Saving time for citizens
One of the shortcomings in handling administrative procedures is that citizens are required to provide the same information repeatedly and resubmit documents even though the data have already been collected and managed by state agencies. When databases are not interconnected or effectively utilised, applicants still have to complete steps that could otherwise be replaced by retrieving and verifying information through digital systems.
In Bong Son Ward, the use of data in handling administrative procedures has begun yielding tangible benefits. Tran Quang, a local resident, said that completing applications for document certification or looking up civil status information has become faster, significantly reducing the number of steps required compared with the past.
Building on these initial results, Bong Son Ward is shifting the focus of administrative reform from digitising records to utilising and reusing data in processing administrative procedures. In the third quarter, the ward’s Public Administrative Service Centre received 1,725 applications across 16 fields, all submitted online. Together with 76 dossiers carried over from the previous period, the total caseload reached 1,801, including 810 involving interconnected land-related procedures.
The centre processed 1,650 applications on time or ahead of schedule, with none overdue. Another 68 remained under review, while 83 had been suspended, withdrawn, or rejected.
Nguyen Ai Viet, Vice Chairman of the Bong Son Ward People’s Committee, said that handling administrative procedures electronically could only be truly effective when linked to the utilisation and reuse of existing data. Information from databases is integrated and used to assist citizens in completing applications, while also enabling competent authorities to verify submissions, reducing the need to re-enter data or provide documents already available in the system.
The value of data reuse lies not only in digitising information but also in reforming application workflows. Once data have been stored and duly verified, receiving agencies can directly process administrative procedures, curbing the need for repeated declarations and document submissions while saving time for citizens and organisations.
Localities across the province have now connected to and begun tapping key databases on population, land, electronic civil status records, and business registration. However, the effectiveness of data utilisation still depends on data quality, the level of connectivity between systems, and the procedures involved in each administrative process.
The province therefore needs to continue standardising data, clearly identifying official information sources and the responsibilities of managing agencies, while ensuring that data are used for intended purposes and within designated authority.
Strengthening coordination and data sharing
Gia Lai has identified the land sector as a priority for implementing data-driven administrative reform. The Provincial People’s Committee issued Decision No. 3060/QD-UBND on July 20, 2025, approving a plan to restructure the processing of 45 land-related administrative procedures through the utilisation and reuse of data.
The province has developed and configured the plan on its digital system, standardising 13 electronic forms containing 873 data fields for handling 40 procedures. Of these, 711 are designed for automatic data entry, accounting for more than 81% of the total.
Citizens can check and confirm information provided by the system, while specialised officials verify the data through the same platform. The province has also configured 27 administrative procedures to retrieve electronic versions of previously issued land-use right certificates from the land database, allowing them to replace required application documents where regulatory conditions are met.
Utilising data for 70 procedures on the province’s administrative processing information system requires coordination among specialised agencies, the provincial Public Administrative Service Centre and the system operator. These units need to clearly identify which data can be reused, which information can be automatically entered or verified, which application documents can be replaced, and the responsibilities at each workflow stage.
Pham Anh Tuan, Chairman of the Gia Lai Provincial People’s Committee has instructed departments and agencies to strengthen coordination and data sharing, refrain from requiring businesses to resubmit information already available in connected databases, and update application status so that investors can track it. Guidance must be provided from the outset, with business satisfaction serving as a measure of effectiveness, ensuring that reforms deliver substantive results rather than becoming a mere formality.
Tuan also called for strict adherence to the principle of the “five clear requirements”: explicitly defined personnel, tasks, deadlines, responsibilities, and results. For delayed applications, the causes must be identified and corrective measures proposed. Heads of agencies will be held accountable for delays, errors, or unnecessary difficulties caused to citizens and businesses.
Acts of harassment, misconduct, or solicitation of unofficial payments will be strictly dealt with. Where necessary, officials may be reassigned or subjected to disciplinary measures under regulations.
