Removing bottlenecks in digital transformation.

In recent times, Hanoi has continued to demonstrate strong progress in digital transformation within its political system. However, reality demands that the city decisively implement solutions to overcome the "bottlenecks" that are preventing digital transformation from making a breakthrough.

1. In April and May 2026, Hanoi continued to demonstrate strong momentum in digital transformation. The public administration landscape reflected tangible results and real changes. The processing of electronic documents, combined with close integration and the use of specialized digital signatures with clear classification and identification, has become a mandatory standard. The HanoiWork centralized management platform is gradually proving its core role in comprehensively digitizing internal processes, allowing for real-time monitoring of the work progress of each official and civil servant. This system, combined with the iHanoi digital citizen application, has created a synchronized connection axis, bringing data from the city level directly down to the commune and ward levels, demonstrating the emerging digital government.

However, in reality, there are still many "bottlenecks" preventing Hanoi from achieving a comprehensive breakthrough in digital transformation. "Data islands" persist, as some outdated specialized software cannot fully integrate with the common data hub, creating information fragmentation. More worryingly, with the elimination of intermediate levels and the strong implementation of decentralization and delegation, the workload has shifted directly to the grassroots level, immediately revealing a "digital capacity gap" among some officials and civil servants at the commune and ward levels. Many still have a "reluctance to use systems," resorting to reactive methods or lacking information security skills, causing digital processes to sometimes be hampered by human barriers.

Furthermore, the biggest "bottleneck" hindering the flow of technology is the mismatch between the pace of technological development and institutional frameworks. Current legal regulations regarding IT investment, financial quotas, public procurement procedures, and digital service leasing remain cumbersome and time-consuming to approve. A software program that has just been awarded through a bidding process may already be outdated compared to current practices.

2. To avoid falling behind, the Hanoi City Steering Committee for Digital Transformation has quickly implemented decisive solutions. In early May 2026, the overall plan for applying the Internet of Things (IoT) and building a real-time data platform was issued, mandating the opening of API (Application Programming Interface) gateways to act as intermediaries between different software, breaking down data enclaves. "Data cleaning" campaigns are continuously implemented at the grassroots level, combined with the activation of community digital technology teams and public administration task forces as "extended arms" to guide citizens and support civil servants. Hanoi is also seeking to unlock financial resources, prioritizing budget allocation for shared digital platforms instead of fragmented investments.

However, the above solutions are only necessary conditions – that is, building the "framework" of infrastructure. The sufficient condition, which is decisive for the success or failure of this revolution, lies in the "core" within: the role, responsibility, and mindset of Party committees at all levels, directly the Party committees of communes and wards, and each individual official and civil servant at the grassroots level.

First and foremost, for Party Committees at the commune and ward levels, digital transformation must be placed at the center of leadership, serving as a measure of political capacity, and cannot be entirely delegated to specialized departments. Grassroots Party Committees need to issue thematic resolutions on "Local Digitalization" with quantifiable targets clearly demonstrating their commitment, such as: 100% of documents must be digitally signed, 100% of officials must handle work online, etc.

In particular, the exemplary role of leaders and key officials is crucial. If the Party Secretary, Deputy Party Secretary, or Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune or ward still maintains the habit of approving paper documents, the subordinate apparatus will never have the motivation to change. Simultaneously, personnel management must be truly resolute; it is necessary to boldly replace or transfer officials who are stagnant, have a rebellious mindset, or deliberately avoid technology, in order to set an example.

For grassroots officials and civil servants who directly interact with the public, standardizing "digital behavioral competence" is a mandatory requirement. Each civil servant must view technology as a tool to free up labor, not a burden. They must shift from a reluctance to use technology to proactively learning and improving their data security and management skills.

The core task for everyone right now is to ensure that input data is always "accurate, complete, clean, and relevant," because only with clean database data can the city's intelligent operating system analyze it correctly. At the same time, each civil servant must change their mindset when dealing with citizens, shifting from "doing things for them or writing on their behalf" to guiding them so they can do it themselves, transforming the pressure from citizen oversight into an intrinsic motivation for reform.

3. Looking back over the past year, the operation of the two-tiered local government model, coupled with the acceleration of digital transformation, has been a win-win situation: streamlining the administrative apparatus while modernizing governance methods. Despite significant current bottlenecks, we have every right to expect and believe in a strong breakthrough in the second half of 2026.

After an initial period of uncertainty, the two-tiered local government model has now settled into a routine, gradually demonstrating its effectiveness and efficiency. More importantly, the capital's political system has formed a "positive momentum," a new wave of awareness about the importance of technology that has spread to every village, neighborhood, official, party member, and citizen.

With its rapidly improving infrastructure, coupled with a decisive shift in leadership thinking at all levels and a heightened sense of responsibility among civil servants, Hanoi will undoubtedly overcome bottlenecks to achieve a comprehensive breakthrough, making digital transformation a new driving force for development.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/khoi-thong-diem-nghen-ve-chuyen-doi-so-750422.html