On the morning of August 31, 2024, in Da Nang, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Chairman of the National Committee on Digital Transformation, chaired a national online conference on improving the efficiency of providing and using online public services.

Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung, Vice Chairman of the National Committee on Digital Transformation, attended the Conference.

The conference was connected online from the main bridge at the Da Nang City Public Administration Center to the People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities.

Also attending the conference at the bridge points were Comrade Nguyen Hoa Binh, Politburo member, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister of the Government; Senior Lieutenant General Luong Tam Quang, Politburo member, Minister of Public Security; Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son; 9 comrades Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies; leaders of provinces and centrally-run cities.

Entering the stage of developing online public services in depth

According to the report of the Ministry of Information and Communications, Vietnam has gone through two stages of development of online public services since 2011. In which, stage 1 is the initial stage when the number of high-level online public services deployed is very small nationwide; stage 2 is the stage of extensive development, when there is a breakthrough in the number of online public services.

The implementation of online public services has been successful but uneven among ministries, branches and localities. Besides units with high results, there are still many units with very low results, especially in the entire online application process. Some localities have achieved a very high rate of up to 69%, but there are still many localities with a very low rate of less than 5%, the average of the local block has only reached 17.9%.

Full-process online public services bring real efficiency when people and businesses can simply and conveniently perform the entire process online and do not have to be present at state agencies, as shown through the rate of full-process online records.

To enter the stage of in-depth development, it is necessary to focus on universalizing online public services to all citizens and businesses, with the goal of achieving 70% of online records.

Universalizing online public services will bring all activities of civil servants and public employees serving people and businesses to the online environment. At that time, state agencies will have full digital data to direct and operate online and based on data.

By completing the universalization of online public services, Vietnam will complete the task of developing e-Government and move on to developing digital Government.

Speaking at the Conference, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung said that in order to deploy online public services in the new period, develop in depth, essentially popularize online public services in the direction of full online, ministries, branches and localities need to achieve the goal of developing full online public services in 2024 and by 2025.

Specifically, in 2024, for ministries and branches: the rate of online records throughout the process will reach at least 70%; for localities: at least 30%. In 2025, for ministries and branches: the rate of online records throughout the process will reach at least 85%; for localities: at least 70%.

In his concluding remarks, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh basically agreed with the content of the reports, discussions, and comments, and assigned the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Government Office to absorb the comments, finalize and submit the Conclusion of the Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Committee on Digital Transformation for unified implementation in the coming time.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh analyzed and emphasized some key contents on political and legal foundations; achievements, shortcomings and limitations; causes, lessons learned; viewpoints, orientations and tasks and solutions in the coming time in implementing online public services.

Regarding the political and legal basis, the Politburo issued Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW dated July 1, 2014 on promoting the application and development of information technology to meet the requirements of sustainable development and international integration.

The Central Government issued Resolution No. 10-NQ/TW dated June 3, 2017 on private economic development, which clearly stated: "Strengthening the application of information technology, modernizing public administrative services to save time and costs in performing administrative procedures for people and businesses".

Resolution No. 52-NQ/TW dated September 27, 2019 of the Politburo on a number of guidelines and policies to proactively participate in the Fourth Industrial Revolution sets out the following goals by 2025: “Building digital infrastructure to reach the advanced level of the ASEAN region; Broadband Internet covering 100% of communes... Being among the top four ASEAN countries in the e-Government ranking according to the United Nations assessment...”.

The Government issued Resolution No. 50/NQ-CP dated April 17, 2020 promulgating the Government's Action Program to implement Resolution No. 52-NQ/TW of the Politburo; Resolution No. 76/NQ-CP dated July 15, 2021 promulgating the Overall Program for State Administrative Reform for the 2021-2030 period. The Prime Minister issued strategies and programs on digital transformation, e-Government development, digital economy development, and digital society.

8 groups of outstanding results

Regarding the achieved results, the Prime Minister stated that firstly, the leadership, direction, management and implementation were carried out resolutely and synchronously with high determination from the Central to the grassroots levels.

From 2021 to present, the Prime Minister has issued 9 decisions and 5 directives to direct and administer the provision of online public services to serve people and businesses. 63/63 localities have issued policies to exempt and reduce fees and charges in the implementation of online public services.

Second, awareness and actions on improving service quality, satisfaction level in performing administrative procedures (AP) and providing online public services have many positive changes. The satisfaction level of people and businesses in handling APs has increased from 90% in 2022 to 93% by August 2024.

According to the United Nations' 2022 assessment, Vietnam's online public services ranked 76/193, up 5 places compared to 2020; open data ranked 87/193, up 10 places compared to 2020.

Third, the work of perfecting institutions and policy mechanisms to create a favorable legal corridor for providing online and digital public services has been actively implemented. The National Assembly has issued the Law on Electronic Transactions; the Government has issued 06 Decrees; and ministries and branches have issued 04 circulars under their authority.

