Transforming administrative management into service: View from Hanoi City government

Bringing public services closer to the people

Over the years, with its large population, rapid urbanization, dense population and multi-layered public service system, Hanoi has always been considered the "institutional laboratory" of the whole country. As the population increases rapidly, the demand for public services becomes more diverse, and the cumbersome apparatus will find it difficult to respond effectively. In the new context, the urban government model in Hanoi sets out the task of shifting its focus: Reducing intermediate levels, increasing the direct responsibility of the grassroots government, and most importantly, creating a new way of operating, aiming to serve the people.

In reality, in implementing the organization of a two-level local government, Hanoi is facing a fundamental transformation requirement: Shifting from administrative management thinking to administrative service. This is not just a change in procedures or reorganization of the apparatus, but a shift in administrative thinking: Considering people as "public customers", service quality is a measure of efficiency, and the government plays a role in creating, coordinating and responding to the legitimate needs of the community.

Hanoi must take on the role of “conductor”, leading the unification from planning, public investment, to building digital platforms and decentralization and authorization mechanisms. Modern management thinking requires the city not only to issue policies but also to create a supporting ecosystem for districts and wards to implement smoothly. This is demonstrated through Hanoi promoting projects on population databases, digitizing records, and piloting smart urban operation center models in many districts.

Recently, on November 27, in order to ensure the organization of the one-level City Public Administration Service Center in accordance with regulations, the Hanoi City People's Committee issued Plan No. 322/KH-UBND to transfer the Public Administration Service Points of communes and wards to the Hanoi City Public Administration Service Center.

This is a step highly appreciated by public opinion, contributing to standardizing the process of receiving, handling and returning administrative procedure results; promoting the "one-stop shop, one-stop shop" mechanism, associated with providing online public services; building a modern, public, transparent public administration model, meeting the requirements of administrative procedure reform and digital transformation of the city.

One of the steps that is also highly appreciated by the public is bringing public services closer to the people. Implementing the direction of the Hanoi People's Committee on innovating methods to support people in performing administrative procedures, the Hanoi Public Administration Service Center has also issued Plan No. 95/KH-TTPVHCC on organizing mobile support tasks and guiding the implementation of administrative procedures at home for the disadvantaged.

Accordingly, the Hanoi Public Administration Service Center has identified the key task in December 2025 as bringing public services closer to people in difficult circumstances, with obstacles in accessing digital infrastructure, moving or completing online documents. This is an important step in the process of operating the two-level local government model in Hanoi, where people's satisfaction is chosen as a measure of service quality.

People can directly dialogue with the government

The shift from administrative management thinking to administrative service thinking of Hanoi City government is also recognized in the way the government organizes direct dialogues, removing bottlenecks so that policies can come into life.

On December 3, the Hanoi City Public Administration Service Center organized a dialogue conference "From interconnected procedures to settlement: Removing difficulties for people buying social housing in Hanoi City". This is an issue that has received special attention from the public in recent times. A policy that is considered to be popular in the context of high housing prices. However, in the process of implementation, there have been some problems that need to be resolved.

*Direct dialogue helps remove bottlenecks so that policies can be put into practice.*

At the event, Mr. Cu Ngoc Trang, Director of the Hanoi City Public Administration Service Center, emphasized that the conference aimed to create a forum for direct dialogue between people and competent authorities and social housing project investors, helping people to have their problems resolved and understand the procedures and policies. At the same time, it would enhance transparency, prevent negativity and promote coordination among agencies in handling procedures for purchasing social housing.

Not only raising issues, the conference was organized in the form of open dialogue, where people directly shared their real-life experiences, from applying for a certificate of housing conditions, the application process, to the story of drawing lots for apartments. The presence of representatives from departments, branches and investors helped each question to be answered on the spot, ensuring transparency and objectivity.

One of the issues that people are particularly concerned about is the deadline, how to submit and the process of processing the housing condition confirmation paper. This is a mandatory document, but not everyone knows that the paper is only valid for 6 months, leading to many people applying too early and having to reapply from the beginning, affecting the progress of the application. The lack of information, the inconsistent process and the need for people to learn on their own make the journey to access social housing more difficult than necessary.

This conference not only resolves the problems surrounding the procedures and processes of purchasing social housing, but also increases the accountability of management agencies and investors. By clearly understanding, preparing correctly and submitting accurate documents, people will shorten the processing time and minimize errors. This is an important step in Hanoi's journey towards a service-oriented government, substantive administrative reform and ensuring sustainable social security for the people of the capital.

The two-tier government in Hanoi is laying the foundation for a more modern, dynamic, and transparent urban governance model. The success of this model is measured by the actual experience of each citizen and affirms: Moving from “management” to “service” is not a slogan.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/chuyen-hanh-chinh-quan-ly-sang-phuc-vu-nhin-tu-chinh-quyen-tp-ha-noi-433507.html