Data-driven reform reshapes administrative procedures

Government Resolution No. 66.7/2025/NQ-CP on reducing and simplifying administrative procedures based on data marks a shift toward a new governance approach. Under the resolution, instead of requiring citizens and enterprises to submit paper documents, state agencies proactively retrieve information from national and sectoral databases.

Officials and civil servants at the Public Administration Service Center of Tan Hung commune guide residents in carrying out administrative procedures. Photo: Ho Thao

In line with this direction, Dong Nai has implemented a series of coordinated measures, gradually integrating data into the practical handling of administrative procedures and moving toward a more modern, transparent and convenient public administrative system.

Data replacing paperwork

Resolution No. 66.7 clearly states that citizens and enterprises should not be required to provide dossier components if such information is already available in databases officially published by the competent  agencies. Agencies responsible for receiving and processing administrative procedures must instead use existing data to replace traditional paper documents. This marks an important step forward in eliminating unnecessary intermediary processes and easing the burden on both residents and businesses.

Accordingly, many types of documents are being replaced by digital data. Population data now substitutes for identity cards, citizen identification cards and residence information. Electronic civil status data replaces birth certificates, marriage registrations, confirmations of marital status and death certificates. In addition, insurance records, driver’s licenses, enterprise registrations, vehicle registrations, land records, initially for residential land, judicial records and electronic health records are also gradually replacing their corresponding paper documents. This shift significantly reduces paperwork, simplifies dossiers and creates greater convenience for citizens and enterprises.

Resolution No. 66.7 was issued on November 15, 2025, and took effect on January 1, 2026. However, for databases officially announced as having completed connection, data-sharing and administrative process restructuring ahead of schedule, implementation could begin immediately.

At the grassroots level, the transition has already shown early results. Luu Thi Bich Huyen, a civil status officer at An Vien commune People’s Committee, said she has actively used digital data in place of paper documents during administrative processing. Only when the available information is incomplete or inaccurate are residents asked to provide supplementary documents.

“In particular, I guide residents to update and adjust their information in the databases in accordance with regulations so that the system can be continuously improved. This contributes to building a database that is accurate, complete, clean and constantly updated,” Huyen said.

At commune-level public administration centers, population data lookups have gradually replaced the submission of copied documents, helping shorten processing time and reduce the number of trips citizens must make.

According to the Provincial People’s Committee, in the first quarter of 2026, the administrative procedure processing system operated stably, with seamless connectivity to the National Public Service Portal and databases of ministries and central agencies. From January 1 to March 15, 2026, the province recorded more than 466,700 population data lookups to support the settlement of administrative procedures.

Nguyen Thi Ha, a resident of Dai Phuoc commune, said that the use of digital data would significantly reduce paperwork and travel time. Citizens only need to provide basic information, while authorities can retrieve the necessary data and process dossiers more quickly and conveniently.

Coordinated implementation toward digital government

In recent months, the Provincial People’s Committee has closely directed the implementation of Resolution No. 66.7. Accordingly, the Office of the Provincial People’s Committee was assigned as the focal agency, working with the Department of Justice and the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) to develop templates and review tools that are practical, detailed and easy to understand, built around a data-centered approach. This is intended to ensure consistency in implementation across all three administrative levels.

Meanwhile, the DoST has taken the lead, in coordination with the Department of Justice and the Department of Agriculture and Environment, in carrying out an accelerated data-cleaning campaign. This has been identified as a prerequisite for simplifying administrative procedures.

Alongside these efforts, the province has prioritized improving staff capacity and investing comprehensively at the grassroots level. Provincial leaders have called for stronger training in data utilization skills, stricter administrative discipline, and greater investment in information technology infrastructure and personnel at the local level, ensuring that commune-level public administration centers can operate effectively and sustainably.

Nevertheless, implementation in practice has revealed a number of challenges. Certain sector-specific regulations still require paper dossiers, while data in many fields has yet to be fully digitized or properly cleaned, affecting its usability and reliability.

Regarding these issues, on April 14, 2026, the Government Office issued Notice No. 185/TB-VPCP, conveying the conclusions of the Government’s standing members on reducing and simplifying administrative procedures and business conditions.

Under the notice, ministries, sectors and localities are required to accelerate data-driven simplification efforts, with the goal of cutting administrative processing time by 50 percent and compliance costs by 50 percent in 2026 compared to 2024, in accordance with Conclusion No. 18-KL/TW of the second conference of the 14th Party Central Committee.

For specific tasks, the Ministry of Public Security has been assigned to complete eight of the remaining 12 critical databases under Plan No. 02-KH/BCDTW dated June 19, 2025, as well as 47 out of 104 databases under Resolution No. 11/NQ-CP dated January 14, 2026. Among these, 36 overdue databases must be finalized within 2025.

At the same time, the ministry must ensure connectivity, interoperability and data-sharing with the National Public Service Portal and administrative processing systems in support of online public services and procedural reduction.

The ministries of Finance, Justice, Construction, Agriculture and Environment, along with Vietnam Electricity, have been instructed to urgently publish data fields of 11 completed databases. These datasets will replace dossier components in accordance with Resolution No. 66.7.

In parallel, ministries and ministerial-level agencies are coordinating with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Public Security to implement related tasks. Notably, 10 ministries, including Science and Technology, Education and Training, Culture, Sports and Tourism, Agriculture and Environment, Home Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Ethnic and Religious Affairs, Health, Finance and Construction, are required to urgently restructure processes, connect systems and share data for 290 administrative procedures linked to nine published databases.

The Government has also required ministries, sectors and localities to review and restructure administrative procedures to eliminate dossier components from the 11 completed databases before April 30, 2026. They must also strictly implement dossier digitization, issue electronic copies, and uphold the principle of one-time information submission, meaning citizens should not be asked to resubmit documents once the data has already been retrieved.

The strong shift toward data-driven administrative processing is not only a requirement of public administration reform, but also a significant step in building digital government, paving the way for a more modern and citizen-centered administration.

By H. Thao – Translated by M.Nguyet, Thu Ha