This is part of broader efforts to simplify administrative processes, reduce processing times and improve public services.
Residents in Ho Chi Minh City can now submit applications for land registration changes, secured transaction registration and other property-related administrative procedures from home, eliminating the need for repeated visits to government offices.
Simpler procedures, faster processing
Pham Hong Kien, a resident of Rach Dua Ward, recently completed the transfer registration for a land parcel in Thu Duc Ward, and said that the process was much simpler than expected.
Previously, he had to travel to Branch No. 2 of the Ho Chi Minh City Land Registration Office in No.56, Dang Nhu Hoa Street, Cat Lai Ward to complete the post-notarization registration process. This time, he submitted the application and received the result at Branch No. 37, No. 70 Tran Hung Dao Street, Ngai Giao Commune, closer to where he lives.
According to Branch No. 3 of the Ho Chi Minh City Land Registration Office, residents may now submit applications at any branch across the city, regardless of where the property is located. Once received, the application is transferred electronically to the branch responsible for the land parcel for processing, while the result is returned at the office where the application was originally submitted.
In addition to this citywide service model, Ho Chi Minh City has fully digitized the process for reissuing land use right certificates. Despite these improvements, many residents remain unfamiliar with the new procedures.
Many even remain unaware of the new procedures. At Branch No. 15 in Go Vap Ward, for example, Hoang Oanh, a resident of the ward waited nearly an hour despite having obtained a queue number in advance. She visited the office to remove a mortgage registration from her land use certificate after repaying a business loan.
She know this procedure can now be completed online, but she still prefer to do it in person, Ms. Hoang Oanh said.
Branch No. 2 was among the first in the city to introduce online processing for land-related administrative procedures, launching online services for 23 procedures on May 25. Branch No. 15 followed on July 1.
To encourage wider adoption, staff members have been assigned to assist residents in using the online system.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Agriculture and Environment, all 23 land-related administrative procedures are now available online.
Building a comprehensive digital land database
Many branches of the Land Registration Office now provide fully online services covering the entire administrative process, including application submission and fee payment to document supplementation and receipt of results.
Online services are available for procedures including secured transaction registration, issuance of land use certificates, registration of land-use changes, and land parcel subdivision or consolidation.
Tran Dinh Quan, Director of Branch No. 2, said residents can access the services through Vietnam's National Public Service Portal using a four-step process. These include submitting the application online, waiting for authorities to review the documents, presenting original documents for verification when required, and receiving the result.
Processing times have also been significantly reduced. Applications for newly issued land use certificates following registration changes can be completed within two working hours after document verification, while updates to existing certificates are processed within four working hours.
For applicants living outside Ho Chi Minh City, proof of financial obligations can be sent by post, and the completed documents can also be delivered by mail.
Meanwhile, a representative of Branch No. 3 said the city is accelerating the digitalization of archived land records and building a centralized land database to facilitate data sharing among government agencies.
The integrated system is expected to reduce the need for residents to repeatedly provide the same information, improve administrative efficiency and strengthen state management of land resources.
The wider use of digital technology is also expected to minimize processing errors, improve oversight of application progress and reduce delays and administrative misconduct.
According to Nguyen Toan Thang, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Agriculture and Environment, the city has standardized records for 1.7 million land parcels, while work on another 2.7 million parcels is expected to be completed this year.
The land database has already been integrated with the city's notary, tax, police and commune-level administrative systems, shifting land administration from paper-based file management to digital data management.
The environmental sector is responsible for more than 371 administrative procedures, 327 of which, about 88 percent, are now available online. Authorities will continue reviewing and streamlining these procedures to make them as convenient as possible for residents, Mr. Nguyen Toan Thang said.
