Plan to Cut Administrative Procedures to be Finalized by April 20

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung chaired a meeting of the Government’s Standing Committee to discuss solutions for implementing reforms aimed at cutting administrative procedures, reducing business conditions, and eliminating restricted business activities in line with Conclusion 18-KL/TW of the Central Committee.

Deputy Prime Ministers attended, along with leaders from the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Interior, and the Government Office.

Current scope and reform direction

Based on reports and comments at the meeting, Vietnam currently has 198 restricted business lines and 4,603 business conditions. Participants noted that if regulations and conditions are not appropriate or necessary, they can increase compliance costs, create barriers, and make it harder for enterprises to operate.

Under Conclusion 18-KL/TW from the second session of the 14th Central Committee, ministries and agencies were urged to continue reviewing and cutting 30% of restricted business lines (about 60 lines) and to cut 100% of unnecessary business conditions. The conclusion also calls for reducing implementation time by 50% and compliance costs by 50%, and for ministries to implement no more than 30% of the total administrative procedures under their management.

Implementation timeline and oversight

Following the meeting’s conclusions, the Prime Minister stressed the need for immediate action, particularly for tasks under Conclusion 18, citing high expectations and many items within the Government’s and ministries’ remit that can be implemented right away.

The Prime Minister requested that proposals to cut and reform administrative procedures, business conditions, and restricted business lines be submitted no later than 20 April. The Government Office and the Ministry of Justice will compile, review, and present the proposals to the Government in April. He also said he would assign Deputy Prime Ministers to oversee work with each ministry.

Focus areas: substance, decentralization, and data

The Prime Minister emphasized that ministries’ responsibility is heavy and that ministers must lead directly and participate actively. He said reductions should not focus only on quantity, but more importantly on the substance and scope of business conditions to ensure real reductions in time and compliance costs for people and enterprises.

In addition to procedure reform, he directed strengthening decentralization linked to increasing local capacity. He also requested ensuring that ministries handle no more than 30% of procedures, and completing the database and restructuring processes so that citizens and enterprises only provide information once, using existing data effectively.

Enforcement and accountability

The Prime Minister asked the Ministry of Justice to coordinate with the Government Office to enforce the “gatekeeper” role and to monitor administrative procedures and business conditions. He noted that ministers are responsible if procedures or conditions fail to meet requirements, and he urged ministries to listen to and incorporate feedback from businesses and associations during implementation.