Vietnam streamlines procedures to unlock development resources

The Vietnamese government is intensifying efforts to cut down on administrative procedures, a move intended to unlock development resources and foster a more conducive environment for investment and business. This push aims to streamline processes for both citizens and enterprises across the country.

“

Streamlining administrative procedures, especially barriers to investment and business activities for citizens and enterprises, has been a consistent policy across recent governments. However, many unnecessary administrative procedures still exist, and people and businesses are not yet satisfied when dealing with them.

Nguyen Quang Dong, Director of the Institute for Media Policy and Development Studies, highlighted that simplifying bureaucracy is a key growth driver. He explained that an efficient institutional framework for investment and business encourages people and companies to invest their capital rather than hoarding assets in gold, USD, or real estate. This shift is seen as vital for mobilizing societal resources effectively.

“

The government's policy to reduce administrative procedures is supported by all citizens and businesses. However, the government's goal to cut the processing time for administrative procedures by 50% this year is measurable, while the extent to which the number of procedures cut benefits people and businesses is difficult to assess.

Dong noted that while reducing administrative procedures has been a consistent government objective, many unnecessary hurdles persist, leaving citizens and businesses dissatisfied. He emphasized that the government's goal to cut administrative procedure processing times by 50% this year is measurable. The true success, however, should be evaluated by the time saved for citizens and businesses, from application submission to final result. He also pointed out the need for public officials to guide applicants through necessary corrections rather than simply rejecting applications for minor errors like punctuation mistakes, which hinders the achievement of the reduction targets.

“

The results of reducing administrative procedures need to be measured by the time citizens and businesses spend on administrative procedures from the time of submission to the final result. This should be the most important indicator for evaluating the effectiveness of administrative procedure reform.