Two-tier local government model enters new phase of operational improvement

One year after Vietnam's sweeping restructuring of the political and administrative apparatus, the focus has shifted from organizational consolidation to improving operational quality, ensuring the new system is leaner, more effective and more efficient in practice.

The transition also marks a broader shift from an administrative management approach to development-oriented governance, with the quality of services provided to citizens and businesses serving as the key measure of reform success.

From institutional restructuring to better governance

Rather than waiting for residents to visit the Public Administrative Service Center, authorities in Thien Hung commune have taken public services directly to local communities by helping residents complete procedures closer to home.

Officials regularly travel to villages to guide residents in using online public services while working with police officers, local militia members and community digital technology teams to assist citizens with administrative procedures on site. In this large border commune, home to many ethnic minority communities, the initiative has made public services more accessible while gradually improving digital literacy among local residents.

Officials at the Dong Nai City Public Administrative Service Center (PASC) assist residents with online administrative procedures. Photo: Ho Thao

Dang Ha Giang, Party Secretary and Chairman of the People's Council of the Thien Hung commune, said that since the establishment of the new commune on July 1, 2025, the locality has prioritized building a PASC capable of meeting residents' needs. It also selected officials with strong professional expertise and communication skills while placing great emphasis on digital transformation training. Today, all commune officials and civil servants are able to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to conduct research, summarize documents, improve policy advice and shorten processing times.

The experience of Thien Hung commune reflects a broader transformation in the reform mindset across the political system. Having completed the restructuring of the organizational apparatus, the current priority is to enhance the quality of operations and ensure that the new system delivers greater efficiency, effectiveness and performance.

At the national conference reviewing one year of implementing the overall organizational model of the political system and the three-tier local government model, Nguyen Duy Ngoc, Member of the Politburo, Secretary of the Party Central Committee (PCC) and Head of the Party Central Committee's Organization Commission, stressed that the focus has moved beyond simply completing the restructuring process to continuously refining the new model for greater effectiveness.

He described the new model as a major theoretical and practical breakthrough, marking a shift from administrative management to development-oriented governance while laying the groundwork for more modern leadership and national governance.

That vision has not only been reflected in the Party's directives but has also been translated into practical action by local authorities.

Presenting Dong Nai City's experience at the conference, Vu Hong Van, Member of the PCC, Secretary of the City Party Committee and Head of Dong Nai Delegation of National Assembly Deputies, said the city has consistently assessed the effectiveness of grassroots governance through three simple questions: Are residents receiving faster services? Are businesses spending less time and money on administrative procedures? Is the government reducing recurrent expenditure to create more resources for development investment?

These questions illustrate Dong Nai's new approach. Rather than measuring reform by the number of agencies consolidated or staffing reductions, the city evaluates success through service quality, business convenience and the efficient use of public resources, reflecting the transition from administrative management to development governance.

Service quality becomes the benchmark for reform

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Prime Minister (Deputy PM) Pham Thi Thanh Tra said that after one year of operating under the new model, the Party's policy has brought significant improvements in governance thinking, leadership methods, administrative capacity and implementation, opening up new opportunities for the country's development.

She said the next phase would focus on further refining the model and improving the quality of public administration to ensure that government institutions are genuinely streamlined, efficient, valid and effective.

Officials at the Dong Nai PASC remain committed to delivering high-quality administrative services to residents.

To achieve these goals, the Government has identified three priorities: improving the institutional framework alongside administrative reform; expanding decentralization and delegation of authority in tandem with digital transformation; and strengthening the capacity of grassroots governments.

Deputy PM Pham Thi Thanh Tra also called for a shift from assigning tasks to assigning measurable outcomes, with implementation monitored through data and performance indicators rather than traditional supervision methods. She stressed that citizens' and society's satisfaction should become the primary benchmark for evaluating government performance.

For Dong Nai, these strategic directions are already being translated into practical action rather than remaining long-term objectives.

The locality has identified that, following the completion of its organizational restructuring, the city will focus on improving operational quality, shifting from personnel management to performance-based governance, and evaluating officials based on their work results and public satisfaction. At the same time, the city continues to accelerate digital transformation by developing digital government and promoting data-driven administration instead of relying solely on standalone software applications.

One year after introducing the new organizational model, the focus of reform has clearly shifted from completing institutional restructuring to enhancing operational quality. Management mindset has likewise evolved, from administrative management to development-oriented governance, from assigning tasks to assigning measurable results, and from emphasizing organizational structure to prioritizing service quality and governance effectiveness.

Concluding the national conference on July 1 reviewing the one-year implementation of the overall organisational model of the political system and the three-tier administration model, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam reaffirmed that restructuring the political system is a policy with strategic significance.

He called for continued institutional reform, stronger decentralization accompanied by effective oversight, the development of a contingent of cadres capable of meeting the demands of the new model, and accelerated digital transformation across the political system. Above all, he stressed that the next phase must shift the focus toward improving operational quality, public service capacity and the government's ability to drive development, ensuring that all activities ultimately serve the people and the nation's long-term development.

From local experience to the strategic direction set by the Central government, one message is clear: the next stage of reform is no longer about restructuring institutions but about making them work better. As service quality, public satisfaction and governance performance become the defining measures of success, Vietnam moves closer to building a public administration that is truly streamlined, efficient, valid and effective.

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