Editor's Note: In his opening remarks at the National Committee on Digital Transformation's thematic session on June 5, 2023, the Vice Chairman of the Committee and Minister of Information and Communications, Nguyen Manh Hung, emphasized: Now is the time for a fundamental change in the way e -government is implemented, the way online public services are provided, and a fundamental change in perception and approach. Below, VietNamNet respectfully presents the full text of the speech.
Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung.
Distinguished members of the Steering Committee for Digital Transformation of central and local ministries and agencies, distinguished leaders of specialized IT and digital transformation units of central and local ministries and agencies, provincial Departments of Information and Communications, representatives of digital technology associations and enterprises, and all comrades and friends, First of all, on behalf of the Ministry of Information and Communications, I warmly welcome you to the thematic session of the National Committee on Digital Transformation. The Prime Minister has requested the Ministry of Information and Communications, as the Standing Agency and Vice Chairman of the National Committee on Digital Transformation, to hold monthly thematic meetings to strongly promote national digital transformation. The theme of this first session is fundamental changes in the provision of online public services. Online public services are the focus of e-government. Online public services are not a new topic; it's something we've been doing for quite a long time, more precisely, over 20 years. The first 10 years, from 2000 to 2010, were the initial steps in applying information technology to the work of state agencies, the first steps in online public services.
Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung chaired a thematic meeting of the Committee on Online Public Services. (Photo: Hoang Ha)
The following 10 years, from 2011 to 2020, marked the official implementation of online public services. The most significant milestone was the Government's issuance of Decree No. 43, dated June 13, 2011, regulating the provision of information and online public services. This was the first time the Government had issued a Decree specifically on online public services. In 2011, the nationwide rate of level 4 online public services was 0.01%. By the end of 2019, 100% of ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government agencies, and People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities had public service portals and electronic one-stop systems at the ministerial and provincial levels. However, the nationwide rate of level 4 online public services by the end of 2019, after 10 years, had only reached 10%. This was the stage of applying information technology to develop e-government. The following three years, from 2020 to 2022, saw breakthrough development due to the use of digital technology (DTC) and a digital transformation approach to e-government. Its defining characteristic is the use of digital platforms. After nearly three years, the percentage of level 4 online public services increased from 10% to 97%.
We focus on putting services online but haven't paid enough attention to simplifying administrative procedures in the digital environment, nor to convenience for citizens, that is, the quality of online services and citizen satisfaction. - Minister Nguyen Manh Hung
But after more than 20 years of implementing online public services, we need to re-evaluate our approach to make fundamental changes. While we offer online public services, the process is not yet complete. We still accept people bringing paper documents to the electronic one-stop service center, receiving the paper documents, digitizing them, and then processing them electronically. Sometimes, people even have to go in person to pay and collect the results. We focus on the number of public services put online, but we haven't paid attention to whether people actually use them, i.e., the percentage of documents processed online. We prioritize online services but haven't focused on simplifying administrative procedures in the digital environment, haven't paid attention to convenience for the people, i.e., the quality of online public services and citizen satisfaction. We're implementing this without standards for public service portals, and without evaluating and publishing the quality of these portals. We have e-government, but reports on online public services from local to central levels are still paper reports, lacking connectivity and online reporting. All of that is characteristic of the IT application era. Now is the time for a fundamental change in how e-government is implemented, how online services are provided, and a fundamental change in perception and approach.
Without the electronic one-stop service system, Vietnam's online public services would certainly not have achieved the success they have today. However, for Vietnam's online public services to continue and accelerate towards the final results, it may very well be necessary to gradually reduce its operations. - Minister Nguyen Manh Hung
In June 2022, the Government issued Decree No. 42 on the provision of online public services, replacing Decree No. 43 of 2011, aiming towards full-process online public services. Full-process means that citizens can use public services themselves and no longer need to go to government agencies. If viewed in the old way, according to the old Decree 43, we had brought 71% of public services online (the remaining 29% were services with virtually no users), and the rate of applications processed online was over 90%. If viewed in the full-process way, according to the new Decree 42, the rate of public services brought online is only 44%, and the rate of applications processed online is only 35%. That is, according to the new definition, the figures have decreased significantly, but we will use these actual figures to move forward sustainably.
Opening of the thematic session of the National Committee on Digital Transformation on June 5, 2023.
We only have 2.5 years left until the end of 2025. During this time, the percentage of applications processed online throughout the entire process must increase from 35% to over 90%, and the number of electronic one-stop service centers at ministries, agencies, and localities will gradually decrease. Citizens using online public services must truly find them more convenient and faster.
High goals lead to innovative and groundbreaking approaches, which in turn can be easier to achieve. - Minister Nguyen Manh Hung
Without the electronic one-stop service system, Vietnam's online public services would certainly not have achieved the success they have today. However, for Vietnam's online public services to continue and accelerate towards the final results, it may be necessary to gradually reduce its activities. Today's meeting is to discuss new approaches and groundbreaking methods to create fundamental changes in Vietnam's online public services. High goals are essential for creating breakthrough methods. Breakthrough methods aren't necessarily difficult or expensive; they are often easy, requiring minimal effort and money, yet achieving high goals in a short time. We often think that setting low goals makes things easier. But in many cases, high goals are actually easier to achieve. If the goals are the same as every year, the methods and everything else will be the same, but one thing is different: enthusiasm. With the same resources but reduced enthusiasm, achieving the same results is very difficult. High goals lead to innovative and groundbreaking approaches, which can then be made easier to achieve. A breakthrough approach is often expressed in a single statement rather than a lengthy report. Statements should ideally be just one sentence, as we are all professionals and don't need extensive explanations. I hope we can discuss innovative approaches to solve Vietnam's digital transformation challenges before 2025.
A breakthrough often comes down to a single statement rather than a lengthy report. - Minister Nguyen Manh Hung
I propose that delegates discuss the following topics: innovative approaches to online public services; objectives; standards for public service portals; simplification of administrative procedures in the digital environment; development of public service portals; provision of online public services on mobile devices; ensuring mobile connectivity; ensuring information security; data sharing and connectivity; increasing the rate of online application processing; the role of electronic one-stop service centers and community digital technology teams; measurement and reporting of online public service data; and investment and service rental costs. With that spirit, I declare today's session open. I wish the session success! A successful meeting means finding breakthrough solutions to achieve the goal of completing Vietnam's online public services before 2025. Thank you! Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung