Ninh Binh accelerates digital government

Mr. Vu Manh Cuong, Giao Hung commune, only brought his marriage certificate and a phone with VNeID installed to Duy Tan Ward Public Administration Service Center to change his child's birth certificate name. After a few minutes of being guided by the staff on how to operate the system, his file was received and processed, and completed in less than 10 minutes.

From a remote commune to a "bright spot"

Giao Hung is a locality with many difficulties, far from the center, but is one of the bright spots of the province in administrative procedure settlement and digital transformation. The commune's Public Administration Service Center has been renovated, invested in relatively synchronous equipment, stable Internet connection, creating a modern working space for both officials and people.

Staff of Giao Hung Commune Public Administration Service Center guide people through administrative procedures.

According to Mr. Dinh Quang Huy, Vice Chairman of Giao Hung Commune People's Committee, the commune especially prioritizes resources for administrative reform, considering it a "gateway" for people to feel the changes in the government apparatus. The staff on duty at the Center are selected from those with solid expertise and good communication skills, ready to guide and support people in working with electronic records.

Currently, the Commune Administrative Service Center receives about 50 files every day, mainly related to justice, civil status, and certification. The rate of files resolved before the deadline is always above 99%, a figure that clearly shows the effectiveness of the two-level local government model when the function of handling procedures is brought closer to the people.

The story of digital transformation in building a government that serves the people is being implemented by Ninh Binh province. Many programs and plans have been issued, in which building a digital government is identified as a central and consistent task in administrative reform.

According to the Department of Science and Technology, up to now, the province has provided 1,977 online public services, reaching 92.2% of the total number of administrative procedures, 100% of which have been integrated into the National Public Service Portal, allowing people and businesses to access services anywhere, anytime. In the third quarter of 2025 alone, after operating the two-level local government model, many indicators recorded positive results: the rate of online application submission reached 84.5%; on-time application settlement reached 98.4%; online payment accounted for 75%; and digitalization of application reached over 90%.

Mr. Vu Van Thang, Deputy Director of Duy Tan Ward Public Administration Service Center, said that digital transformation has dramatically changed the way the commune-level administrative apparatus operates. Previously, people had to go directly to the counter and submit each type of hard copy document; now they can submit documents, monitor progress and receive results online. Along with that, the processing process is more transparent and public, minimizing harassment and asking-giving in handling procedures.

As of the third quarter of 2025, Duy Tan Ward Public Administration Service Center has received more than 1,646 records, of which online records account for 84.2%, the rate of records processed on time is 99.3%. The locality focuses on three factors: technology, people and processes. The high-speed Internet system is connected to the internal network and shared systems of the Central and local governments; 100% of cadres and civil servants are equipped with computers, printers, scanners; the staff is regularly trained in digital skills, communication skills, emphasizing the spirit of service instead of just "getting the job done".

In Phu Son commune, which was established on the basis of merging three communes: Thach Binh, Lac Van and Phu Son, the number of administrative procedure files arising every day is quite large. Since the beginning of July, the commune government has prioritized completing the information technology infrastructure to operate the digital government model, especially at the Public Administration Service Center.

Deputy Director of the Center, Phan Thi Thuy Tuyen, said that the unit has arranged 6 experienced officers to directly receive and process procedures. The Center is equipped with air conditioning, camera system, networked computers, printers, administrative procedure lookup machines, automatic number taking machines; fees, charges and procedural instructions are publicly posted, making it easy for people to grasp.

After more than two months of implementing the two-tier local government model, Phu Son Commune Public Administration Service Center has received nearly 1,800 applications, of which 1,695 were submitted online. In July alone, the first month of operating under the new model, the commune received 708 applications, of which 594 were submitted online. These numbers clearly reflect that people have become familiar with electronic transactions.

Ms. Pham Thi Huong, 58 years old, in Phu Son commune, said that in the past, to get a land use right certificate, she had to go back and forth many times, carrying a series of documents. "Now the documents are digitized, the staff guides to submit online, only when it is necessary to compare do I have to bring the original. I save time traveling, do not have to wait as long as before," she said.

According to Ms. Tuyen, a big advantage of applying information technology is that important documents are digitized immediately upon receipt and stored in the citizen data warehouse. The next time the procedure is performed, if duplicate documents or results of the previous procedure are needed, citizens do not have to re-submit them, in accordance with the principle of "one-time information provision". The management agency also saves a lot of resources, shortening processing time.

Gia Tuong Commune is also operating the Public Administration Service Center under the one-stop, one-stop mechanism, equipped with a modern and synchronous system of machinery. After more than two months of operation, many groups of procedures such as household registration, social protection, and business licensing have achieved an online submission rate of over 70%, and a rate of files resolved correctly and before the deadline of over 91%.

Young people accompany people to "go online"

Although infrastructure has been invested, a large number of people in communes are still accustomed to paper documents and are hesitant to operate on computers or phones. To overcome this, localities have stepped up propaganda and mobilized youth union members to directly support people.

In Rang Dong commune, implementing the 2025 Summer Youth Volunteer Campaign, the Commune Youth Union arranged 3 volunteer teams, each team has 5 members, to regularly be present at the Public Administration Service Center to guide people through procedures such as issuing and retrieving VNeID account passwords, getting queue numbers, looking up information and submitting applications online. According to Mr. Hoang Trung Hieu, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the commune, Secretary of the Rang Dong Commune Youth Union, many people were initially confused, but after a few instructions, they became more confident and proactive in using digital services.

Thanks to that companionship, in just over two months after the merger, the Provincial Public Administration Service Center and 129 Commune and Ward Centers have received more than 200,000 administrative procedure records, over 80% of which were submitted online; about 99% of records were processed on time and before the deadline. These numbers are associated with very specific changes in each family and each person when accessing public services.

In addition to the achieved results, the application of information technology at commune-level centers still faces many difficulties. Infrastructure in some places is not really synchronous; some specialized software still has problems, interconnection is not stable; IT human resources are thin; a number of cadres and civil servants still have limited digital skills; traditional transaction habits of people are not easily changed; investment resources for digital transformation at the commune level are still modest.

Ms. Tran Thi Hat, Deputy Director of Gia Tuong Commune Public Administration Service Center, proposed that the province and locality continue to pay attention to investing in facilities and technical infrastructure; organize more in-depth training courses on information technology, electronic file processing skills, and administrative software management; and at the same time, strengthen periodic inspection and assessment of the ability to work in the digital environment. She also emphasized the role of the Community Digital Technology Team in guiding people to gradually access digital services.

Mr. Ta Quang Phuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology, said that digital transformation is not just "putting processes online" but also changing the leadership and management methods, moving towards a data-driven and transparent administration. The Department coordinates with units to organize training, seminars, and instructions on exploiting the information system to handle administrative procedures, while closely following and supporting agencies, especially at the commune level, to promptly resolve problems.

Up to now, 100% of departments, branches, sectors and People's Committees of communes and wards have arranged specialized information technology staff; some units have established digital transformation departments. In the coming time, the Department will continue to advise the province to issue and complete specialized resolutions and projects on science and technology, innovation and digital transformation, while promoting communication, raising awareness and digital skills for cadres, civil servants and public employees, encouraging people and businesses to proactively use online public services./.

Center for Science and Technology Communication

Source: https://mst.gov.vn/ninh-binh-tang-toc-chinh-quyen-so-197251129220736131.htm