From August 12 to 29, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) established 12 task forces to survey 34 provinces and cities to evaluate the efficiency of the two-tier local governance model. These task forces worked at public administrative centers and several communes and wards.

According to Ho Hong Hai, Deputy Director of the Legal Affairs Department at MOST, the survey revealed multiple challenges in implementing the two-tier local governance model, particularly in technology infrastructure, manpower, and data. These limitations have slowed down task processing and directly impacted the efficiency of administrative procedures.

The percentage of citizens and businesses submitting applications online remains low, despite efforts by some local administrative centers to provide support through guidance desks, computers, and scanners for digitizing inputs, and even the use of AI robots for assistance.

Le Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the National Digital Transformation Agency under MOST, noted that the main reason is the lack of synchronization and simplicity in electronic forms, with many places still requiring paper submissions.

"Some localities have access to the national population database, and in principle, personal information could be omitted from submissions, but many localities fail to do so and still require paper declarations," he said.

Additionally, the digitization of records is progressing slowly due to the large volume of documents. A shared database is being developed to store electronic results of administrative procedures, preventing citizens from having to resubmit documents during visits.

Burden on commune-level staff

Ho Hong Hai noted that most computers, scanners, and printers at the commune and ward levels are outdated, often reused after administrative mergers, affecting the speed and quality of application processing.

The connection between local public administration systems and the National Public Service Portal is unstable, leading to unsynchronized data and delays in retrieving and handling procedures.

Specialized data from ministries and sectors is not fully shared. Databases on intellectual property, radiation safety, and high technology are not yet interconnected, causing bottlenecks in application processing.

Tuan, at least 18 systems remain unconnected or have unstable connections. Business registration data, for example, is not yet linked with MOF.

Regarding manpower, Hai stated that communes lack dedicated information technology (IT) and digital transformation staff, leading many localities to assign the role to personnel outside their area of expertise.

High-tech fields such as telecommunications, frequency management, or intellectual property are often handled by inexperienced staff who lack proper training, resulting in confusion when processing electronic applications and backlogs.

Changes in administrative boundaries also create challenges in determining the scope or protected areas after transferring ownership rights.

In addition, although assigned four groups of state management tasks in science and technology, many communes have not been able to implement them due to the specialized nature of the work and a lack of personnel, such as in metrology inspection and quality management.

MOST has also reported that initial efforts have yielded some positive results. Nearly 400 applications have been processed under decentralized mechanisms across seven fields.

MOST’s survey report noted initial efforts that have yielded some positive results. Nearly 400 applications have been processed under decentralized mechanisms across seven fields.

Digitization systems have been widely implemented, with many provinces synchronizing data with the National Public Service Portal, and 100 percent of one-stop-shop staff equipped with work-support devices.

To address these issues, MOST has proposed that the government establish a targeted budget mechanism, issue policies prioritizing training, staffing allocation, and investment in IT infrastructure.

Le Anh Tuan stated that the government has focused on 11 key databases, expected to be completed by the end of 2025, aiming to reduce administrative procedures and increase the percentage of online applications.

Du Lam