Movement to reform construction procedures.

After a year of implementing the two-tiered local government model, many procedures in the fields of construction, planning, and land have been significantly shortened, and authority has been strongly shifted to the grassroots level, helping people and businesses reduce the time and cost of processing documents.

Officials at Branch No. 6 of the Hanoi Public Administrative Service Center in Gia Lam commune are carrying out non-geographical procedures, helping people save time and costs and benefit maximally from modern processes. Photo: Phan Phuong/TTXVN

In early June, Ms. Minh Anh went to the Hanoi Public Administrative Service Center, Branch No. 6, to complete the procedures for confirming her housing eligibility in order to apply for social housing. After just a few minutes of being guided through the online application process, Ms. Minh Anh completed her application and received a receipt with a date for receiving the results.

"There was no need for much travel, all the steps were clearly guided on the system, and the procedure was completed in a single morning," Ms. Minh Anh commented with satisfaction.

This observation is quite different from the previous feedback from citizens who had to go through administrative procedures involving multiple levels of government and manually filling out various documents. Currently, most information is digitized and interconnected.

Experts believe these changes clearly reflect the impact of the two-tiered local government model after one year of operation. Typical examples include the transfer of authority to the grassroots level and a significant reduction in processing time for documents.

According to the Ministry of Construction , from 2025 to the end of May 2026, the sector has accelerated decentralization, delegation of authority, and large-scale reduction of administrative procedures.

By 2025, the Ministry of Construction will complete the decentralization of 45 administrative procedures from the central to local levels, abolish 16 procedures, and transfer the authority to handle 41 procedures from the district level to the commune level.

By May 2026, the number of procedures further decentralized will reach 75, reducing the number of procedures under the Ministry's jurisdiction to 168, equivalent to a reduction of nearly 30%. Notably, the total time for processing administrative procedures has decreased by 2,549 days, equivalent to nearly 54% compared to before.

According to Mr. Vu Thanh Trung, Director of the Personnel and Organization Department (Ministry of Construction), the Ministry of Construction has so far decentralized and delegated 81 tasks to local authorities. Granting more authority to local levels helps shorten work processes, reduce intermediate layers, and enhance the proactive role of local governments.

Regarding the implementation of specific tasks, Mr. Le Quyet Tien, Director of the Department of Economic and Investment Management in Construction, stated that they have reduced administrative compliance costs by more than 22%, shortened the processing time by 177 out of a total of 349 days, and cut down nearly 59% of business conditions.

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Some notable changes include: Expanding the scope of projects that only require the preparation of economic-technical reports, reducing the number of projects requiring appraisal by state management agencies, and implementing the principle that each project undergoes only one administrative procedure from the investment preparation phase to the commencement of construction.

At the same time, many types of paperwork have been eliminated thanks to data connectivity between national databases on construction and land. It can be said that digital transformation lays the foundation for a new model.

Digital transformation is a key factor in ensuring the smooth operation of the two-tiered government model. Recognizing this, the Ministry of Construction has provided 263 online public services out of a total of 266 administrative procedures under its jurisdiction, achieving a rate of nearly 99%.

The centralized administrative procedure information system has created nearly 67,800 accounts for local officials, received and processed more than 351,000 applications; of which the rate of online applications reached over 81%.

Notably, all 10 specialized databases have been built and put into operation. Of these, 8 databases have been synchronized with the National Data Center.

Specifically, the national database on construction and operation activities, as of the beginning of 2026, currently manages over 124,000 planning, project, and construction records nationwide.

The most notable highlight was noted in the field of planning. According to Ms. Tran Thu Hang, Director of the Planning and Architecture Department, the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Urban and Rural Planning has created an important legal framework for decentralization and delegation of authority in planning work.

A new feature of the law is the delegation of authority to the commune level based on the actual capacity of the staff. In cases where the locality does not meet the professional requirements, the provincial People's Committee and the Department of Construction will provide support in appraisal, ensuring the quality and consistency of the planning.

The Ministry of Construction is also studying the issuance of a handbook on planning data and developing in-depth training programs for commune-level officials.

However, some localities currently maintain both the provincial administrative procedure processing system and the centralized system of the Ministry in parallel, leading to inconsistent data and affecting the monitoring and sharing of information. In addition, many legal regulations need to be reviewed and amended to better suit the practical operation of the two-tiered government model.

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Therefore, in the coming period, the Ministry of Construction will continue to improve the institutional framework by reducing administrative procedures, simplifying investment and business conditions, and strengthening decentralization and delegation of power.

Simultaneously, efforts are being made to upgrade digital infrastructure, improve specialized databases, train commune-level officials, and replicate effective management models.

After a year of operation, the two-tiered local government model has shown initial effectiveness in bringing authority closer to the people. However, for institutional changes to truly translate into improved service quality, the biggest challenge remains enhancing implementation capacity at the grassroots level and perfecting the shared data platform.

When the gap between policy and practice is narrowed through technology, human resources, and appropriate mechanisms, the goal of building a streamlined, effective, and people-centered administration can become a reality.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/chinh-phu-voi-nguoi-dan/chuyen-dong-cai-cach-thu-tuc-xay-dung-20260701134740860.htm