Presently, city dwellers can conveniently submit and receive their application results from anywhere with their smartphones and internet access.
Deputy Director Phan Kieu Thanh Huong of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Home Affairs has reported that there are 121 categories of administrative procedure records in Ho Chi Minh City that do not incur any fees.
Following the implementation of this policy, the city has observed a rise in the volume of online submissions compared to previous periods.
Specifically, between June 1 and October 15, 2024, Ho Chi Minh City processed a total of 347,683 records, with 242,828 of these being submitted online, representing 69.84 percent. This marks an increase of 33.60 percent compared to the same timeframe in 2023.
Deputy Director Phan Kieu Thanh Huong asserted that the adoption of online public services is instrumental in optimizing administrative processes and improving service delivery. By reducing the time and financial burdens associated with traditional bureaucratic procedures, these services enhance the convenience and accessibility of government services for both citizens and businesses. Furthermore, the digital transformation of government operations promotes efficiency, transparency, and accountability, mitigating the risk of corruption and malfeasance.
The southern largest city's strategic focus on digital transformation and smart city development aligns with these objectives. City leaders have consistently advocated for a paperless government, encouraging the widespread adoption of digital signatures and electronic documents.
In discussions with various departments, agencies, and local authorities, leaders in Ho Chi Minh City have consistently urged a move away from paper documents in favor of embracing digital signatures and electronic documents.
Ho Chi Minh City has concretized that request by piloting the construction of the Public Administration Service Center from October 1, 2024 which will officially be operated from January 1, 2025. The Public Administration Service Center operates on the basis of the Ho Chi Minh City administrative procedure settlement information system connected to the National Public Service Portal, national databases, specialized databases, and shared platform systems.
The center will centralize administrative procedures, transcending traditional administrative boundaries. By consolidating services and reducing the number of one-stop-shop departments, the center aims to optimize administrative efficiency and minimize bureaucratic red tape.
Furthermore, the center will harness the power of digital technologies to streamline processes and enhance data utilization. This digital transformation will alleviate the administrative burden on citizens and businesses by eliminating the need for redundant information submissions. Ho Chi Minh City has pioneered this digital shift by mandating electronic document submissions, signaling a significant step towards a paperless government.
Chief of the Office of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, Dang Quoc Toan, reported that between August 1 and October 8, the committee received a total of 20,365 documents, with 16,980 of these being electronic, which represents nearly 84 percent of the total. During the same period, the committee issued over 8,380 documents, of which more than 7,300 were electronic, accounting for over 87 percent.
Additionally, the city has approved 1,048 out of 1,641 restructured internal processes, resulting in a reduction of more than 3,480 working hours. The handling of electronic documents has been expedited and streamlined, effectively minimizing delays and overdue submissions within the system.
In conjunction with electronic documentation, the Office of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has implemented a management system for documents and work files, which oversees the execution of directives from the Standing Committee of the municipal People's Committee. Mr. Dang Quoc Toan highlighted that the Standing Committee can now process documents from any location without the necessity of waiting for physical documents to be presented.
Chairwoman Pham Thi Thanh Hien of the People's Committee in Cu Chi outlying district announced that since the beginning of 2024, the suburban district has implemented various solutions to improve its digital transformation index for each criterion. Units have started using digital signatures for administrative procedures, digitizing, and returning electronic results through the Ho Chi Minh City administrative procedure settlement information system.
Additionally, the ‘Smart Neighborhood’ model has been piloted in Thu Duc City, creating free wifi access points along major roads, public areas, and around apartment buildings.
The HCMC People's Committee recently reported on the implementation outcomes of the Project on Developing Data Applications for Population, Identification, and Electronic Authentication to serve national digital transformation from 2022-2025, with a vision to 2030 (Project 06).
Ho Chi Minh City has become the pioneering locale in the nation by successfully digitizing four categories of civil status records. These include marriage registration books, birth registration numbers, death registration numbers, and the registration books that acknowledge fathers, mothers, and children. In total, this remarkable effort encompasses over 12.8 million records.
Since June 15, 2022, Ho Chi Minh City has synchronized all digitized civil status book data with the Civil Status Database of the Ministry of Justice. Consequently, the city can issue copies of marriage extracts, birth certificates, death certificates, and registrations of parent-child recognition from the shared data warehouse, irrespective of the place of registration, storage of civil status books, or residence. Ho Chi Minh City has established a shared data warehouse of the city with 45 database groups of various fields.
As of September 20, 2024, the Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City approved 1,180 out of 1,695 internal processes that have been restructured, resulting in a reduction of over 3,512 working hours for administrative procedure resolution. The steps involved in these administrative procedures have been simplified with 1,180 internal processes reduced by one to two steps.
The southern metropolis has also approved 966 categories of administrative procedures for online public services, which include 611 full-service public services and 335 partial-service public services, along with the approval of 1,695 internal processes for handling administrative procedures.
