24/7 Public Administration Service Station
On a Sunday morning, Dinh Thi Kim Tuyen, a resident of Hamlet 1 in Dong Thanh Commune, visited the commune People’s Committee headquarters to have a copy of her citizen ID card certified. Previously, administrative offices did not work at weekends. Dong Thanh Commune, however, has now launched a 24/7 Public Administration Service Station right at the entrance to its People’s Committee headquarters, enabling residents to complete certain administrative procedures on holidays and outside regular office hours.
Tuyen said she submitted her application in late July 2026, just over a week after the station began operating. The process is simple and easy to follow, allowing residents to submit documents at any time. The commune People’s Committee has sent videos explaining each step to every hamlet. Those who are unfamiliar with the procedures can visit the station for direct guidance.
Tuyen also praised the station’s location and facilities. Situated right at the entrance to the commune People’s Committee headquarters, it has security guards on duty to ensure safety. The station is fully equipped with air conditioners, Wi-Fi, touchscreens, document scanners, printers, smart document cabinets and a surveillance camera system.
In the more than three months since its pilot launch, the 24/7 Public Administration Service Station has received nearly 500 applications. Many were submitted at 9pm or 10pm, and even at midnight, with assistance still available to applicants.
Nguyen Le Trong Tam, Vice Chairman of the Dong Thanh Commune People’s Committee, said that Dong Thanh was formed through the merger of three former communes in Hoc Mon District. Covering an area of approximately 30 square kilometres, the commune now has a population of 218,000. As a result, since the two-tier local administration model came into operation, the commune’s Public Administration Service Centre has had to handle a very large volume of applications every day, placing considerable pressure on its officials and civil servants.
To address these challenges, the local authorities studied and piloted the 24/7 Public Administration Service Station, with encouraging results. In just over three months, it received nearly 500 applications, many of which were submitted as late as 9pm or 10pm, and even at midnight, with applicants still receiving assistance.
As a result, many localities in Ho Chi Minh City and several other provinces and cities have contacted Dong Thanh to learn about the model, its experience and how it operates. Recently, a delegation from the National Assembly’s Committee on Science, Technology and Environment also conducted a field visit and spoke highly of the initiative.
The 24/7 Public Administration Service Station currently handles mainly procedures for certifying copies and authenticating documents, as well as civil status procedures, including the issuance of extracts and copies of birth and death certificates, birth and death registration, and certificates of marital status.
Nguyen Tuyet Nhung, Director of the Dong Thanh Commune Public Administration Service Centre, said the locality plans to add several administrative procedures in the fields of culture, society and infrastructure in 2026, enabling residents to complete them at the station.
A service-oriented and proactive approach
Ho Chi Minh City has also seen the effective application of science and technology in various other initiatives, including the “Digital Public Service Café” in An Phu Dong Ward, the mobile voter contact model in Chanh Hiep Ward, the “Guidance once – Self-service many times” model at the municipal Department of Agriculture and Environment, and a smart robot integrated with AI to automate the entire process of receiving citizens. Another example is the Zalo Mini App “Phuong Go Vap Smart” developed by Go Vap Ward.
Nguyen Chi Thanh, Director of the Go Vap Ward Public Administration Service Centre, said the “Phuong Go Vap Smart” Zalo Mini App was launched in late 2025 as a digital platform designed to support administrative reform and meet the requirements of the two-tier local administration model. Go Vap Ward was among the first localities to introduce the application, which allows residents to take queue numbers remotely, helping improve service quality, enhance transparency and ease the workload of grassroots officials.
In the more than 10 months since its launch, the application has recorded over 88,000 instances of residents taking queue numbers from home.
“After taking a queue number at home, residents only need to arrive about 10 minutes before their appointment to complete the procedure. As a result, there is no longer overcrowding during peak hours, residents no longer have to queue out onto the streets as they did before, and the problem of informal service brokers has been significantly curbed,” Thanh said.
Public services are therefore gradually being designed to meet practical needs, with public satisfaction serving as the measure of operational effectiveness. These innovative models have successfully addressed constraints relating to space and time, while gradually encouraging residents to adopt digital practices.
Bringing online public services closer to residents is about more than simply reducing administrative procedures or saving costs and travelling time. More fundamentally, it means eliminating cumbersome barriers and harassment. Openness and transparency at every stage of the processing procedure are measures of accountability, helping strengthen public trust in the local administration.
Nguyen Van Duoc, Member of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee
Nguyen Van Duoc, Member of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, emphasised that, in pursuit of a service-oriented government, the city always places the rights, convenience and satisfaction of residents above all else. Every innovative approach, model and administrative reform solution must first answer the question: “What benefits will residents gain?”
Bringing online public services closer to residents is about more than simply reducing administrative procedures or saving costs and travelling time. More fundamentally, it means eliminating cumbersome barriers and harassment. Openness and transparency at every stage of the processing procedure are measures of accountability, helping strengthen public trust in the local administration.
However, Nguyen Van Duoc noted that technology and modern models, no matter how advanced, are merely tools. The core of a professional administration lies in the responsiveness, flexibility and sense of responsibility demonstrated by officials and civil servants, guided by the principles of “respecting the people, staying close to the people and understanding the people”. This approach helps remove barriers arising from technological limitations.
Every official, civil servant and public employee in the city must genuinely shift their mindset from “management” to “service”, work with dedication, proactively listen to residents and take their feedback on board in order to improve the quality of public service on a daily basis.
