application of information technology in handling administrative procedures; information technology infrastructure and equipment continue to be maintained, upgraded, supplemented, and perfected. Hanoi also delegates the handling of administrative procedures according to sectors and fields, ensuring the achievement of the goal of administrative procedure reform.

At the reception and results delivery departments of units throughout the city, full phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses for receiving feedback and suggestions regarding administrative regulations are posted, allowing citizens to contact them directly when encountering difficulties. In addition, Hanoi integrates and provides public services on the National Public Service Portal, ensuring standardization, restructuring processes, and streamlining and simplifying administrative procedures using authentication, identification, and data sharing from the National Population Database.

Hanoi city has also implemented many online public service stores and agencies. Instead of having to go to public administrative agencies, people can go to the nearest public service stores and agencies to carry out procedures online such as business registration, license issuance, birth registration, social insurance, taxes, civil registration, etc. Here, the staff at these online public service stores and agencies are well-trained and ready to guide and support people, along with a system of computers, high-speed internet connections, and supporting equipment to ensure the smooth implementation of online public services.

Not only in Hanoi, but also in Quang Ninh province, the locality chosen by the Government to pilot the model of a one-level Public Administrative Service Center; the rate of applications processed correctly and ahead of schedule in the province reached 99.8% (of which the average rate of applications processed ahead of schedule across the province was over 70% in the first three months of 2025). More than 91.7% of applications for public services were processed online; 100% of fees and charges were paid cashless; and the satisfaction rate through the survey system consistently exceeded 99.9%.

According to Nguyen Hai Van, Director of the Quang Ninh Provincial Public Administrative Service Center: "The average labor productivity in handling administrative procedures has increased since the center and its branches have assigned permanent staff from various departments and agencies to handle administrative procedures that frequently arise, including complex documents and files."

Despite achieving many positive results, the reality shows that digital transformation in administrative procedure reform still faces many challenges. These include shortcomings in the development and improvement of institutions and policies; insufficient attention to cybersecurity and information security in many areas; low quality of online public services; and an inadequate and unevenly distributed workforce for digital transformation.

In Quang Ninh province, despite achieving many positive results in implementing the one-level Public Administrative Service Center system, some difficulties and obstacles remain in its operation. The process of receiving and resolving administrative procedures is not yet comprehensive due to the system being in the upgrading phase. The provision of support services to address administrative procedures based on people's needs, such as: design drawings, planning, service declarations, contract drafting, complete business establishment documentation, seal making, tax payment, etc., has not yet been implemented.

Furthermore, the heads of some agencies and units have not shown sufficient interest or proactiveness in administrative reform. The reduction and simplification of administrative procedures have not yielded the expected results; the capacity of some officials and civil servants does not meet the requirements and tasks; the synchronization, connection, and sharing of data between national and specialized databases is still slow; and the quality of online public services remains low.

According to Pham Le Hung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Cam Pha City (Quang Ninh Province), in reality, there are still cases of delayed processing. The resolution of obstacles for businesses is sometimes not timely, requiring a more comprehensive digital transformation to improve quality, efficiency, and shorten the processing time for procedures for citizens and businesses.

In Gia Lai province, the implementation of online public services still faces challenges, as the provincial digital transformation index remains low; the level and skills of the people in applying information technology are still limited, especially in ethnic minority areas. The percentage of people with computers, smartphones, and households connected to the internet and using digital platforms is still low and slow to improve.

On the other hand, the quality and efficiency of providing and using online public services are still limited, and the results achieved have not met the set requirements. Connecting and sharing data between agencies and units faces many obstacles and difficulties, resulting in low effectiveness; large databases have not been built, and open data has not been provided to citizens and businesses, causing difficulties in exploitation and use.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thanh, residing on Ton That Thuyet Street, Thong Nhat Ward, Pleiku City (Gia Lai Province), stated that although many administrative procedures have been digitized, they still involve lengthy processes and require numerous documents and certificates, especially those related to land, causing considerable difficulties for citizens in preparing their applications.

Meanwhile, some opinions suggest that local authorities need to be open and transparent in providing information to the people, especially regarding land planning. At the same time, opportunities for citizens to participate in monitoring government activities should be expanded... Identifying and addressing the challenges of digital transformation in administrative procedure reform is crucial to achieving effective administrative reform goals.

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