NTO - Administrative Reform

Promoting administrative reform, strengthening decentralization and delegation of power, and building a streamlined state apparatus that operates effectively and efficiently continues to be identified as a key focus and breakthrough in building a socialist rule of law state in our country in the new period, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh , Head of the Government's Steering Committee for Administrative Reform, emphasized at the 5th meeting of the Steering Committee on July 19, 2023.

To what extent has administrative reform been implemented in Vietnam?

Administrative reform aims to help state agencies operate more effectively and efficiently, better serving the people and meeting the requirements of socio-economic development.

Administrative reform encompasses the following aspects: reform of state administrative institutions; reform of administrative procedures; reform of the state administrative apparatus; building and improving the quality of cadres, civil servants, and public employees; and reform of public finance. Among these, reform of administrative procedures is identified as a key focus and is being vigorously implemented with a focus on simplification, creating a favorable environment for socio-economic development, and ensuring the legitimate interests and rights of the people.

The Government's Steering Committee for Administrative Reform reported that in the second quarter of 2023, the Prime Minister issued two decisions approving plans to reduce and simplify 47 business regulations under the management of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Public Security in 10 legal documents. Ministries, sectors, and localities issued 1,129 decisions announcing 14,716 administrative procedures and lists of administrative procedures for updating and posting at service locations, and publicly disclosed 11,581 administrative procedures on the National Database of Administrative Procedures.

Receiving and processing applications from departments and agencies at the Bac Giang Provincial Public Administrative Service Center. Photo: Danh Lam/TTXVN

From 2021 to the present, ministries and ministerial-level agencies have reduced and simplified 2,352 business regulations in 191 legal documents; and have implemented plans to reduce and simplify 470 business regulations in 56 legal documents, achieving 41%.

According to statistics from the Government Office, to date, 31.16% of administrative procedure resolution results have been provided in legally valid electronic form for reuse; and 66.48% of administrative procedure files have been digitized.

62 out of 63 localities and 10 out of 21 ministries and sectors have merged their Public Service Portals and Electronic One-Stop Information Systems into a single Information System for resolving administrative procedures at the ministerial and provincial levels, and connected it to the National Public Service Portal.

The innovation of the one-stop and integrated one-stop mechanisms in handling administrative procedures, moving towards digitalization and independence from administrative boundaries, has been emphasized and has yielded initial positive results. To date, the whole country has established 11,700 one-stop service centers at all levels to receive and process administrative procedures, including 56 localities that have established provincial-level Public Administrative Service Centers.

Administrative procedures in the fields of land, construction, civil registration, investment, business registration, customs, taxation, treasury, import and export, etc., have eliminated cumbersome and complex procedures, building trust among citizens and businesses in the service provided by state agencies.

Most administrative procedures are publicly posted at the reception point, published on the electronic portal of ministries, sectors, and localities, and in the National Database on administrative procedures as prescribed.

Administrative procedure reform linked to digital transformation.

Citizens obtain queue numbers for judicial procedures at the Tien Giang Provincial Public Administrative Service Center. Photo: Minh Hung/TTXVN.

According to the Government's Steering Committee for Administrative Reform, the quality of online public services has improved, with over 4,400 online public services now available on the National Public Service Portal. The National Single Window and ASEAN Single Window have implemented 250 out of 261 online public services from 13 ministries and agencies, with over 55,000 businesses participating.

The initial results of the digital transformation process have been recognized by citizens and businesses through the Satisfaction Index on Administrative Services (SIPAS) and the Public Administration Reform Index (PAR INDEX), both of which reached over 80% in 2022.

In the first six months of 2023, Project 06 on the development of data applications on population, identification and electronic authentication to serve the national digital transformation in the period 2022-2025, with a vision to 2030, was strongly implemented and yielded positive results, contributing to promoting national digital transformation.

Deputy Minister of Public Security Nguyen Duy Ngoc stated: The provision of online public services has been significantly boosted, covering all 25 essential public services related to citizens (out of a total of 28 public services as stipulated in Decision No. 422 of the Prime Minister). The Ministry of Public Security has expanded the provision of all 227 public services according to the functions and tasks of the sector. To date, the National Public Service Portal has provided 4,409 online public services with over 7.77 million accounts, an increase of more than 3.8 times compared to the same period in 2022, with over 17.49 million uses of these services, an increase of more than 3 times compared to the same period last year.

Currently, the Ministry of Public Security has issued 48 million electronic identification accounts to citizens; completed the issuance of identity cards to 100% of eligible citizens, and maintained accurate, complete, clean, and up-to-date population data. The National Population Database has connected with 13 ministries and agencies and 63 provinces and cities to receive more than 1 billion requests for lookup and verification, contributing to improving the effectiveness of state management and preventing crime and violations of the law.

Dr. Nguyen Nhat Quang, Vice Chairman of the Founding Council of the Vietnam Software and Information Technology Services Association (VINASA), affirmed: Digital transformation requires administrative procedure reform; these two factors go hand in hand and support each other's development.

Digital transformation is essentially a shift from a document-based mode of operation to a data-driven one. Administrative procedures are essentially decision-making based on documents.

During the informatization phase and the development of e-government, we focus on digitizing documents and circulating them electronically.

In digital transformation, we shift from document-based decision-making to data-based decision-making. When a data system meets the requirements of being "accurate, complete, clean, and active," administrative procedures will be drastically simplified. For example, with a national population database, we can eliminate household registration books, simplifying the residency verification process in 167 related administrative procedures.

Administrative procedure reform and digital transformation are two sides of the same coin. Breakthrough reforms in administrative procedures are indispensable to digital transformation; conversely, the digital transformation of government operations in providing public administrative services to citizens will be less effective without related procedural reforms.

We need to implement synchronized measures in terms of human resources (public awareness, capacity of the civil service), institutional framework (amending relevant laws, decrees, and circulars), and technology (investing in terminal equipment and secure connection to the national population database, data management software).

In the field of digital transformation alongside administrative procedure reform, we need to emphasize the role of technology, including the contributions of IT businesses.

Supporting the Government's action plan on a people- and business-centric digital transformation strategy, the Military Telecommunications and Industry Group (Viettel) maintains its operations in line with the development of a digital economy, digital society, and digital citizens. Regarding improving the rate of online processing and the quality of online public services, Viettel is a partner in building and developing e-government and digital government, deploying a synchronized electronic one-stop system and online public services for dozens of ministries, sectors, and localities in the fields of finance, justice, internal affairs, foreign affairs, and transportation, connecting with over 45,000 businesses and processing 3.65 million dossiers.

1C Company primarily operates in the field of software development, distribution, and publishing. 1C Vietnam was established and quickly became one of the leading companies providing management software for agencies and businesses in Vietnam, such as "Made for Vietnam" software with low-code technology, helping to minimize costs.

FPT Corporation, one of the largest information technology service companies in Vietnam, is committed to accompanying and supporting the Government, as well as ministries, sectors, and localities, in implementing digital transformation projects, gradually building important platforms and technologies for the future digital government model. FPT has been actively supporting and advising on digital transformation, building the e-government architecture framework, developing integrated and interconnected data platforms, helping to increase the ability to provide high-level online public services to citizens and businesses based on data platforms.

According to VNA/News Agency

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