Two-tier local government model: The Party’s will in harmony with the people’s aspirations (Part 3)

PART 3: EXPANDING INNOVATIVE MODELS

In the early days of implementing the two-tier local government model, an enormous workload was shifted to the commune level, at times leaving some units overloaded. Dong Nai province has adopted several innovative approaches to ease this pressure while ensuring administrative procedures for citizens and enterprises are handled more swiftly and conveniently.

Officials at Trang Dai Ward Public Administration Service Centre receive land-related dossiers from residents. Photo: Cong Nghia

Innovative models

The pressure of handling administrative procedures for citizens and businesses after July 1, 2025, has spurred the emergence of numerous creative administrative reform initiatives, designed to bring greater convenience to the public.

A notable example is the model of resolving land-related procedures beyond administrative boundaries. Instead of submitting applications only at the commune or ward where their land is located, residents can now submit documents at any commune-level public administration service centre in the province, if it is more convenient. They may also choose to file online at any time of the day.

According to Dang Van Luan, Director of the Bien Hoa-based Dong Nai Land Registration Office, after a period of implementation, this model has significantly reduced the number of residents crowding at commune-level centres, while expediting the settlement of land-related documents.

In recent times, Dong Nai Provincial Police have implemented the issuance and renewal of citizen ID cards under the administrative boundary-free model. Citizens can apply at any commune or ward most convenient for them. To avoid long waiting times, the provincial police have directed the establishment of 45 stations for the issuance and renewal of citizen ID cards and electronic identification at the communal level. This model has been implemented since July 3, shortly after the official launch of the two-tier local government model, thereby alleviating the situation where people had to queue from early morning and wait for hours for their turns to be served.

At the conference on reviewing a one-month implementation of the two-tier local government model, organised by the Dong Nai provincial Party Committee at the end of July 2025, the model of high school, college, and university students assisting in handling administrative procedures at communes and wards was highly appreciated by central-level delegates.

According to Do Dang Bao Linh, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Education and Training, there is a large number of students with considerable knowledge and skills in information technology (IT), particularly during the summer holidays. Therefore, schools were requested to send students to support local centres in helping residents register for online public service accounts and submit applications digitally. Senior IT students were even able to assist communes and wards in troubleshooting computers, resolving network errors, and providing technical support…

In Bu Dang commune, a remote area of Dong Nai province, after operating the apparatus under the new model, instead of waiting for residents to come to the government’s offices, the communal Party Committee has directed the commune People’s Committee to establish mobile teams to directly receive and handle administrative procedures for the people in hamlets, bringing government closer to the people. Such an approach is more essential and urgent in the initial phase of implementing the two-tier local government model.

Nguyen Thanh Tung, Deputy Secretary of the Commune Party Committee and Chairman of Bu Dang People’s Committee, affirmed: “The mobile teams in charge of processing administrative procedures at hamlets receive and process all procedures within the commune’s authority, just like at the commune public administrative service center, making it very convenient for the people.”

The model of "working until the job is done, regardless of office hours

In Long Khanh ward, after nearly two months of operating the administrative apparatus under the new model, initial pressures in receiving and handling administrative procedures have gradually eased. Tran Cong Nghi, Vice Chairman of the Ward People's Committee and Director of the Long Khanh Ward Public Administration Service Centre, shared that in the early stage, almost all ward officials worked 12–15 hours a day, sometimes up to 20–21 hours, and they even had to eat quickly to complete their duties.

"Although the initial phase of operating the new government model at the commune level was tough and demanding, it was also a period for officials and civil servants to mature, truly internalising the mindset of shifting from a management-centred to service-oriented approach,” Nghi emphasised.

After nearly two months of operating the two-tier local government model, Dong Nai province has made significant efforts and employed numerous creative and decisive approaches. For instance, the province has allocated VND 3 billion to each commune and ward to invest in new equipment to better serve their operations. In a creative move, the province has mobilised students to support communes and wards in handling administrative procedures for local residents, while boldly offering public apologies to citizens in cases of delayed dossiers. These innovative measures are expected to bring even stronger results in the time to come.

Le Khanh Toan, Deputy Chief of the Party Central Committee’s Office

In Trang Dai ward, since July 1, the former Trang Dai ward has been merged with the former Thien Tan commune of Vinh Cuu district, creating a ward with more than 145,000 people - the third most populous ward in the province. That’s why the pressure of handling administrative procedures for residents has been considerable. The main reason is that many procedures previously managed at the provincial and district levels have now been delegated to the ward, most notably those related to land issues.

Phan Quang Tuan, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People’s Council of Trang Dai ward, said that upon seeing residents waiting for their administrative procedures to be settled, the ward’s Party Committee and People’s Committee convened an “urgent meeting” to seek for a solution. Accordingly, applications from residents and businesses were classified for processing. Those that could be resolved within the morning or the same day were placed in the “green lanes” to be handled immediately, avoiding the need for citizens to return the next day. For more complex dossiers requiring additional verification, inspection, or cross-checking, officials were required to provide citizens with an estimated completion time and a written appointment for returning the results.

Binh Tan commune was established through the merger of the former Long Binh, Long Hung and Binh Tan communes. Since operating the administrative apparatus under the new model and structure, local officials and civil servants have gradually shifted their mindset from management-centered to service-oriented approach. With the merger of three communes into one, the scope of delegated tasks and authority has increased significantly, requiring communal officials, particularly those assigned to the communal Public Administrative Service Centre, to work at full capacity – working until the job is done, regardless of office hours. To meet the demand for handling administrative procedures, on peak days, the commune had to arrange additional tables and chairs in the courtyard to accommodate citizens. Since the merger, many officials and civil servants have temporarily “forgotten” the concept of weekends, devoting all their time to work to ensure that no dossiers are delayed, as any backlog would trigger a system-wide red alert.

Meanwhile, the Binh Tan communal police have drawn up a two-month work plan, from July 15 to September 15, with no days off, to meet citizens' needs for administrative procedures. Accordingly, from Monday to Sunday, the commune police office remains open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to receive and process applications. At any time of the day, or on any day of the week, citizens can also call the direct phone number of the communal police to receive attentive, thoughtful, and courteous guidance.

Following the merger and the adoption of the new administrative model, Xuan Hoa commune has considered the IT application as a breakthrough solution to enhance the efficiency of administrative reform for both citizens and businesses. The choice of IT as a breakthrough measure has become even more urgent as many areas of state management, previously under the authority of provincial and district levels, have now been delegated to the commune level.

Ta Quang Truong, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People’s Council of Xuan Hoa commune, said that IT is the “key” to ensuring administrative procedures are handled more swiftly, effectively and efficiently. Each local official and civil servant must act as a “frontline soldier” in equipping citizens with knowledge and skills in IT, so that the commune can gradually increase the number of digital citizens. This will pave the way towards a modern, genuine public administration with active public participation, in which the people are placed at the center of this mission.

By: Cong Nghia
Translated by: My Le - Thu Ha