Transformational Changes in Administrative Reform

With innovative thinking, creative actions, drastic management and responsibility of Party committees and authorities at all levels, Can Tho City’s administrative reform has positively progressed in recent years. The quality of service to people and businesses has been increasingly improved.

Consistent, radical solutions

In 2022, Can Tho ranked 26th out of 63 provinces and cities in the Public Administration Reform Index (PAR Index) with 86.11 points (climbing up 25 places and 1.14 points compared to 2021) and 36th in the Satisfaction Index of Public Administrative Services (SIPAS), reaching 79.10% (advancing 12 places).

To obtain these results, according to Mr. Truong Hong Du, Deputy Director of the Department of Home Affairs, Party committees and authorities of Can Tho City at all levels have constantly paid attention and directed drastic implementation with many creative, consistent solutions in recent years. Notably, much progress has been seen in institutional reform, apparatus organization and e-government building.

On July 12, 2022, Can Tho People's Committee launched Plan 153/KH-UBND on solutions to improve PAR Index, SIPAS Index and the Vietnam Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) in 2022 and beyond. The plan clearly stated specific solutions for each declining criterion and assigned responsibilities to each relevant unit and locality. At the same time, it includes strengthening administrative reform probes into agencies and units and boosting communications on administrative reform to raise the awareness of people, officials and civil servants and uphold the responsibility and accountability of agency leaders in executing administrative reform goals and tasks.

In addition, the city informs and directly supports people to adopt digital government and digital transformation, including partial or full participation in mandatory online public services.

In particular, to improve and analyze existing local limitations, the Department of Home Affairs coordinated with relevant agencies to organize three seminars to share experiences in implementing administrative reforms in districts. In 2022, for the first time, the department advised the City People's Committee to open a contest to evaluate the capacity of applying information technology and digital transformation in 2022 with 244 candidates who were departmental leaders (from provincial departments and district-level People's Committees), chairpersons and vice chairpersons of Commune People's Committees. The department also hosted a contest to survey administrative reform knowledge of 633 civil servants and officials working at single-window divisions at departmental, district and communal levels.

As a result, the city’s administrative reform has progressively changed. Institutional reform has been increasingly improved. Administrative procedures are increasingly simplified to reduce the settlement time and cost. The rate of administrative procedures resolved correctly and early is always high. The administrative apparatus and public service agencies are increasingly streamlined, effective and efficient. The quality of public employees is further improved.

To make administrative reform more effective and practical

Deputy Director Du said: To further administrative reform in the following years, the Can Tho City People's Committee will closely adhere to directions of the Government, ministries, central agencies and the City Party Committee; continue to implement Can Tho Administrative Reform Plan for the 2021 - 2025 period and Program 26-CTr/TU dated December 31, 2021 of the City Party Committee on Administrative Reform, with focus on building electronic government of action and service.

In particular, emphasis is raising awareness of all levels, sectors, officials, civil servants, people and enterprises about administrative reform and digital transformation. Focus is also placed on reforming and improving the quality of building and promulgating legal documents, reviewing and simplifying administrative procedures, and publishing and publicizing administrative procedures fully, accurately, synchronously, consistently, transparently and promptly.

The city will further digitalize administrative settlement results; inform and encourage people and companies to use online public services; integrate data at agencies and units into the city's data warehouse.

The city will assign administrative reforms with the responsibility and accountability of agency leaders; continue to improve institutional reform, civil service regime reform and administrative discipline; and arrange organizational apparatus and streamline employees to ensure compliance with the given roadmap.

By Thien Thanh, Vietnam Business Forum