Hai Phong City: The effectiveness of a streamlined administrative apparatus.

At the conference summarizing one year of operation of the two-tiered local government model in Hai Phong City, Hai Phong City Party Secretary Le Ngoc Chau affirmed that the operation of this model is a correct and timely "revolution," creating a strong impetus for the city's development.

On the morning of June 2nd, the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee held a conference to review the first year of operation of the overall organizational model of the political system and the two-tiered local government model in the city.

At the conference, Mr. Le Ngoc Chau assessed that, after the merger, the city has achieved impressive results, such as a GRDP growth of 11.81% in 2025 (ranking second nationwide), an economic scale reaching nearly 30 billion USD, and state budget revenue far exceeding the forecast. In particular, Hai Phong City has established a pioneering position by ranking first nationwide in both the Administrative Reform Index and the Citizen and Business Satisfaction Index.

Conference scene. Photo: PHU LUONG

According to Mr. Le Ngoc Chau, the new model has helped streamline the system, eliminating intermediate layers to better serve the people and businesses.

However, alongside the achievements, city leaders frankly pointed out "bottlenecks," such as the internal structure of some departments and agencies not being truly streamlined; the restructuring of public service units is still slow; the quality of officials is uneven, and there is still a tendency to "pass the buck" and avoid responsibility.

In addition, the digital infrastructure is still fragmented, data is not interconnected, and the offices of many communes and wards are still small and do not meet the requirements of the job.

In the coming period, the Secretary of the Hai Phong City Party Committee requested that Party committees and units at all levels focus on evaluating cadres based on the actual volume and quality of work; resolutely replace incompetent individuals and strictly adhere to the principle of "in and out, promotion and demotion." At the same time, they should urgently complete the restructuring of public service units, villages, residential areas, and specialized departmental frameworks at the commune level before June 30th.

Delegates attending the conference. Photo: PHU LUONG

In addition, review and amend legal documents to ensure substantive decentralization and delegation of authority, clearly defining responsibilities and accountability. Focus on building a synchronized digital infrastructure and applying AI and big data technologies to build a modern digital government.

The Secretary of the Hai Phong City Party Committee also urged a firm commitment to double-digit growth; maintaining its leading position in administrative reform; and focusing on developing housing for low-income earners. City leaders are confident that with its resilience and aspiration for progress, Hai Phong City will successfully build a modern, professional, and truly people-oriented government.

Hai Phong City Party Secretary Le Ngoc Chau speaks at the conference. Photo: Phu Luong

According to a report by the People's Committee of Hai Phong City, after nearly a year since the merger between Hai Duong province and Hai Phong city, the two-tiered local government model and the city's political system have achieved groundbreaking results. Specifically, streamlining the administrative apparatus has significantly reduced intermediate levels in Hai Phong. The Party and mass organizations have reduced 35 units; the government has cut 97 specialized departments and 38 public service units. The entire city now operates with 114 commune-level administrative units (including communes, wards, and two special zones), enabling the government to be more responsive and responsive to the needs of over 4.6 million people.

Administrative reform and digital transformation are the "spearheads" of Hai Phong City. The city has reduced processing times for 1,996 administrative procedures, with the majority seeing reductions of over 50%. With 100% of eligible procedures available online, Hai Phong processed over 2.6 million applications with a 99.82% on-time rate. The satisfaction index of citizens and businesses reached an impressive 98.77%. Technological infrastructure has also developed significantly, with 5G coverage reaching 100% of the population and industrial zones. State budget revenue reached a record high of 197,810 billion VND, a 29.6% increase compared to the previous year.

Implementing a two-tiered local government model, Hai Phong City has spent over 1,000 billion VND to settle the benefits for 1,092 officials and civil servants who retired early or resigned due to redundancy after the merger.

DO TRUNG - LUONG PHU

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tp-hai-phong-hieu-qua-tu-bo-may-tinh-gon-post855555.html