Hat Mon Commune (Ha Noi) was established through the merger of seven former communes, covering an area of 37.61 sq km with a population of 72,264. Under the new operating model, the workload has increased across almost all sectors. Records and data serving land management and socio-economic development remain incomplete and have yet to be digitised, while technical infrastructure, information technology systems and digital transformation have not yet been synchronised.
However, according to Nguyen Dinh Son, Secretary of the Hat Mon Commune Party Committee, after one year of operating under the two-tier local government model, the commune has undergone significant changes, with governance methods being modernised through stronger application of information technology and digital transformation. To date, 100% of directives and administrative documents issued by the commune Party Committee and local authorities have been digitally signed and processed electronically (except classified documents).
Officials, civil servants and public employees have all been issued digital certificates, enabling end-to-end digital signing. The document management and executive system has been deployed across all agencies and units, ensuring work is processed entirely in the online environment.
Hat Mon Commune currently maintains 60 Community Digital Transformation Teams, assisting residents with installing electronic identification applications, submitting online public service applications and making cashless payments. It has also implemented the model entitled "Digital Transformation in Communication, Connectivity and Socio-economic Development", under which activities such as "Employment Connectivity – Entrepreneurship Support – Promoting Digital Transformation" have helped workers access recruitment information, acquire digital skills and create more opportunities for career development, higher incomes and improved quality of life.
The application of science, technology and digital transformation has been vigorously promoted by authorities at all levels across Ha Noi during the implementation of the new model, not only in Hat Mon Commune. According to a report by the Standing Board of the Ha Noi Party Committee, the city has synchronously deployed the HanoiWork digital workspace, the iHanoi digital interaction platform, a task monitoring system, shared databases and platforms serving smart governance. To date, Ha Noi has digitised more than 24 million pages of documents at the communal level; completed more than 9.3 million electronic health records, covering approximately 99% of the population; digitised over 3.2 million land plots; updated data on more than 543,000 public assets; provided digital identification for 100% of students; updated data for more than 98% of Party member records and over 128,000 records of officials, civil servants and public employees; and implemented OKR/KPI-based performance evaluation using data and task implementation results.
According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, from the perspective of digital transformation, the most notable achievement after one year of operating the new model is that leadership and administrative activities have generally been maintained smoothly, while the processing of administrative dossiers and the provision of public services have gradually become independent of administrative boundaries. The communal level has been identified as the key focus for support in infrastructure, data, digital platforms and digital skills. Within the Ministry's state management responsibilities alone, it has issued the National Digital Architecture Framework, Version 2.0 of the ICT Architecture Framework for Smart City Development in Viet Nam, the catalogue and implementation plan for national digital platforms and shared digital platforms, as well as guidelines for implementing the communal-level digital transformation model serving 3,321 communes and wards nationwide.
After one year of operating the three-tier government model, digital infrastructure and digital transformation platforms have basically met the requirements for governance, administration and serving citizens and businesses. However, practical implementation in localities has also revealed a number of difficulties that still need to be addressed.
Nguyen Gia Hien, Secretary of the Dan Phuong Commune Party Committee (Ha Noi), said that one of the challenges has been that information technology infrastructure at some workplaces remains inconsistent; sector-specific software has yet to be fully interconnected; and data remains fragmented, with a comprehensive shared database at the communal level not yet established. Therefore, in the coming period, the commune will continue investing in and upgrading information technology infrastructure, accelerating the digitisation of records and documents, and maintaining the effective operation of Community Digital Transformation Teams and Digital Literacy Campaigns.
The commune has also proposed continued investment in upgrading information technology infrastructure, transmission networks and shared software to support the operation of digital government. At the same time, it has called for the completion of the national database system to ensure seamless connectivity between the central, municipal and communal levels. Nguyen Dinh Son, Secretary of the Hat Mon Commune Party Committee, suggested that mechanisms should be introduced to attract, recruit and provide incentives for high-quality personnel in the fields of information technology, digital transformation, land administration, construction and finance. He also emphasised the need to strengthen specialised training for communal-level officials and civil servants by organising courses on digital transformation, information security and digital skills, as well as issuing unified guidelines on the organisation and operation of Community Digital Transformation Teams.
According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, digital transformation can only achieve its full effectiveness when implemented alongside decentralisation, delegation of authority, process standardisation and clearly defined implementation responsibilities. Support for digital transformation at the communal level must therefore be organised on a regular, continuous and multi-channel basis. Accordingly, ministries and sectors need to promptly complete mechanisms governing data sharing, personal data protection, information security, and responsibilities for operating shared digital platforms and databases.
In addition, local authorities need to prioritise resources for standardising work equipment, transmission networks, digital signatures, licensed software, internal network systems and information security at the communal level. They should also accelerate efforts to eliminate mobile signal blackspots, electricity shortages and weak connectivity, particularly in remote, mountainous, border and island areas. During implementation, policies for personnel specialising in digital transformation, information security and cybersecurity must be fully implemented.
