“Digital Integrity” – A people-centered administration (Part 2)

VNEID AND PUBLIC SERVICES: A “SHIELD” AGAINST PETTY CORRUPTION AND WASTE

In the ongoing mission of Party building and rectification, apart from major corruption cases, another “hidden enemy” is quietly eroding public trust — petty corruption and bureaucratic wastefulness.

Small “under-the-table” payments and deliberately obstructive procedures may seem minor, but they are a persistent “ailment” that citizens and businesses face on a daily basis. According to the 2024 Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI),  over the past year, the proportion of businesses paying informal fees to inspectors and auditors reached 28% (a sharp rise from 16% in previous year). This rate, in conditional business licensing, soared to 55%, while informal payments in public procurement climbed from 27.6% in 2023 to 28.6% in 2024.

This report sends a clear warning as informal costs show signs of making a comeback. And with them comes the seed of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”, along with an excuse for hostile forces to take advantage of and act against our Party and State.

Recognizing this, the Party and the Government have turned to digital transformation as a “special remedy". Tools like VNeID and online public service platforms are emerging as breakthrough instruments, expected to serve as a powerful “shield” that fundamentally redefines how citizens interact with the state and curtails the everyday corruption that once seemed inevitable.

VNEID AND ONLINE PUBLIC SERVICES: THE FOUNDATION OF “DIGITAL INTEGRITY”

At the heart of the vision for breakthrough progress in science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation lies a single prerequisite: establishing a trusted, unified digital identity for every citizen. The national digital identification application VNeID, backed by a solid legal foundation provided under Government Decree No. 59/2022/ND-CP, is the solution to this challenge.

When deployed synchronously, VNeID and its online public services have proven to be a “steel shield” safeguarding the public sector, forged from transparency, traceability, and accountability. This achievement is more than a technological milestone; it reflects the Party’s enduring resolve and vision in building and rectifying the Party, reinforcing citizens’ trust.

Citizens complete ID renewal procedures at the Provincial Public Administration Service Center. File Photo.

But VNeID is not merely an app on a smartphone. It represents the core digital identity platform of citizens. With a Level-2 digital ID account, every Vietnamese citizen possesses an electronic ID card, legally equivalent to the physical one, enabling them to conduct all administrative transactions entirely online.

The launch of VNeID marks a revolutionary stride. It establishes a single, secure, and convenient identity authentication mechanism that eliminates the need for citizens to manage multiple accounts when interacting with state agencies.

More importantly, VNeID serves as a critical instrument for the government to manage citizens in a scientific and accurate manner through big data platform, while empowering individuals with a means to exercise their rights transparently and equally, reducing the reliance on subjective discretion  of officials and civil servants.

An officer from the Immigration Management Division of the Provincial Public Security collects information from a foreign national. Photo: Provincial Police Department

According to Vo Tan Duc, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People’s Committee, and Head of the Provincial Steering Committee for the Development of Science, Technology, Innovation, Digital Transformation, and the Implementation of Project 06 in Dong Nai Province, in order to achieve a true breakthrough in administrative reform and improving the PAR Index by 2025, the province has introduced a series of comprehensive and decisive measures. First and foremost, the role and responsibility of the heads will continue to be emphasized in directing, guiding, urging, and closely monitoring the progress of implementing administrative reform tasks. Particular emphasis will be placed on determined and coordinated leadership and guidance in executing the key tasks and objectives of Dong Nai Province’s 2025 Administrative Reform Plan.

TRANSPARENCY IN PROCEDURES, OPTIMIZATION OF SOCIAL RESOURCES

If petty corruption and wastefulness are liken to water slowly wearing away stone, eroding the public service system, then VNeID and online public services stand as reinforced concrete blocks building a “solid wall” that stops such negative flows through transparent, scientific, and well-supervised operating mechanisms.

Every procedure, document, fee, and timeline is now publicly available around the clock. Citizens no longer rely on the personal guidance of officials. The integration of cashless payments ensures that every transaction flows directly into the state budget, leaving no room for unofficial “extra fees.” Since July 1st, 2024, the nationwide use of a single VNeID account has brought even greater efficiency, saving both costs and time for society as a whole.

Youth volunteers in Nhan Trach Commune assist residents with administrative procedures. Photo: Archives.

In the special context of the recent provincial merger and the operation of a two-tier local government model, Dong Nai Province has embraced digital transformation as an inevitable path — its “central nervous system” ensuring that its vast administrative apparatus runs seamlessly and efficiently.

The relentless efforts of the entire political system are paying off and the results can be clearly measured with numbers that speak for themselves. According to the Department of Home Affairs, in the first half of 2025, administrative processing in the newly unified provinces of the former Dong Nai and former Binh Phuoc continued to show remarkable progress, with more than 98% of applications at all three administrative levels processed on or ahead of schedule.

As part of the implementation of regulations on the delineation of authority, decentralization, and delegation of authority in the handling of administrative procedures under 28 Government decrees, relevant departments and agencies have issued  comprehensive guidelines to ensure that the decentralization, delegation and the delineation of authority align with the newly reorganized local government apparatus. One of the most notable updates is the delineation of authority for handling 346 administrative procedures from the district level to provincial and communal authorities. 

