Removing the bottlenecks in local government operations

More authority for commune-level governments could bring public administration closer to residents. But in Vietnam's localities, the transfer of power is revealing a more difficult question: can communes actually carry out the responsibilities they have received?

Van Son Commune in Phu Tho covers more than 120 square kilometers and has more than 9,100 residents. It hopes to build on its agricultural strengths and scenery to become a provincial tourism destination by 2030. Yet its roads and electricity supply remain serious obstacles, according to commune Party Secretary Nguyen Duy Tu.

Narrow roads make it difficult for large vehicles to reach the commune, affecting both tourism and the sale of agricultural products. Weak electricity supplies limit investment in large-scale production equipment. Community tourism facilities also cannot yet install all the equipment needed to serve visitors. The commune's wide area adds to the pressure. Government offices sit 4 to 5 kilometers apart, complicating coordination, while some officials must walk uphill for at least 20 minutes to visit families receiving policy support, said Bui Thi Hang, head of the commune's Culture and Social Affairs Division.

Van Son illustrates a broader problem reported by local governments. The Lao Cai provincial Party Standing Committee said complex areas such as land, construction, planning and finance had been decentralized without fully transferring decision-making powers, operational procedures or funding. Officials sometimes have to handle cases while seeking guidance from higher authorities.

In Hanoi, 101 of 126 communes and wards, or 80.2 percent, proposed temporarily suspending at least one delegated task. The Ministry of Home Affairs said decentralization had made major progress under the two-tier local government model, but supporting conditions had not kept pace. Without additional personnel, budgets, facilities, equipment, data and staff capacity, it said, expanded legal authority could remain a power on paper rather than a capacity in practice. Existing laws also often assume that district-level bodies still exist, leaving commune officials uncertain when applying rules unless the framework is updated.

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To visit families receiving policy support, officials in some places have to walk uphill for at least 20 minutes to reach a household.