Creating breakthroughs through substantive reforms.

In the context of the need to promote rapid and sustainable growth, administrative procedure reform is shifting from the goal of "reducing quantity" to "improving quality" of services, raising expectations of creating a real breakthrough for the investment and business environment.

Information presented at the regular government press conference on May 4-5 revealed a notable shift in thinking regarding administrative reform, moving beyond merely reducing procedures proportionally to fundamentally changing working methods and achieving measurable results.

In a short period, the Government has decisively issued eight resolutions on reducing, decentralizing, and simplifying administrative procedures and business conditions. Accordingly, the Government abolished 184 administrative procedures; decentralized the handling of 134 procedures to localities; simplified 349 procedures; and abolished 890 business conditions… These are all “bottlenecks” that directly affect production and business activities. However, the core point is not just reducing procedures, but restructuring processes, eliminating overlaps, shortening processing times, and reducing compliance costs.

Ministries and agencies have adopted a new approach, shifting from simply "counting procedures" to measuring processing time, implementation costs, and the level of satisfaction of citizens and businesses. This shows that reforms are becoming more substantive, rather than merely superficial.

More importantly, the spirit of reform has been linked to responsibility. Each ministry and sector must conduct its own review, propose its own cost-cutting measures, and take responsibility for the results. This approach helps overcome the tendency to avoid responsibility and pass the buck – one of the reasons why previous reform efforts have not met expectations.

In Hanoi , the city is also implementing a restructuring of administrative procedures linked to digital transformation and data interconnection. The "data-driven - streamlined processes" approach helps reduce intermediaries and limit the need for citizens to repeatedly provide information.

Notably, Hanoi did not reform individual procedures in isolation, but rather designed the entire process as a whole. As a result, responsibilities were clearly defined, reducing the fragmentation of work and making reforms not only faster but also more transparent and effective.

The above practice shows that administrative procedure reform is moving into a phase of substantive action, with results as the measure. For reform to be truly effective, a synchronized approach with clear responsibilities at each level and in each sector is needed.

Accordingly, first and foremost, all levels and sectors need to effectively implement the directives of Politburo member and Prime Minister Le Minh Hung in seriously implementing the eight resolutions of the Government on reducing and simplifying administrative procedures, business conditions, and decentralization. The review and reduction of procedures should focus on the biggest bottlenecks, rather than spreading resources thinly; at the same time, the actual processing time must be made public, and specific responsibilities must be assigned if delays occur. In particular, inter-agency coordination needs to be strengthened to eliminate the situation of "one task - multiple doors."

At the provincial and city levels, the role of implementation is decisive. Local authorities need to strengthen decentralization and delegation of authority, coupled with control and restructuring of internal processes towards interconnectedness and a single point of responsibility. Effectiveness should be measured based on the satisfaction of citizens and businesses, rather than administrative reports. At the grassroots level, reforms must be linked to the citizen experience; processes need to be standardized, travel time reduced, and online public services promoted.

Another key factor is the accountability of those implementing the reforms. The results of reforms must become the criteria for evaluating and ranking officials. Wherever corruption or delays occur, they must be dealt with severely, without evasion. Conversely, officials who dare to innovate and take responsibility must be encouraged and protected…

Administrative procedure reform is facing new demands, requiring not only speed but also improvement. When actions are implemented synchronously, decisively, and responsibly, reform will become a lever to boost growth, contributing to the realization of socio-economic development goals in the coming period.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/tao-dot-pha-tu-cai-cach-thuc-chat-748493.html