The Vietnamese government has earned praise from representatives of the UN Development Program (UNDP) and the Australian embassy in Hanoi for its efforts to improve access to e-public services for citizens through the National Public Service Portal.  

UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam Caitlin Wiesen. Photo: UNDP

“I would like to commend the government of Vietnam for its commitment at the highest level to e-governance and digital transformation. Citizens engagement is key, both for promoting e-governance and for improving its quality”, said UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam Caitlin Wiesen at a conference in Hue city on July 10.

Wiesen highlighted four reasons for undertaking administrative procedures online, including safety, convenience, reduced carbon, and less opportunity for corruption. “E-governance and digital transformation has become even more vital and urgent in the context of Covid-19.”

Addressing the conference, Ambassador of Australia to Vietnam Robyn Mudie, emphasized Australia’s strong partnership with Vietnam supporting e-government. “For the past few years, Australia has walked alongside Vietnam in its e-governance journey: sharing lessons and experiences from both sides. I’m impressed by how much Vietnam has achieved and honored to take another step on this path today,” she said.

Ambassador of Australia to Vietnam Robyn Mudie. Photo: UNDP

The conference was also aimed at increasing the quality of e-public services through the sharing of experiences in connecting with the National Public Service Portal from Thua Thien-Hue province and collecting citizens’ feedback.

“The ultimate goal of the National Public Service Portal is to Leave No One Behind, putting the people and businesses at the center, integrating public services of ministries, agencies and localities into the National Public Service Portal, thereby providing friendly online public services for the people regardless of time and administrative boundaries,” said Minister-Chairman of Government Office Mai Tien Dung.

The National Public Service Portal is also a channel to receive the feedback and recommendations from people and businesses so that people and businesses can join the government in building institutions, thus improving administrative discipline and order.

Minister-Chairman of Government Office Mai Tien Dung (middle) with participants at the conference. Photo: UNDP

Seven months after its launch, the National Public Service Portal has integrated 750 online public services (359 services for people and 414 for businesses); got 189,000 accounts registered; received more than 179,000 online documents on the National Portal; and responded to 16,600 phone inquiries. E-payment has been integrated with six ministries and 33 out of 63 provinces and cities.

During the conference, ministries and agencies introduced online public services such as voluntary social insurance and extension of the validity of the health insurance card for household; issuance of driving license, etc. These are essential public services for citizens, which have recently integrated into the National Public Service Portal.