Hanoi remained among the top localities in terms of public administration performance in 2022, with a score of 43.9 in the 2022 Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI), placing it in the high quartile (43.4-47.8).

Overview of the event. Photo: Linh Nguyen/The Hanoi Times

The results were released at the report's launch event today [April 12], making it the second year in a row that the capital has been among the top performers in the PAPI.

Conducted jointly by the Center for Community Support and Development Studies (CECODES), the Vietnam Fatherland Front's Center for Research and Training, Real-Time Analytics, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), PAPI is a policy monitoring tool that assesses citizens' experiences and satisfaction with government performance at the national and subnational levels in governance, public administration, and public service delivery.

"The report provides a source of reliable, evidence-based data for central and local authorities to review their performance in the key areas of governance, public administration, and public service delivery," said UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam Ramla Khalidi at the launch.

For the 2022 edition, 16,117 randomly selected citizens were surveyed, totaling 178,243 Vietnamese citizens nationwide who have been directly interviewed for the PAPI since 2009.

Hanoi ranked first among the five subnational cities, followed by Haiphong (43.6), Danang (42.5), Ho Chi Minh City (41), and Cantho (40).

This demonstrates the Hanoi apparatus's continuing efforts to raise the public administration standard. On the sidelines of the event, Dang Hoang Giang, a research member of the 2022 PAPI, told The Hanoi Times that the achievement "reflects the city's ability to overcome the challenges posed by its size and economic importance, and shows that with the determined commitment of local authorities, positive changes can be achieved".

For Hanoi to improve its ranking in the PAPI index in the coming period, Giang urged the city to strengthen its performance in all aspects related to administrative performance, from education, transparency in land management, and accessible online public services to environmental management.

"Hanoi should not focus on just one or two priorities but ensure equal efforts in all matters that affect people's lives, which is also an item in the PAPI that evaluates people's experiences in dealing with government from different perspectives," Giang added.

Among the eight sub-criteria, Hanoi scored highest in "public administration procedures" with 7.31 out of 10, followed by "public service delivery" with 7.22 and "control of corruption in the public sector" 6.8.

Local officials in Bac Tu Liem District support citizens in realizing administrative procedures. Photo: Pham Hung/The Hanoi Times

Rebound in citizens’ economic optimism

According to the PAPI survey, Vietnam's efforts to mitigate the socioeconomic impact of the extraordinary health crisis in 2022 led to higher economic confidence at both the household and government levels.

While there was a 13.7% decrease in citizens rating conditions as "bad" from 19.8% in 2021 to just 6.1% in 2022, and a 19.4% increase in respondents rating the national economy as "good" in 2022. Similarly, fewer people said their economic situation was "bad" at the household level (11.4% vs. 15.3% in 2021).

Despite this progress, the effects of the health crisis were still being felt. Although 56% of respondents said their economic situation was better in 2022 than in 2021 (52%), this was still the lowest figure since 2012. Similarly, the number of respondents who said their economic circumstances were worse rose to its highest level since 2012, with the exception of 2021. These findings highlight that many respondents still feel the lingering pains from the economic damage caused by the pandemic, with ethnic minorities and women being the most affected due to their higher rates of poverty and precarious work.

The transition to the post-pandemic era is also reflected in health and health insurance, as the issue of greatest concern in 2021 dropped from 23.84 to 6.38%, overtaken by poverty/hunger (22.13%), which has consistently topped the list since 2015, except in pandemic-hit 2021.

As the PAPI presents the views of a range of voices, including women, men, and people with disabilities, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski noted that addressing their concerns is critical for Vietnam to improve government services.

"Australia has supported this important governance initiative for seven years because we recognize the value of the work for Vietnam," he said.

Nguyen Huu Dung, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front, expected the results of the PAPI to make a practical contribution to public administration reform - a key content of the three strategic breakthroughs in socio-economic development that the Party and State of Vietnam are striving to achieve.

“The research and analysis of citizens’ assessment of the provincial governance and public administration performance provide important indicators that help policymakers adjust policies and innovate operating methods to meet reality’s requirements,” Dung said.