The senior government official was speaking at a conference held in Hue City in the central province of Thua Thien Hue on July 10, discussing ways to improve access to public e-services for citizens via the NPSP. The event was held jointly by the Government Office and the People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue Province, in collaboration with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Speaking at the event, Dung, who is also the chairman of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council on Administrative Procedures Reform, said that right from the beginning of his term, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc issued a message of his determination to build an active government that puts citizens and businesses at its centre. The relevant ministries, agencies and localities have taken on that goal, aiming to redirect their administrative management, both ensuring effective State management while better serving the people and businesses.
According to Dung,, with the participation of the whole political system together with the solidarity and consensus of the people, Vietnam has controlled the COVID-19 epidemic and entered a new normal state, ready to implement the "dual goal" of fighting against the epidemic and restoring its economy. The government has directed the implementation of multiple strong solutions to remove difficulties for businesses, while ensuring social security and social order and safety, by drastically transforming the working methods of State administrative agencies, focusing on processing documents in the electronic and non-paper environment.
According to the minister, the portal has so far provided more than 750 public e-procedures since its launch seven months ago. It has registered over 189,000 user accounts and seen more than 49.6 million visits. Some 176,000 applications and enquiries have been lodged to date.
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An overview of the seminar. (Photo: VGP)
The chairman of the Government Office said that the goal of the NPSP is to serve both people and businesses with transparency as well as saving on both time and cost. However, it is important for citizens and businesses to understand the benefits brought about by the portal, as well as the responsibilities of civil servants and officials in answering, responding and resolving online administrative procedures.
UNDP Resident Representative Caitlin Wiesen said the launch of the portal marks an important step in Vietnam’s moves towards e-Government. It has proven effective, helping Vietnam maintain the non-disrupted provision of public services to its citizens and businesses while the country imposed social distancing measures to contain COVID-19, she said, adding that public participation plays a key role in promoting and improving the quality of online public governance.
Robyn Mudie, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, said that Vietnam is bringing the portal into a new and important stage, showing its relentless determination to improve and innovate to help people and businesses have more access to online procedures. The Australian Government is committed to continuing to support Vietnam in this process, as well as sharing any relevant experience Australia has, the diplomat emphasised.
