After 20 years, it is necessary to look back on how to fundamentally change online public services

Editor's note: Addressing the opening session of the National Committee on Digital Transformation on June 5, 6, Vice Chairman of the Committee, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung Emphasis: Now is the time to fundamentally change the way of doing e-Government, the way of providing public services online, and fundamentally change the perception and approach. Below, VietNamNet would like to introduce the full text of the speech.

Dear Comrades, Digital Transformation Steering Committees of central and local ministries and branches,

Dear comrades, leaders of specialized IT and digital transformation units of central and local ministries, branches, departments of information and communication, representatives of associations, associations, digital technology enterprises,

Comrades and Friends,

First of all, on behalf of the Ministry of Information and Communications, I warmly welcome you to the Symposium of the National Committee on Digital Transformation.

The Prime Minister has requested that the Ministry of Information and Communications, as the Standing Agency and Vice Chairman of the National Committee on Digital Transformation, will hold monthly symposiums to strongly promote national digital transformation.

The theme of this First Session is about radical change in online public service delivery.

Online public services (DVTT) are the focus of e-Government (e-Government).

Online public service is not a strange topic, it is something that we have been doing for quite a long time, more than 20 years to be exact.

The first 10 years, from 2000 to 2010, were the first steps in IT application in the work of State agencies, the first steps in information services.

The next 10 years, from 2011 to 2020, are officially doing public service. The most important milestone is the Government issued Decree No. 43, dated June 13, 6, regulating the provision of information and public services. For the first time, the Government has a Decree specializing in public services. The rate of public services at level 2011 of the whole country in 4 was 2011%.

By the end of 2019, 100% of ministries, ministerial-level agencies, Governmental agencies, People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities had public service portals, ministerial-level and provincial-level electronic one-stop-shop systems. But the rate of public services at level 4 nationwide by the end of 2019, after 10 years, has only reached 10%. This is the stage of applying IT to do e-Government.

In the next 3 years, from 2020 to 2022, there will be a breakthrough development due to the use of digital technology (CNS), the digital transformation approach to making e-Government. Its feature is the use of a digital platform. After nearly 3 years, the rate of public services level 4, increased from 10% to 97%.

But after more than 20 years of doing public service, we need to rethink the way we are doing to make fundamental changes.

Public service but not yet complete, we still accept people to bring paper documents to the electronic one-stop shop, receive paper documents, digitize and process them electronically, then sometimes people come to the place to pay for results.

We are interested in the number of public services posted online, but not whether people use them or not, i.e. the proportion of documents processed online.

We focus on uploading online but have not paid attention to simplifying administrative procedures in the digital environment, not paying attention to convenience for people, ie quality of public services, and people's satisfaction.

We do not have standard public service portals, have not evaluated and announced the quality of public service portals.

E-Government, but the reports on public services from the local to the central are still paper reports, not connected and not reported online.

All of these are characteristics of the age of IT application.

Now is the time to fundamentally change the way of doing e-Government, the way of providing public services, to fundamentally change the perception and approach.

Without an electronic one-stop shop, Vietnam's public service would not have achieved the results it has today, but in order for Vietnam's public service to move forward and go quickly to the final result, it is likely that its activities will have to be gradually reduced.Minister Nguyen Manh Hung

In June 6, the Government issued Decree No. 2022 on provision of public services to replace Decree 42 in 43 to move towards a full-fledged public service. The whole process is that when people do public services, they do it themselves and no longer have to go to state agencies.

If we look at the services in the old way, according to the old Decree 43, we have brought 71% of the DVCs online (the remaining 29% are DVCs with almost no users), the rate of applications processed online is over 90%.

If we look at the DVC in a holistic way, according to the new Decree 42, the proportion of DVCs who have put the entire process online has reached 44%, and the rate of documents that have been processed online has only reached 35%. That is, according to the new definition, the figures are reduced quite a bit, but we will use these substantive data to go up from there in a sustainable way.

We have only 2,5 years left until the end of 2025. During this time, the proportion of documents processed online must increase from 35% to over 90% and will gradually reduce the electronic one-stop shop in ministries, branches and localities. People using public services must really find it more convenient and faster.

Without an electronic one-stop shop, Vietnam's public service would not have achieved the results it has today, but in order for Vietnam's public service to move forward and go quickly to the final result, it is likely that its activities will have to be gradually reduced.

Today's session is to discuss a new approach, a breakthrough new way of doing things to create a fundamental change in Vietnam's public services.

The goal is really high to create a breakthrough. The way to make a breakthrough is not a difficult and expensive way to do it, but often an easy way to do it, without much effort and money, but to achieve very high goals in a short time.

We often think, set low goals to be easy to do. But in many cases it is easier to aim high.

The goal that like every year, the way to do it will be the same every year, everything like every year, but there is one thing that is not like every year that is excitement. With the same resources but reduced interest, the same results are difficult. The higher the goal, the more innovative ways of doing things can be thought of and therefore easier to do.

Breakthroughs are often a statement rather than a lengthy report. Statements can be as little as one sentence, as we are all professionals, there is no need for much interpretation.

I hope we discuss new ways to solve the problem of public service in Vietnam before 2025.

Breakthroughs are often a statement rather than a lengthy report.Minister Nguyen Manh Hung

Delegates are requested to discuss the following contents: new ways of doing public services; about goals; on public service portal standards; on simplification of administrative procedures in the digital environment; on building public service portals; on providing mobile communication services; on securing mobile connectivity; on information security; about data sharing connection; on speeding up the online processing rate; on the role of the electronic OSS department, the community digital technology group; on measurement and reporting of public service data; on investment and rental prices.

In that spirit, I hereby declare the opening of today's Session.

Good Sessions!

A successful meeting means finding a breakthrough solution for the goal of completing Vietnam's public services before 2025.

Sincerely thank you!

Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung