PM Chính Calls for Accelerated Digital Transformation to Enhance Public Services
Hanoi, The Gulf Observer: Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, who also serves as Chairman of the National Committee for Digital Transformation, has called for a robust and comprehensive digital transformation across Vietnam, emphasizing the need for advancements in internal administrative procedures and public services for citizens and businesses.
During a hybrid national conference held on Saturday, which connected central ministries, agencies, and 63 cities and provinces nationwide, PM Chính underscored the importance of legalisation, digitisation, and automation as key breakthroughs in the nation’s digital strategy. The goal, he stated, is to achieve “four no’s”—no paperwork, no cash, no contact unless legally required, and no one left behind.
PM Chính highlighted the necessity of enhancing decentralisation and delegating authority while ensuring adequate resource allocation. He stressed the importance of improving execution capacity, clearly defining the responsibilities of individuals and sectors, and strengthening monitoring and inspection mechanisms. He called for increased transparency, simplified administrative procedures, and better integration, connection, and sharing of data across agencies.
Other priorities outlined by the Prime Minister include boosting investment in digital infrastructure, promoting dialogue to resolve emerging issues, enforcing discipline and order to eliminate negative practices, enhancing digital knowledge and skills, and developing a digital workforce capable of meeting new challenges.
To achieve the national digital transformation goals and develop a digital government, PM Chính urged ministries, agencies, and localities to adopt a more proactive approach in serving citizens, transitioning from a “passive” to a “proactive” mindset based on data. He set an ambitious target for 2025: all administrative procedures must be fully digitised, with at least 80 per cent of administrative papers processed entirely online. This initiative aligns with Project 06, which outlines the provision of all 53 essential public services.
PM Chính also emphasized the need to improve the quality of Public Administrative Service Centres and one-stop-shop units at all levels, transforming them into digital hubs that provide boundary-free public services, especially for vulnerable groups.
Currently, all state agencies in Vietnam have launched a specialised data transmission network down to the commune level to facilitate data sharing. National databases for e-government and digital government development have been effectively utilised, and all ministries, agencies, and localities are equipped with information systems to handle administrative procedures. At the national level, a National Public Service Portal is operational.
Nationwide, 82.2 per cent of households now use broadband fiber-optic internet, and 84 per cent of mobile phone subscribers use smartphones. Additionally, 55.25 million VNeID electronic identification accounts have been activated, covering nearly 73 per cent of the population.
Public satisfaction regarding the settlement of administrative procedures has risen from 90 per cent in 2022 to 93 per cent in August 2024. Vietnam’s online public services ranking has improved to 76th out of 193 countries, up five places from 2020, while its open data ranking has climbed to 87th out of 193, an improvement of 10 places since 2020.
Since 2021, nearly 3,000 business regulations have been cut or simplified, around 700 administrative procedures have been decentralised to local authorities, and an additional 1,800 online public services have been made available, bringing the total to 4,400 on the National Public Service Portal, accounting for 70 per cent of all administrative procedures.
