However, shortages of specialized personnel and limitations in technology infrastructure have placed pressure on commune-level governments.

At a conference last week reviewing the first year of the two-tier local government model, several Central and Central Highlands localities reported notable results. These localities have passed the initial test: government operations have been maintained, and administrative procedures have generally been processed in a stable manner.

In Hue, each commune and ward has been organized with three specialized divisions and one Public Administrative Service Center. The use of digital technology has shortened processing times for many procedures by 30-50 percent, while citizen satisfaction rates have reached 90-100 percent.

Da Nang reported that its administrative apparatus has been streamlined, reducing organizational layers and intermediary levels, enhancing the autonomy of grassroots authorities. The city conducted more than 120 inspections, received over 680 recommendations and feedback submissions, and addressed most of them in a timely manner.

In Quang Ngai, changes after one year have gone beyond administrative streamlining to include operational reforms. Functions and responsibilities have gradually been reviewed to ensure clear accountability, clearly assigned tasks, clearly defined responsibilities and clearly delegated authority. Many decentralization and delegation mechanisms have also been introduced.

In Gia Lai, the province has decentralized 56 administrative procedures, delegated authority over 317 procedures and reduced processing times for 1,713 procedures. The end-to-end processing rate has reached 96 percent, while its public service performance index stands at 95.83 points, earning an excellent rating.

In Dak Lak, Public Administrative Service Centers at all levels have operated steadily, with 97 percent of applications processed on time. The province has also trained more than 15,000 grassroots officials, improving professional knowledge and skills while gradually enhancing service quality for citizens and businesses.

Communes still lack specialized personnel

As responsibilities shift increasingly to commune-level authorities, local officials must possess the capacity to handle specialized tasks that directly affect residents and often involve complex issues.

Da Nang currently has 98 percent of commune-level officials holding university degrees or higher, while 87 percent have intermediate-level political theory qualifications or above.

However, the city still faces localized imbalances in staffing, with both surpluses and shortages occurring simultaneously. Some areas continue to lack highly specialized personnel, and a number of officials remain uncertain about adapting to new management methods.

In Quang Ngai, commune-level governments lack specialists in finance, land administration, planning and construction, and information technology. This has resulted in heavy workloads and operational difficulties in some localities following decentralization.

In some areas, administrative facilities and infrastructure remain inadequate.

In Gia Lai, the province's vast territory, uneven population distribution and numerous remote communes have increased workloads at the grassroots level. Staffing imbalances have become increasingly apparent, with some localities assigning two or three people to accounting and cadastral work, while others lack personnel entirely.

Addressing urgent bottlenecks

After one year of implementation, all localities acknowledge that the two-tier government model still requires further refinement.

In Hue, Party Secretary Nguyen Dinh Trung requested to improve the quality of officials and civil servants, refine job-position frameworks, accelerate decentralization accompanied by stronger supervision, promote digital transformation and enhance services for citizens and businesses to ensure local governments can resolve issues at the grassroots level.

Da Nang Party Secretary Le Ngoc Quang urged authorities to address shortages of specialized personnel, incomplete information technology infrastructure and increasing workloads at the commune level.

He also highlighted reluctance among some officials to accept reassignment and rotation. The city plans to increase the deployment of young, capable and highly specialized officials to grassroots positions.

In Quang Ngai, Party Secretary Ho Van Nien acknowledged that while the administrative apparatus is generally stable, it remains incomplete. In some cases, responsibilities and authority among different levels and agencies overlap or leave gaps.

The province has prioritized strengthening digital skills training, attracting high-quality human resources, digitizing records, integrating data systems and continuing efforts to eliminate telecommunications coverage gaps in remote areas.

Gia Lai Party Secretary Thai Dai Ngoc stressed the need to confront reality directly: the new model is operating more stably but not uniformly. While decentralization has advanced, some localities still struggle with implementation. Resources, personnel and technical infrastructure have not kept pace, and data systems remain insufficiently interconnected.

Tran Thuong