“The Hanoi Party Secretary and head of the city’s National Assembly delegation is assessed against 32 indicators. The chairman of the municipal People’s Committee is assessed against 24. The results will be made public monthly and quarterly,” Thang said. “No one in the entire political system stands outside the question of accountability. The heads of agencies, organizations and units must be responsible for the performance of the bodies they lead.”

Checks to prevent corruption and harassment in land title procedures

Alongside quantifying work performance, Hanoi has introduced a plan for inspections aimed at preventing corruption and harassment in the handling of administrative procedures.

According to the Hanoi Party chief, public officials and civil servants must regard handling administrative procedures as an obligation to serve the public. Government agencies must not require people to make repeated visits, resubmit information already available to authorities, or face delays caused by poor coordination in handling requests from residents and businesses.

Inspections will focus on areas that attract frequent complaints, including the issuance of land-use right certificates, commonly known in Vietnam as “red books,” as well as healthcare, education, the environment and urban planning.

The city will gradually integrate data across government agencies so that each request can be tracked throughout the process and followed through to resolution, with clear responsibility, deadlines and outcomes.

Turning to social welfare policies, Thang said Hanoi has introduced annual free health check-ups and screenings for residents, expanded the groups eligible for health insurance assistance, and increased support for people who rendered services to the nation, older residents and vulnerable groups.

The city has also increased subsidies for school lunches for around 650,000 primary school students, alongside requirements to ensure food hygiene and safety. At the same time, Hanoi is developing retirement and elderly healthcare facilities.

Hanoi has also introduced policies to develop a highly skilled workforce to support the capital’s long-term development goals.

Under a pilot program for what authorities call “socialist communes and wards,” Hanoi has selected Thu Lam and Phu Thinh as the first two localities for implementation. Thang said, however, that the city’s other 124 communes and wards would also pursue related goals rather than remain outside the pilot process.

The city has issued 54 criteria, with residents’ quality of life, satisfaction, access to benefits and happiness identified as the most important overall measures.

Hanoi aims to largely meet the requirements by 2030 before reviewing and refining the program and advising central authorities on the development of a common set of criteria.

Thanh Hue