Fourth, administrative procedures and business regulations continue to be reduced and simplified; the quantity and quality of online public services are improved.

From 2021 to present, nearly 3,000 business regulations have been reduced and simplified; nearly 700 administrative procedures have been decentralized to localities. From 2021 to present, nearly 1,800 additional online public services have been provided, reaching 4,400 online public services provided on the National Public Service Portal, accounting for 70% of the total number of administrative procedures.

The rate of online public services throughout the process will increase from 28% in 2021 to 51.5% in August 2024. Notably, 43/53 essential online public services have been deployed; of which, 23/25 essential public services under Project 06 have been fully implemented, helping to save the State and society nearly 3.5 trillion VND/year.

The rate of digitization of records and results of handling administrative procedures at ministries and branches reached 43.4% (an increase of 23% compared to 2023), and at localities reached 64.3% (an increase of 35% compared to 2023).

Fifth, digital infrastructure, digital platforms, equipment, and digital transformation technology in state agencies and serving people and businesses receive investment attention.

100% of state agencies have deployed a dedicated Data Transmission Network to the commune level to exchange and share data. 100% of ministries, branches and localities have built and upgraded the Information System for handling administrative procedures. 82.2% of households use broadband fiber optic Internet; 84% of mobile phone subscribers use smartphones.

Sixth, national and specialized databases are being actively developed, connected, and shared.

The national population database has connected, shared, authenticated, and cleaned data with 18 ministries, branches, 63 localities, and 04 state-owned enterprises. Over 87.7 million chip-based ID cards have been issued; over 57.1 million VNeID accounts have been activated.

Seventh, a number of ministries, sectors and localities have made efforts to innovate and implement effective models and solutions in providing online public services to people and businesses, such as the Ministries of Public Security, Finance, Industry and Trade; and localities such as Da Nang, Quang Ninh, Ca Mau, Tay Ninh, etc. These ministries and localities should be welcomed and learned from, the Prime Minister emphasized.

Eighth, actively implement the ASEAN Single Window and National Single Window mechanisms, facilitate trade and be ready to implement digital customs. Vietnam is implementing the connection and exchange of ASEAN customs declarations with 8 ASEAN member countries; creating a premise to continue connecting with Korea, the Russian Federation, and New Zealand.

The national single window mechanism has provided 250 administrative procedures of 13 ministries and branches connected with the participation of over 70,000 enterprises; millions of administrative records are processed in the electronic environment, shortening the time and reducing customs clearance costs.

On behalf of the Government, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh acknowledged, commended and highly appreciated the efforts, endeavors and achievements of ministries, branches and localities; the drastic and close direction of the National Committee on Digital Transformation; the consensus, support and active participation of the people and business community.

In addition, the implementation of online public services still has shortcomings, limitations, and inadequacies. The construction and completion of the legal environment, mechanisms, and policies need to be improved. Administrative reform is still slow, and procedures are still cumbersome.

The quality of online public service provision has not changed significantly; the results of online public service implementation are uneven among agencies and units. Many online public services have not been widely used by people and businesses or have not met the requirements for providing a complete process. The rate of online public services that generate local records has only reached 17%, the target by 2025 is at least 80%. Data reuse so that people only provide information once is still low.

The implementation of the Provincial Administrative Procedures Information System and the National Public Service Portal still has many shortcomings. Not many state management agencies have implemented internal administrative procedures in the electronic environment. Digital human resources and digital infrastructure have not met requirements and have not made any breakthroughs. Cyber ​​attacks, especially ransomware, have increased sharply. Information, communication and social consensus building to promote online public services and implement Project 06 have not been taken seriously at times and in many places.

Analyzing objective and subjective causes, the Prime Minister pointed out a number of lessons learned. Accordingly, leaders must pay attention to leading, directing, organizing implementation, inspecting, urging, removing difficulties, promptly rewarding and disciplining; at the same time, promoting personal responsibility, strictly implementing discipline and administrative order.

“Practice also shows that “nothing is impossible”, the problem is whether there is determination to do it, whether there is knowledge of how to do it, how to mobilize resources, the strength of the people and businesses, and mobilize the participation of the entire political system. The spirit is “only discuss doing, not retreat”, “not say no, not say difficult, not say yes but not do”, “if said, do it, if committed, do it, if discussed, do it, if launched, win”, the Prime Minister stated.

People only provide information once to government agencies.

Regarding viewpoints and orientations for the coming time, the Prime Minister affirmed that digital transformation plays a very important role, contributing to changing leadership and direction methods in the new situation, making them suitable and effective, and improving policy response capacity.

The Prime Minister pointed out 1 goal, 2 pillars, 3 breakthroughs, 4 no's and 5 enhancements in implementing online public services.

1 common goal is to reduce compliance costs, implementation time, create convenience and best serve people and businesses.

The two pillars include: Resolutely cutting down on internal administrative procedures and facilitating the implementation of public services for people and businesses.