By the end of July 2025, Dong Nai Province had streamlined a total of 2,176 administrative procedures following the province’s decentralization, delegation and the delineation of authority. This includes 1,792 procedures at the provincial level and 384 at the communal level

Dong Nai has also achieved full digital connectivity across all Party and State agencies, from the provincial level down to each commune, through the specialized government data transmission network. All 15 departments and agencies and 95 commune-level People’s Committees have been granted access rights to the National Population Database, enabling direct data verification through the province’s electronic one-stop-shop system. In parallel, 95 newly established communes and wards have received their official identification codes, completed registration for tax codes, dedicated collection accounts, electronic receipts, and HSM digital signatures. Since July 1, 2025, the Province Public Service Portal has officially adopted the interface and platform of the National Public Service Portal, making it more convenient for citizens and businesses to carry out administrative procedures in the digital environment.

Driven by the determined efforts of the Public Security forces and the entire political system, Dong Nai has achieved outstanding milestones in issuing and activating electronic identification accounts. Building on the momentum gained since late 2024, the province successfully activated more than 3.5 million VNeID accounts by June 2025, laying a solid digital citizen foundation for new province’s population of nearly 4.5 million residents.

When it comes to public financial transparency, Dong Nai stands out as one of the country’s pioneers in cashless payments for public services. The province has placed growing emphasis on expanding digital social utilities, especially solutions related to administrative reform…In particular, it continues to advance digital payment solutions, encouraging citizens to adopt non-cash payment channels when settling administrative fees and service charges.

The province ranked 3rd out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide in institutional reform, 6th out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide in civil service reform, and 8th out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide in public financial reform.

In early June 2025, the Provincial People’s Committee issued Decision No. 1794/QD-UBND, officially launching 14 administrative procedures and 25 pilot sites for the “Online Public Service Support Point” model. The pilot locations of this model include three Mobifone Dong Nai stores, five VNPT Dong Nai sales and transaction offices, and seventeen post offices or commune cultural post offices under the Provincial Post Office system.

RESOLUTION NO. 57 CONTRIBUTES TO DRIVING A SERVICE-ORIENTED ADMINISTRATION

With a strong commitment to transforming from a management-focused government into a service-oriented one, leveraging technology as a catalyst and placing citizens and businesses at the heart of every initiative, Dong Nai is step by step shaping a modern, efficient administration, paving the way for sustainable growth.

Members from the provincial-level “Green Summer” Volunteer Team lend their support to residents in Dak Nhau commune, guiding them through administrative procedures at the local Public Administration Service Center. (Photo: Archives)

In particular, the merger that gave rise to the new Dong Nai province represents far more than a change in administrative boundaries; it marks an opportunity for the province to put into practice the Politburo’s Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW and pioneers a new model of governance: one that shifts from a management-focused government to a service-oriented one.

To bring this vision to life, Dong Nai has introduced a series of flexible and innovative initiatives. These include the “non-administrative-boundary” model for handling administrative procedures, appointment-free public service processing, online payment support, and a “friendly government” model.

CONFIDENCE IN THE STABLE AND EFFICIENT OPERATION OF THE NEW ADMINISTRATIVE APPARATUS

“I believe the new two-tier local government structure will help streamline the administrative system, boost management efficiency, and, most importantly, deliver faster and more responsive public services to the people. With the determination and commitment of the new communal authorities, I am confident that this new administrative apparatus will quickly stabilize and operate smoothly and effectively.”

Le Minh Chuong, Resident of Phu Vinh commune, Dong Nai province

Beyond technology, Dong Nai’s government has embraced the guiding principle of “staying close to the people.” This is more than a motto, it is a philosophy translated into action. Alongside the operation of the Provincial Public Administration Service Center, the province has put 95 ward- and commune-level public administration service centers into seamless, and uninterrupted operation.

According to Tran Nam Bien, Party Secretary and Chairman of the People’s Council of Phu Hoa Commune, the commune’s Party Organization and authorities have placed strong emphasis on responsibility, pioneering spirit, and exemplary conduct, fostering internal unity, and well performing the roles of the heads at commune-level agencies. This has paved the way for a more streamlined, efficient, and people-centered approach. Innovation, transparency, and effectiveness have become the defining values guiding Phu Hoa’s development and its proactive adaptation to new challenges.

In June 2025, the Provincial Post Office and the Department of Science and Technology jointly held a professional training session for staff working at online public service support points across the province. (Photo: Hai Quan)

According to Pham Van Trinh, Director of the Department of Science and Technology, the department has issued Plan No. 03/KH-SKHCN on its administrative reform for 2025. The plan aims to further accelerate administrative reform, building a modern, professional, transparent, and efficient public administration system. It also seeks to refine the legal framework, streamline organizational apparatus, boost staff competence, advance the province’s digital transformation and competitiveness, and enhance citizen satisfaction.

To realize these goals, the department has identified seven key priorities in administrative reform, including institutional reform; administrative procedure reform; reform of the state administrative apparatus; civil service reform; public financial reform; building and developing e-government and digital government, and improving the direction and management of administrative reform.

COMMITMENT TO THE EFFICIENT AND SEAMLESS OPERATION OF A TWO-TIER LOCAL GOVERNMENT

“The Department of Science and Technology should continue supporting localities in applying technology to make the two-tier local government more efficient and interconnected. At the same time, it must actively promote the development of digital government, digital economy, and digital society while working decisively with other departments and localities to fulfill the objectives of Resolution No. 57, guided by the principle of “clear responsibility, clear tasks, clear timelines, clear results, clear accountability, and clear authority.”

Le Truong Son, Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee

These remarks were delivered at a working session between Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Le Truong Son and the leadership and key officials of the Department of Science and Technology, reviewing the performance in the first half of 2025 and setting directions for the remainder of the year.

By K.Ngan, Ha Le, Ngan Trieu - Translated by M.Nguyet, Thu Ha