The three breakthroughs are legalization; digitalization; automation.

“4 no’s” are: No documents; no cash; no contact unless required by law; no one left behind.

“5 enhancements” include: (1) Strengthening decentralization and delegation of authority along with resource allocation, improving implementation capacity, clearly defining the responsibilities of each individual, each level, each sector and strengthening supervision and inspection; (2) Strengthening publicity, transparency, simplifying administrative procedures associated with data integration, connection and sharing; (3) Strengthening investment in digital infrastructure; (4) Strengthening dialogue, handling arising problems; promoting discipline, order, and pushing back negativity; (5) Strengthening digital knowledge and skills, developing digital human resources to meet requirements in the new situation.

Regarding the main tasks and solutions in the coming time, the Prime Minister first requested ministries, branches and localities to proactively and actively implement tasks , especially promoting the role of leaders in implementing online public services.

Second, focus on building and perfecting institutions, mechanisms and policies , including reviewing, detecting, promptly amending and supplementing inadequacies and contradictions in the system of regulations and legal documents and difficulties and obstacles in practice in the spirit that whatever is posed, required, and required by practice, which is ripe and clear, must be amended, supplemented, and designed into regulations to create a legal corridor for implementation and execution in order to remove "bottlenecks", promote and unblock all resources, serving socio-economic development. "Open policies, smooth infrastructure, smart governance", the Prime Minister stated.

Minimize and simplify business regulations and administrative procedures; resolutely eliminate the request-grant mechanism; create a public, transparent and clean environment so that officials do not commit violations; actively prevent and combat corruption and negativity;

Accelerate the reduction and simplification of internal administrative procedures (reduce and simplify at least 50% of administrative procedures and reduce at least 50% of compliance costs for internal administrative procedures) and strongly transition to processing work records in the electronic environment. Urgently decentralize the implementation of administrative procedures to localities. Promptly submit and promulgate all Decrees guiding the implementation of the Law on Electronic Transactions (Ministry of Information and Communications presides).

Amending and supplementing legal regulations on administrative procedures related to import, export and transit goods; people and means of transport entering, exiting and transiting in the direction of using administrative records in the form of digital data.

Third, focus on improving the quality of online public services.

Review, re-evaluate, and innovate the provision of online public services, ensuring that they meet the requirements of level, convenience, simplicity, and user-friendliness.

Promote process restructuring, design, and provision of public services based on maximum reduction and simplification of administrative procedures, data reuse, and electronic interconnection. Successfully carry out tasks by 2025, 100% of eligible administrative procedures will be provided in the form of full-process online public services; at least 80% of administrative procedure records will be processed completely online. Complete provision of all 53/53 essential public services under Project 06.

Conduct early research to evaluate and expand the provision of online public services for public career services and public utility services to perfect the ecosystem in the electronic environment for people and businesses.

Continue to innovate and improve the quality of operations of Public Administration Service Centers and One-Stop Shops at all levels, becoming digital points, providing non-administrative public services, supporting people and businesses in digital transformation, especially vulnerable groups.

Fourth, promote digitalization of records and results of administrative procedure settlement; build, complete and put into operation national databases and specialized databases; enhance connection, sharing and reuse of data to serve administrative procedure settlement and provide public services in the direction that people only provide information once to state agencies.

Strengthen negotiations with Vietnam's trade partners to mutually recognize standards and regulations along with information exchange and mutual recognition of commercial data/documents and electronic administrative documents.

Fifth, continue to pay attention to and invest in developing the information technology infrastructure system to meet the requirements of serving the national digital transformation smoothly and effectively. Focus on building the National Data Center in accordance with Resolution 175 of the Government. Continue to upgrade and complete the National Public Service Portal, the Information System for handling administrative procedures at the ministerial and provincial levels, to fully meet the requirements of digital transformation. Urgently eliminate signal and power dips. Increase investment in machinery, equipment and technology to meet work needs.

Sixth, conduct a general review and assessment of the situation of ensuring network information security and safety for information systems under management according to the instructions of the Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of National Defense, and Ministry of Information and Communications.

Seventh, innovate and improve the effectiveness of propaganda, guidance and support for the implementation of online public services for people and businesses. The Ministry of Information and Communications urgently completes and submits for promulgation the Project "Propaganda and dissemination of the provision and effective use of online public services until 2025, with a vision to 2030" in September 2024.

“The most important thing is to raise awareness of the position, role and importance of digital transformation for the country's rapid, comprehensive and sustainable development, improving material and spiritual life, ensuring happiness and prosperity for the people. All levels and sectors, especially leaders, must thoroughly grasp the spirit of being exemplary, taking the lead, leading and directing closely, organizing effective implementation, inspecting, urging, removing difficulties, and promptly rewarding and disciplining in this work,” the Prime Minister said, expressing his belief that after this Conference, the provision and use of online public services will continue to have positive and stronger changes, achieving results higher in the following quarter than the previous quarter, and higher in the following year than the previous year./.